BOYS - DIVISION 4
#1 BELMONT
The Phoenix has risen! The Sentinels take the #1 rank in their new D4 (they were D5 last year) after not making it into the City Prelims back in 2021 for the first time since the initiation of the 3-mile course back in 1976. For some perspective, this is the winningest City XC program EVER. So those were dark days for the Sentinels. But Belmont clawed their way back to 7th in 2022 and then 3rd last year and now in ’24 they are back on top. Belmont is the only City school to move up in divisions in 2024. They’re led by seniors SANTIAGO BARRIOS and SANTIAGO DUARTE, both whom should be running 16-low at Pierce and vying for the individual City title. Junior EDWIN GOMEZ and seniors BARYON SARAT and JOSE ITZEP shore up the scoring runners for Belmont. Last year was the first XC season for these three so they should show big improvements in their 2nd season this fall; look for each of them to target 17 minutes in November.
Senior Santiago Barrios is the #3 returning D4 athlete and is only seconds off the top D4 time from 2023. He and teammate Santiago Duarte will both be gunning for an individual City title to go with their team title.
#2 SHERMAN OAKS CES
The Knights move down from D3 to D4 in 20024. This fall, Junior DAVID BOUSSI will lead SOCES as the try to dethrone a strong Belmont team as well as fend off competition from Washington Prep. BOUSSI will be targeting a D4 individual City title but the competition will be stiff with 7 runners within 38 seconds of each other. SOCES has a slew of younger runners, namely sophomores HASSAN MOZANNAR and ANGEL HERNANDEZ and junior DYLAN YOU, that should help the cause but they’ll need some big improvements to take down Belmont. Senior SANTIAGO GOMEZ had a promising start to his junior XC season last year but did not parlay that into much of a change over his sophomore times at the end of the season. GOMEZ along with the another senior ANTONIA ALTAMIRANO really should be targeting well under 19 minutes this fall. Junior SHUMEI UNEMOTO impressed in his 1st year of running last year and will be a big addition if he continues running this year.
SOCES varsity warms up on day 1 of the Mt. Sac Invitational, 2023 (l-r) Antonio Altamirano-Sr, Dylan You-Jr, Nathan Medina-Grad, David Boussi-Jr, Sean Chavez-Grad, Santiago Gomez-Sr, Hassan Mozannar-So#3 WASHINGTON PREP
It’s only been since 2018 that the Generals have put together a serious XC team and since then they’ve been able to make it to the City Finals with a respectable middle-of-the-pack finish. That began to turn around a year ago when they placed 3rd in the D4 City team championships. They’re not going to catch Belmont this year but SOCES is definitely within grasp. CARLOS AGUILAR will be looking to win his 2nd individual City title but this will be a much more competitive landscape in ‘24 with the addition of Belmont to D4. AGUILAR will get support from JUAN ALTAMIRANO, ANDREW ALBA ROMERO and LEVIS HERNANDEZ. ALBA ROMERO was the highest finishing freshman last year taking 13th in the D4 City Finals. To hope for a City title they need a legitimate #5 that can break 19 minutes on Pierce. Senior SALVADORE GARCIA looks to be the likely candidate. He showed huge improvements in his 1st year of running in ’23 and continued to run over the spring track season (fairly uncommon in D4).
#4 MaCES
Just last year the Wolfpack finally broke from a legacy of 7th place finishes at City Finals to place 4th. This year they hold their ground at #4 in a more competitive division and that spot should be secure. But their chances of catching any of the front runners is a daunting proposition. Across the board they’ll need 45-60 second improvements on Pierce in November. That sounds impossible but its not and teams have done that much and more in the past. Seniors DAVID CRUZ and OSMIN GUERRERO will fight for the #1 Wolfpack position and both will need sub-18’s come November. Sophomore ANTHONY PADILLA showed well last year as a freshman and should look to join Cruz and Guerrero in the front pack. Twin brothers MARIO and JORGE CARRERA will both need to be a lot closer to 19 minutes in order for MaCES to consider moving up in the rankings.
Division 4 Best of the Rest . . .
Junior JULIAN GOMEZ from Foshay Learning Center will get another crack at the City D4 individual title this fall. He was 21 seconds behind 1st place finisher Carlos Aguilar last year as a sophomore.
Dorsey senior JEREMY XIVER returns with the 9th best returning D4 time and is within striking distance of the top 5.
DAIREUS COMBS of Jordan High is the top returning D4 sophomore.
SPENCER DOI is LACES top runner and had the 3rd best freshman time compared to other 2023 D4 freshman (LACES was D3 last year).
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