Summer practices. Before school practices. After school practices. The boys and girls cross country team has been training since early June and through every race this season, they can see all hard work paying off. This past weekend, they participated in the County Championships, where they took home first places and the Champion title. Currently, the team is ranked second in the state, but this isn’t just because of this one championship. They have put in tremendous amounts of effort in every race, from league to statewide invitationals.
“The most rewarding part is definitely having so many athletes who are around the same level that all have the same goal of pushing ourselves to the limit and for that to be achieved as a team is special,” junior Ethan Marley said.
When the team practices, they always do their workouts together and as one which has reflected in their races.
“We have Grant Jones in the front of the race and then a pack of myself and 5 other guys right next to securing all the points,” Marley said. “Knowing how to race together makes it extremely hard for other teams to out-place us because we are so tight knit on race day.”
Running consistently for a long period of time is not just a physical challenge, but also a mental challenge as well, especially throughout a race.
“The course felt a little repetitive since it was a loop, and it was especially tought since I was alone for the majority of the race,” sophomore Sophia Perez said. “But I managed to push through it by convincing myself I was almost done.”
Although they won as a team, each individual push through their own obstacle and to finish the race.
“The toughest part of the race was finding my pace in the second and third mile of the race. I was the leader of the third pack of the race and I had no one to really push off of so finding that rythmn on my own isn’t something I’m always used to because I usually have someone around me,” Marley said. “To get through that I just told myself it doesn’t matter who is next to you or isn’t, I know what I’m supposed to be running and I can stick to it.”
The results of this team just shows how much practice can show consistent improvement and success.
“Something specific that the team worked on this season that helped secure this win is that we have been pushing our limits and putting the work in at practice,” Perez said. “This was a great win for us, but we are still working really hard to prepare for post season and state.”
Before going into playoffs, the runners will be racing at their last Coastal Canyon League race on Nov. 7.
