The562’s cross country and track & field coverage is sponsored by Joe Carlson & Debbie Hughes.
Not since the late 1970s has the Millikan boys’ cross country team won three Moore League championships in a row, but the Rams are hoping to rewrite the record books again this fall.
Their depth has helped elevate the program to historic heights, but will they have enough to hold off the rest of the Moore League in 2025?
Millikan
The Rams have had a great run of success over the last few years under head coach Pedro Ramirez, and despite some key losses from last year’s group they remain the favorites on paper.
After having six of the top nine finishers at last year’s league finals (despite their top runner being out injured) the Rams showed that they’ve got the numbers to withstand some setbacks. So despite graduating another strong senior class, Millikan is feeling good about their chances once again.
“I am quite excited, because we do have a lot of younger guys that have to step in,” said Ramirez of this year’s group. “We graduated quite a few last year, so we’re actually a younger team, and it’s a good challenge. We did well with a lot of seniors. Now we have juniors, and we’re happy to step up to the challenge. Hopefully everything goes well for us.”
One of the few seniors on this year’s roster is Aiden Ransom, who brings back a ton of varsity experience for the Rams. He was the runner-up at last year’s league finals at Heartwell, missing the top spot by just over a second. He’ll be joined by fellow senior Bryce Cobabe in the Millikan lineup.
The junior class will be a big driver of the team’s success, and is led by Jack Walsh and Hector Diaz. Add in sophomore Ricardo Linarez-Gutierrez, and the Rams feel good about their top five runners. The remaining varsity spots will be a competition throughout the year.
One name that would be a welcome addition to the lineup is junior Brandon Hinojosa-Garcia, who finished third at league finals as a sophomore. He’s been dealing with some knee trouble and his availability is uncertain for this season.
Ramirez said things are a little more up in the air this season than they have been recently, but he remains optimistic that the Rams can retain their title.
“Not as confident as previous years, but still, cautiously confident,” he said. “I definitely think it’s a rebuilding year. I know we should be pretty good still, but it’s definitely still a rebuilding year compared to previous years.”
Long Beach Poly
The Jackrabbits finished runner-up as a team last season, and have a ton of returning experience on the roster. In fact, it might even be too much with only seven varsity spots available.
“We’ve got a good group of seniors who are leading the way. I think we’ve got like 17 senior boys on the roster this year,” said Poly head coach Eric Riehl. “So, yeah, a big group, which is great because that means we’re going to have a lot of depth, both at the varsity and at the JV level, so that’s going to be one of our strengths this year.”
From that group, the top three seem to be Archie Byrom, Julian Wherry and Noah Chun. That trio has been leading the way in Poly’s offseason workouts, and Riehl says the experienced group understands what’s expected of them as they look to lead by example.
Other key returners for the Jackrabbits include senior Miguel Casas and junior Graham Deeble, who were both varsity runners last season.
Senior Brendan Chaparro looks to be ready to make the leap to varsity this year, and Riehl is also excited about a first-time runner joining the program as a senior. Austin Requejo had been part of the basketball program, but joined cross country this season. Riehl only wishes he’d been with the team earlier.
As far as underclassmen, Riehl is high on sophomore Jason Cruz, who got limited experience last season but was Poly’s top freshman runner at Mt. SAC.
Wilson
There’s also a good group of veteran runners over at Wilson, led by senior Tommy Pincherli, who placed fifth at Moore League finals last year. Pincherli is the third-fastest runner in program history, and will be looking to improve on his PR of 15 minutes flat set at Woodbridge.
Other seniors Diego Sahagun and Matthew Searles will be towards the top of the Wilson lineup this year. Searles joined midseason last year, so he should have a better foundation to work
from in 2025, and he’s shown proficiency in hill running.
“”He has broken some all-time workout records, and that has many of us excited for what he’s going to do this year,” said Wilson head coach CJ Brewer of Searles.
Other runners in the varsity group are 800m state champ Wyland Obando, junior Sahakbillivitou Mok, and senior Max Schauweker. The Bruins also have a nice crop of promising youngsters with freshmen Rico Hollister and David Nader, and sophomores Ethan Irvin, Paxton Kubitz, Dexter Mendez, Dante Cuevas and Clayton Rinebold.
Lakewood
It will be a young group of Lancers this season, with sophomore Matthew Rangel leading the way. He’s coming off a strong finish to his track season and will hope to carry that into cross country.
Junior William Chmiel and senior Gregory Ayala have put time into strength training this offseason, according to Lancers head coach Daniel Sorenson, and are focused on setting PRs and letting the results follow from there.
Cabrillo
Over on the Westside, the Cabrillo Jaguars are continuing to build their program, and they have a good mix of quality returners with incoming freshmen looking to elevate the program.
“This season, we continue our rebuilding journey with a young but determined team,” said Cabrillo head coach Sandy Castillo. “More importantly, we’re focused on building a strong sense of community within the Westside. Our top priority is creating a safe and supportive environment for our student-athletes to grow.”
Junior Alex Ramires is the top returner for the Jags who has taken on a leadership role this season and put in hard work over the summer. Returners Fidel Perez and JJ Miramontes have also shown great improvement from last season, Castillo said.
The Moore League cross country season starts on Sept. 24 at El Dorado Park. League finals are scheduled for Nov. 5 at Heartwell Park.
