Unlike last season when it looked like an underdog entering state meet, Columbus' cross-country team is already putting in performances of a state championship contender.

On Friday morning at Larry and Penny Thompson Park, the Explorers continued their impressive season by securing the GMAC boys' championship with 28 points. Columbus, the defending Class 4A state champions, finished with the top three runners of the race to beat Hialeah-Miami Lakes by 58 points.

Junior Armando Del Valle ran a time of 16:06.59 to win the individual crown, and he was followed by junior Mark Gulesian (16:14.45) and senior Dominick Cabrera (16:22.80).

``We feel like we're a better team now than we were last year at this point,'' Columbus coach Jorge Fleitas said. ``We're putting up faster times right now than any other previous team at Columbus.''

A team that is enjoying its newfound success, Sunset, captured the girls' championship. The Knights edged South Dade by two points and won their second consecutive race following their win at the Junior Orange Bowl meet. It is believed to be Sunset's first GMAC girls' title since the early 1990s.

Ferguson sophomore Natalie Concepcion won her second consecutive individual GMAC championship with a time of 20:08.34.

Although it didn't have a top-five runner, Sunset again placed four runners in the top 15, led by senior Camila Ramon.

Sunset entered the week ranked No. 15 in the state among Class 4A girls' teams, but second only to Lourdes among Miami-Dade County teams within that group.

``No matter what, we've preached to the girls on this team to stay humble and keep training hard,'' Sunset coach Robert Lax said. ``Each girl knows she can count on the other six racing with them on the team.''

Columbus is among the state and nation's elite on the boys' side.

The Explorers' team average for the season is under 16 minutes, which has helped them earn a No. 4 ranking among the nation's top teams in the southeast region by Dyestat.com. Columbus is ranked No. 2 in Class 4A behind Orlando Dr. Phillips, which bested them at the Pre-State meet in Dade City two weeks ago.

Del Valle is in contention to become Dade's first boys' individual champion since Gulliver's Phillip Woerner in 2006. Del Valle is ranked second behind two-time defending state champion Brian Atkinson of Melbourne.

RESULTS

• Boys' team scores: 1. Columbus 28; 2. Hialeah-Miami Lakes 86; 3. Ferguson 88; 4. Coral Reef 109; 5. Sunset 192; 6. Palmetto 213.

• Girls' team scores: 1. Sunset 55; 2. South Dade 57; 3. Killian 92; 4. Coral Reef 97; 5. Ferguson 124; 6. Northwestern 182.

• Boys' individual results: 1. Armando Del Valle (COL) 16:06.59; 2. Mark Gulesian (COL) 16:14.45; 3. Dominick Cabrera (COL) 16:22.80; 4. Raul Montoya (FER) 16:28.68; 5. Dylan Cook (CR) 16:33.96; 6. Osdaniel Hernandez (HML) 16:45.24; 7. Jesus Rivas (HML) 16:45.45; 8. Gary Pierre-Luis (CEN) 16:45.61; 9. David Ramirez (CR) 16:51.45; 10. Eduardo Arechebala (COL) 16:56.48; 11. Jose Estevez (FER) 16:58.22; 12. Moises Perez (COL) 17:06.64; 13. Wesley George (CG) 17:11.96; 14. Geoffrey Zelek (COL) 17:16.01; 15. Oscar Blanco (SW) 17:26.73.

• Girls' individual results: 1. Natalie Concepcion (FER) 20:08.34; 2. Kali Benavides (KIL) 20:23.84; 3. Barbara Vilson (SD) 21:12.87; 4. Tianeisha Bogan (SD) 21:17.93; 5. Alexa Rangel (KIL) 21:25.89; 6. Camila Ramon (SUN) 21:35.41; 7. Samara Taylor (CR) 21:38.62; 8. Jillian Roberts (CR) 21:43.29; 9. Kassandra Gonzalez (SUN) 21:44.51; 10. Micaela Del Alcazar (SUN) 21:52.78; 11. Alexis Jacobs (NW) 21:56.23; 12. Lauren Gonzalez (FER) 22:01.32; 13. Taylor Shekels (SD) 22:18.35; 14. Martina Carreno (SUN) 22:22.50; 15. Jillian Valentin (FER) 22:23.67.

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