By Jim McCurdy

MIAMI, Fla. -- Nick Diaz and Carlin Berryhill have a long history together. Thursday they ran stride for stride until Diaz pulled away in the end at the Greater Miami Athletic Conference Championships at Larry & Penny Thompson Park in the southern edges of the city limits.

Diaz, a senior from Miami Sunset, won the 5K boys race in 15:48.20. Berryhill, a junior from Coral Reef, was the runner-up in 15:56.74.

"When I run against him, if he beats me or I beat him, it's like back in middle school," Diaz said of his old middle school teammate and longtime pal. "It didn't matter who beat who. We know that we're teammates, and we push each other."

At the mile-and-a-half mark, two of South Florida's top runners were side-by-side as they passed through the spectator spot to a smattering of cheers on a day where rain poured on and off through South Florida and then reappeared lightly shortly after the boys race was complete.

"Me and Nick go way back to my seventh grade year when I actually started running," said Berryhill, whose 5:08 average mile time was less than three seconds behind Diaz's 5:05.2.

"He's been there for me as a brother, encouraging me. I'm glad he's still here for (this last) year."

Ferguson seniors Aylwyn Hernandez and Lauren Gavulic went 1-2 in the girls race to help the Falcons win the first of two titles. Hernandez won the race in 19:48.04. Gavulic was second in 20:05.05.

"Every time that we race here, the competition always goes out hard," Hernandez said, "but this time they kind of held the pace. Then I had to make a move, and they all went with.

"Me and my teammate (Gavulic) we work together. This year me and her are just trying to push each other, along with our teammates."

Gavulic anticipated a faster start, too, but when the pack didn't follow the prescribed script, the Falcons leaders readjusted.

"It actually went out a little bit slower than it did last week, so we just kind of tucked back and worked more on that second mile to start creating that gap to start creating that gap to try to hold 'em off towards the end.

"We definitely pick up the front half of the pack. Our second pack is mainly just trying to get that pack itself to work up towards us, and try to close that spread. Overall, they're doing a pretty good job at it. I'm really proud of them, and how far they've come."  

Hernandez and Gavulic represented two of Ferguson's six runners among the top 13 finishers as the Falcons won the girls championship with 31 points. Coral Reef was second with 52, and Miami Northwestern third with 59. The next closest team, Miami Carol City, had 170.

It was Ferguson's fifth straight GMAC title, and the school's seventh overall.

"We knew it was going to be basically a head-to-head competition with Coral Reef," Ferguson coach Ryan Raposo said. "This year, it was really a close battle."

The boys championship was an even narrower margin.

Ferguson also won the boys title with 42 points. Miami Columbus was second with 47. Coral Reef finished third with 64. Miami Sunset was fourth with 100.

Ferguson's girls have won six event team titles this season -- an impressive feat after losing five key seniors from last year's squad. That meant corralling new talent, and getting the girls to buy in.

"I've really tried to promote the Ferguson brand to them, and explain to them the importance of what it means to wear a Ferguson jersey, and just really tried to motivate them to be able to run how I knew they could run," Raposo said. "It just so happens that this year their capabilities took them to the top of most the meets we've competed in. Not every meet was the best meet, not every meet was a championship, but the ones that we won, they were special, and I'm proud of them."