Long Beach Poly has dominated the city of Long Beach and the Moore League cross country teams as of late, with the boys team winning six consecutive titles and 15 of the past 16, and the girls winning nine straight. Both teams are ranked in the CIF Southern Section’s Division 1, and would be considered strong favorites in the Moore League. But the two teams will enter 2013 looking to extend their record streaks with plenty of new faces in the pack, and some dramatic storylines to boot.

For the girls, senior Jessica Gonzales finds herself in an interesting position. After winning two consecutive Moore League individual titles and setting school records on every league course, the 2012 Press-Telegram Runner of the Year suddenly finds herself fielding competition from a trio of freshman. That’s because those freshmen, Lauren Fillipow, Olivia Gleason, and Melissa Tanaka, are as fast as any to ever come out of the LBUSD Middle School Cross Country meet.