Wilson’s Audrey Buckley and Millikan’s Amberly McDowell battle for first place at the Moore League Cross Country Meet at Heartwell Park in Long Beach on Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2026. (Photo by John W. Davis)
Millikan senior Hector Diaz after winning the Moore League Cross Country Meet at Heartwell Park in Long Beach on Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2026.
(Photo by John W. Davis)
Wilson senior Audrey Buckley after winning the first Moore League girls cross country meet at Heartwell Park in Long Beach on Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2026. (Photo by John W. Davis)
Millikan senior Hector Diaz takes an early lead on his way to victory at the Moore League Cross Country Meet at Heartwell Park in Long Beach on Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2026. (Photo by John W. Davis)
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Wilson’s Audrey Buckley and Millikan’s Amberly McDowell battle for first place at the Moore League Cross Country Meet at Heartwell Park in Long Beach on Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2026. (Photo by John W. Davis)
LONG BEACH — Millikan senior Hector Diaz won his first Moore League cross country meet Wednesday with a strong wire-to-wire effort at El Dorado Park.
Diaz, who said he did not plan on going hard, finished with a time of 15 minutes and 23.1 seconds to win the 3-mile race.
“To be honest, I kind of wanted this last year,” Diaz said of his victory, “but there were some factors that came into play and that didn’t really happen. But it’s a joyful time right now for sure. I plan to keep this streak throughout the season. It’s a pretty happy feeling.”
Rams senior Jack Walsh, who is the defending Moore League individual champion, was second in 15:33.6.
Millikan won the boys race with a low score of 19 points. The Rams’ top five scorers included: junior Ricardo Linarez-Gutierrez (15:45.5, fourth place), senior Brandon Hinojosa-Garcia (15:49.6, sixth place) and sophomore Sebastian McKiernan (15:53.1, eighth place).
“It’s great to be able to lead such a great team,” Diaz continued.
Millikan senior Hector Diaz goes wire-to-wire to win the first Moore League boys cross country meet of the year at Heartwell Park in Long Beach.
The Rams also won the team race. pic.twitter.com/04qTnvb9eO
— John W. Davis (@johnwdavis) October 1, 2026
Sophomore Jessie Hinojosa-Garcia’s ninth-place finish in 15:56.1 and sophomore Eric Villicana’s 12th-place result in 16:09.5 helped establish Millikan’s comfortable margin of victory, as the team’s top seven runners crossed the finish line before Wilson’s fourth- and fifth-place runners.
“There’s strength in numbers and I tell them it feels better if you have teammates around you,” Millikan boys cross country coach Pedro Ramirez said. “Especially for most of the race, and then of course everyone tries to outkick each other, but I think it feels good. I remember as a runner, it felt good to have teammates around me. There’s safety and energy there that kind of takes you and if you see your teammates go, then you’ll probably go also.”
The Rams are seeking their fourth consecutive Moore League title, which Ramirez believes would solidify that his program is doing something right.
“I tell them we have a standard,” Ramirez continued. “I tell them that I want a professional high school team, very professional about what they do, very structured. Like they shouldn’t need any reminding on what to do here.”
Wilson, which was led by sophomore David Nader’s third-place finish in 15:34.9, was second in the team race with 41 points. Poly, which was led by sophomore Sawyer Chesnin’s fifth-place finish in 15:46.7, was third in the team race, beating out Lakewood and Cabrillo.
Wilson senior Audrey Buckley uses a late surge to win the first Moore League girls cross country meet at Heartwell Park in Long Beach. pic.twitter.com/gZE8E8v5iV
— John W. Davis (@johnwdavis) October 1, 2026
Wilson won the girls race with 21 points and had five runners in the top nine finishers.
Bruins senior Audrey Buckley led the way with a first-place finish in 17:42.7.
“Never give up on your race,” Buckley said. “You never know what’s going to happen, so don’t give up halfway. You can always win. The battle is in your head. If you win in your head, you win in the race.”
Wilson senior Avery Errecart placed second (17:54.4), sophomore Ella George finished fourth ( 18:32.8) and senior Leticia Tovar placed seventh (18:46.4). Senior Shirayah Lewis-Williams, who recently committed to Arkansas for track, finished ninth in (18:52).
“Our message is to attack what you can control,” Wilson girls cross country coach CJ Brewer said. “And not to focus on anything that you can’t control.”
Millikan, which was led by sophomore Ambery McDowell’s third-place finish, was second in the team race with 38 points. McDowell surged into first around Mile 2 but relinquished the lead when she made a wrong turn and had to double back in the later stages of the race.
Poly, led by junior Sienna Young’s fifth-place finish in 18:37.8, was third in the team results.
Millikan senior Hector Diaz on winning his first Moore League Country race.
Diaz said winning this race has been his goal since he was a junior.
He also talked about his team’s overall win and what it means to him to a be leader. pic.twitter.com/NoL9SAIxE0
— John W. Davis (@johnwdavis) October 1, 2026
Millikan boys cross country coach Pedro Ramirez on trying to lead his team to a fourth straight Moore League title after winning the league’s first cluster meet at Heartwell Park in Long Beach Wednesday night. pic.twitter.com/SjSlhw9kXa
— John W. Davis (@johnwdavis) October 1, 2026
Wilson senior Audrey Buckley on winning her first Moore League girls cross country race in 17:42.7 over 3 miles at Heartwell Park in Long Beach Wednesday night. pic.twitter.com/cUQjUmTAks
— John W. Davis (@johnwdavis) October 1, 2026