They Have Come Long Way to Compete for One Title

One of them hails from Nairobi, Kenya.

The other was born to Algerian parents in Paris.

But seniors Paul Muite of North Hollywood High and Ali Benmohamed of Monroe will be running for the boys’ title in the City Section cross-country championships today at Pierce College.

The meet begins at 8:30 a.m. with the girls’ junior varsity race.

Benmohamed defeated Muite in two races earlier this season, including the Valley Pac-8 Conference championships on Nov. 7, yet Muite posted the fastest qualifying time in last week’s City Section preliminaries with a clocking of 15 minutes 14 seconds over the three-mile course.

It was the sixth career-best time in a row over the Pierce course for Muite, who is trying to become the first North Hollywood runner to win a City boys’ title since Eugenio Cruz in 1981.

Benmohamed will try to snap a victory drought for Monroe, which hasn’t had a City champion since Cesario Marquez won in 1980.

Benmohamed, who has a best of 15:23 at Pierce, won his heat in the preliminaries with an easy-looking 15:34 effort.

Belmont’s Manuel Lopez also appears to be a contender after running 15:19 to finish behind Muite last week.

Belmont is favored to win its second consecutive team title, with Garfield, Birmingham and North Hollywood expected to be the Sentinels’ toughest challengers.

In the girls’ meet, senior Bree Akesson of Kennedy is favored, with defending champion Birmingham and El Camino Real expected to battle for the team title.

Akesson, who transferred from Alemany in September, is undefeated against City competition this season, but Birmingham sophomore Tiffany Burgess shadowed her for most of the City preliminaries before finishing five seconds behind her in 18:44.

Kennedy assistant Dimitri Lagos told anyone within earshot afterward that Akesson had been cruising, but it didn’t appear that Burgess had pushed the pedal to metal either.

A darkhorse pick could be freshman Jamie Jones of Cleveland. The swimmer in her first season of cross-country ran 18:56 to win her heat in the preliminaries.

The top two teams and the top five individuals not on a qualifying team but among the top 12 finishers will qualify for the Division I races of the State championships at Fresno’s Woodward Park on Nov. 30.