GOLDSBORO - Team scores and times were low, but morale was as high as ever for the South Johnston boys cross country team at last week's conference championships.

After breaking in their new 3-A Eastern Carolina Conference foes during the season, the boys' squad maintained its pole position by winning the ECC championship race at Waynesborough Park.

Leading the pack was sophomore Cirillo Perez, who won the 3.1-mile race in 17:27 to clinch the 2009 conference runner of the season award.

Perez broke off from the herd after the first half-mile and led throughout the 3.2-mile trek. It was the third race the Trojans had run this year in the historic park, the designated home course for Eastern Wayne.

"I really already knew the course from the beginning of the season," said the 5-foot-6, 135-pound Perez. "My goal is just to make it to the states."

Perez has won all but two races this season and will hope to resume that success on Oct. 31 in Winterville at the 3-A Eastern regional meet at Boyd Lee Park.

"He's worked his butt off since the summer," said South Johnston coach Joe Loia, who earned the coach of the year designation voted on by the other coaches of the ECC. "That's the boys. They won that for me."

Three of the top five finishers put the Trojans with 29 points, well ahead of second-place Eastern Wayne, who finished with 63. It was the lowest team score South Johnston had posted all year.

The Trojans' Nathan Romero placed second overall in 17:43. Despite only running the final two weeks of the season, Patrick Worthington claimed fourth with a time of 18:11.

"I was expecting a win today," Loia said. "I thought we could finish 1-2-3."

Trey Gay (19:14), Daylen Broughton (19:44) and Phillip Clinton (19:50) all finished in under 20 minutes for the Trojans. Russell Turner was Eastern Wayne's top finisher, leading the Warriors at 18:01.

The Triton girls' team had its usual assortment of top finishers, with six of the top-10 runners for a 20-point margin of victory.

Dava Johnston, the girls' runner of the year in the ECC, took a 22:34 time to the finish line. Laura Godwin (23:32) and Adriana Rosado (22:52) were second and third, respectively. Charles B. Aycock runners finished fourth through sixth.