Birmingham’s Moguel Records Upset in 400 Heat

Mike Moguel ran in only one individual race in the City Section track and field semifinals Thursday, but the Birmingham High senior recorded a personal-best time for two races.

En route to a personal-best 48.89 seconds in the first heat of the 400 meters and an upset of defending City champion Lamont Warren of Dorsey, Moguel pounded out a 22.2-second split at the 200 mark in the one-lap race at Birmingham High.

The Birmingham junior’s 400 time, the second-fastest of the day to the 48.65 effort by Locke’s Amado Coleman in the second 400 heat, eclipsed his previous best of 49.3 run in the Valley Pac-8 Conference finals two weeks ago. Halfway through the race Moguel’s best 200 time of 22.6 took a 0.4-second plunge, but the 22.2 split will not be counted as his official personal best because he did not cross a designated finish line.

After the first 200 meters Warren, running third, slowed and Jordan’s James Wheeler and Moguel built about an eight-meter lead on the Dorsey senior, but Warren found an extra gear and closed quickly on Moguel and Jordan down the stretch.

Although Warren slipped past Wheeler in the final steps, Moguel held off last year’s state 400 runner-up, outleaning Warren at the finish line. Warren also timed 48.89 but the photo finish awarded first to Moguel. Wheeler was third in 49.31.

“I thought he was going to come up and pass me,” Moguel said. “I was nervous because he won City last year.”

Moguel, in fact, was nervous when he saw Wheeler in front of him early on. Moguel finally passed him with 75 meters to go.

“I was trying to catch that guy from Jordan because I don’t like people running in front of me,” Moguel said. “It makes me nervous.”

The top four finishers in each heat in the running events and the top eight performers in the field events advance to the City finals Thursday at Birmingham.

Moguel also was instrumental on the Braves’ 400 and 1,600 relay teams, both of which clocked region-leading times in qualifying for the finals.

Birmingham’s 400 relay team of Patrick Abdelkerim, Moguel, Manuel Goodman and Tony Serpas timed 42.05 in finishing second to Locke (41.85).

The same four were slated to run in the 1,600 relay but Abdelkerim suffered a strained hip muscle while running the 200 and was sidelined for the 1,600 relay, leaving Coach Scott King and assistant Ron Shirley hoping Sergio Posada--the alternate runner for the 1,600 relay--hadn’t gone home after his 800 heat.

He was still there. Posada, disappointed with his non-qualifying, personal-best 2:02.8 time in the 800, led off with a 50.4 split and handed the baton to Serpas in second place. Serpas also ran 50.4 and maintained Birmingham’s position behind Venice. Goodman moved the Braves to the lead for good with a 50.3 clip and Moguel turned a 48.4 split on the anchor as the Braves posted the fastest time of the day in 3:20.74.

Canoga Park’s Alvin Edington ran 49.8 as an anchor and slipped by Venice’s runner in the final 10 meters to finish second in 3:23.26. Venice was third in 3:23.33.

San Fernando’s Leonice Brown qualified in the 100 and 200 and anchored the Tigers’ 400 relay from sixth place to fourth despite nursing a wrist injury incurred while playing football last week.

Brown was last out of the blocks but recovered in time to finish second in his 100 heat to Crenshaw’s Donnell Moore, 10.69 to 10.70.