Birmingham to Lead Charge for Valley in City Track Finals

The Birmingham High boys’ track and field team will be the standard-bearer for the Valley today in an attempt to become the first local team since 1987 to win a City Section title.

Birmingham, the host school, has never won a City track title but is considered a dark horse in a field that includes perennial powers Dorsey and defending champion Washington. Taft is the last Valley team to win the City title, registering championships in 1986 and ’87. Dorsey last won the title in 1989 and Washington won it the year before.

“I have to look at everything, but I think we qualified all the people we needed to qualify,” Birmingham Coach Scott King said after the City semifinals last week.

Six Birmingham athletes qualified in seven individual events, and the Braves’ strength rests with their sprinters.

Birmingham posted region-best times in the 400- and 1,600-meter relays in the semifinals, clocking 42.05 seconds and 3 minutes 20.74 seconds.

Mike Moguel, who runs second in the 400 relay and anchors the 1,600 squad, boasts the second-fastest 400 time entering the finals. In the semifinals, Moguel, a junior, timed 48.89 in holding off defending City champion Lamont Warren of Dorsey. Locke’s Amado Coleman leads all qualifiers at 48.65.

Pole vaulter Howard Schrier won the City title last year as a junior and has vaulted 14 feet 8 inches and 14-6 this year.

Raymond Banner timed 14.91--the top qualifying time--in the semifinals of the 110 high hurdles. Teammate Pierre Derosiers is the fourth-fastest qualifier in that event at 15.37.

Carlos Aguilar (4:30.2) is entered in the 1,600 and Darrell Moore is entered in the long (21-3 3/4) and triple (41-11 1/2) jumps.

San Fernando’s Leonice Brown will attempt a sprint double in the 100 and 200. The Tiger senior, who also will anchor the 400 relay team, has run 10.70 and 21.32. The 200 mark is the second fastest in the state this season.

The top four finishers in each event qualify for the state championships May 31-June 1 at Cerritos College in Norwalk.