andrewlin Wed Nov 18, 2009 9:57 pmWe could go on and on about how the Arcadia boys cross country team won league champs again, with a record of 21-0—but we won’t. The team has bigger things to look forward to in the future, such as the State Meet and National Meet, and to start celebrating now would be premature.
Nonetheless, that the Apache cross country team claimed the league title this season is still an impressive achievement, and it should be given its due amount of attention and respect.
On Oct. 15, the varsity team claimed the gold in Pacific League 2 and so made their dominance in the Pacific League unmistakably clear.
Then came Pacific League Finals on Oct. 23. Unleashing the full brunt of their might, the Apaches demolished its opponents. They swept the races at every level: freshman, six out of the first eight; junior varsity, first seven; and varsity, the first four. In a race in which there are five other schools running, this means that not one of the other five schools could muster a single challenger, a single runner worthy of competition, to race Arcadia’s varsity team. And keep in mind, key players, such as senior Nick Shar and junior Eric Garibay, were being rested. But not to be too hard on those other schools, for as senior Patrick Wrobel said, “We won League, as expected.”
That being said, the Apaches continue to load up on those miles in preparation for the State and National Meets. When asked about our prospects, senior Gabriel Weil responded, “Our team has a chance of placing in the top three at the state meet this year.” Senior Patrick Wrobel concurred when he said, “We are expected to win third or better,” and then proceeded to give his honest appraisal when he admitted, “The state meet is intimidating. Naturally, Coach says we can win it, but realistically I would say 3rd or better. This puts stress on the CIF 9 who will have to live up to what's expected of them if we’re to accomplish this goal.” He then quickly added, “Fortunately, the state meet and the formidable competition that resides there is not a foreign concept to our team.”
Should the boys place in the top three at State, they will then be invited to attend Nike Nationals. This would in fact be a first, as in previous years the team has only participated in the open race. But in any event, invited race or no, the team stands a terrific chance, especially in the open race. The Kenyans they placed second to last year aren’t expected to be running again this year.
Coach O’Brien once offered to his runners the ancient African adage, encapsulating the spirit of the cross country runner: “Every morning in Africa, a gazelle wakes up. It knows it must outrun the fastest lion or it will be killed. Every morning in Africa, a lion wakes up. It knows it must run faster than the slowest gazelle, or it will starve. It doesn't matter whether you're a lion or gazelle - when the sun comes up, you'd better be running.”
Nonetheless, that the Apache cross country team claimed the league title this season is still an impressive achievement, and it should be given its due amount of attention and respect.
On Oct. 15, the varsity team claimed the gold in Pacific League 2 and so made their dominance in the Pacific League unmistakably clear.
Then came Pacific League Finals on Oct. 23. Unleashing the full brunt of their might, the Apaches demolished its opponents. They swept the races at every level: freshman, six out of the first eight; junior varsity, first seven; and varsity, the first four. In a race in which there are five other schools running, this means that not one of the other five schools could muster a single challenger, a single runner worthy of competition, to race Arcadia’s varsity team. And keep in mind, key players, such as senior Nick Shar and junior Eric Garibay, were being rested. But not to be too hard on those other schools, for as senior Patrick Wrobel said, “We won League, as expected.”
That being said, the Apaches continue to load up on those miles in preparation for the State and National Meets. When asked about our prospects, senior Gabriel Weil responded, “Our team has a chance of placing in the top three at the state meet this year.” Senior Patrick Wrobel concurred when he said, “We are expected to win third or better,” and then proceeded to give his honest appraisal when he admitted, “The state meet is intimidating. Naturally, Coach says we can win it, but realistically I would say 3rd or better. This puts stress on the CIF 9 who will have to live up to what's expected of them if we’re to accomplish this goal.” He then quickly added, “Fortunately, the state meet and the formidable competition that resides there is not a foreign concept to our team.”
Should the boys place in the top three at State, they will then be invited to attend Nike Nationals. This would in fact be a first, as in previous years the team has only participated in the open race. But in any event, invited race or no, the team stands a terrific chance, especially in the open race. The Kenyans they placed second to last year aren’t expected to be running again this year.
Coach O’Brien once offered to his runners the ancient African adage, encapsulating the spirit of the cross country runner: “Every morning in Africa, a gazelle wakes up. It knows it must outrun the fastest lion or it will be killed. Every morning in Africa, a lion wakes up. It knows it must run faster than the slowest gazelle, or it will starve. It doesn't matter whether you're a lion or gazelle - when the sun comes up, you'd better be running.”