DADE CITY -- Belen's cross-country team hoped to carry on the championship tradition it enjoyed in Class 2A the past three seasons to Class 3A this year.

But the Wolverines could not overcome the top team in their new bracket.

Belen came up short in its bid to extend its Miami-Dade County-record streak of three consecutive state championships Saturday morning when it finished second to Tallahassee Leon in the Class 3A boys' state championship race at The Little Everglades Ranch.

Leon won its third consecutive Class 3A state title with 59 points, and Belen finished with 103. Leon senior Matt Mizereck ran a time of 15:21.64 to win his third consecutive individual title and became only the fourth boys' runner in state history to accomplish the feat.

``They left it all out there on the course today and didn't hold back at all this season,'' Belen coach Frankie Ruiz said. ``We knew we had an uphill battle, but we never quit, and I'm proud of them for that.''

Belen sophomore Elliot Clemente finished third in 15:28.67 to lead the Wolverines. After Clemente, however, Belen placed only two more runners in the top 50 -- Joseph Lindsay in ninth-place (16:06.12) and Branden Martinez in 21st (16:28.03).

Leon placed three runners in the top five.

The Wolverines lose only one senior this season and will have three seniors in its starting seven next year.

``It was tough since we lost a lot of experience from last season,'' Ruiz said. ``Elliot showed he has a great future ahead of him, and these guys will learn from this.''

Lourdes, which finished short of the top two last season for the first time in eight years, was hoping for a return in the Class 4A girls' race. The Bobcats, however, weren't able to overcome Winter Park, which cruised to the team title behind individual champion Shelby Hayes, or runner-up Melbourne. Lourdes finished third with 118 points, matching last year's finish at state.

Junior Alessandra Valdes ran a personal best 19:06.44 and placed 11th, which was a Dade-best in the race. Lourdes placed three more runners -- Victoria Villarnovo (14th), Courtney Filliben (18th) and Cristina Brea (29th) -- in the top 30. Ferguson's Natalie Concepcion finished 19th.

OTHER HIGHLIGHTS

Ransom Everglades sophomore Nicole Carpio finally bested a longtime nemesis in the Class 2A girls' race. Carpio ran a 18:08.17 to finish third in the Class 2A girls' race and finish nearly 25 seconds ahead of Tavernier Coral Shores' Joanna McCoy, whom she lost to in multiple events this season. Boca Raton's Stephanie Schappert won the individual title, and the Raiders' girls finished ninth.

Ransom's boys finished fourth, led by Bert Irigoyen, who ran a 16:27.32 to finish 21st. In the Class 1A boys' race, Westwood Christian's Caleb Wishart ran a Dade-best 16:14.44 to finish seventh.

RESULTS

CLASS 4A

• Boys' team scores (top 5 plus other Dade): 1. Columbus 60; 2. Orlando Dr. Phillips 126; 3. Winter Park 217; 4. Longwood Lyman 220; 5. Melbourne 222; 7. Ferguson 261; 17. Coral Reef 412; 19. Hialeah-Miami Lakes 435; 20. Sunset 508; 24. Varela 548.

• Boys' individual results (winner plus Dade top-50 finishers): 1. Brian Atkinson (Melbourne) 15:20.48; 4. Dominick Cabrera (COL) 15:48.17; 6. Armando Del Valle (COL) 15:53.42; 10. Mark Gulesian (COL) 16:02.93; 13. Eddy Arechebala (COL) 16:09.28; 19. Dylan Cook (Coral Reef) 16:17.49; 20. Raul Montoya (FER) 16:18.31; 22. Gary Pierre-Louis (Central) 16:21.27; 24. Jesus Rivas (Hialeah-Miami Lakes) 16:21.73; 30. David Ramirez (Coral Reef) 16:29.06; 32. Joshua Estrada (FER) 16:32.29; 38. Andrew Shaheen (COL) 16:36.23; 43. Francisco Clavijo (Sunset) 16:41.23; 44. Jose Estevez (FER) 16:41.52; 46. Geoffrey Zelek (COL) 16:42.26.