Cross Country Faces High Pressure for League Title

JIMMY TANG
Staff Writer
With one week left in the season, the cross country team is pushing all of its effort towards finishing number one in the Almont League, thus securing a spot in the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) finals. So far, the team has produced consistent results, leading to their second place ranking in League behind Montebello.
“I feel bittersweet because we’ve worked really hard, yet we’re still second,” said varsity runner Brian Kwan.
Kwan added that by making minor changes to their daily routine, such as starting practice at an earlier time or having practices on weekends, the team’s overall performance would drastically improve because more practice means better skills.
“I’m proud [of our team’s performance] because we work hard, and we have good teamwork since we are always pushing each other to give everything we’ve got,” said Captain Sarah Chavez.
Chavez’s goal is for everyone to stay motivated, committed and effortful until the last race because it is the only way they have a chance at winning the coveted first place title. However, Chavez stresses that the team needs to improve their commitment in showing up to practices because not being used to the strenuous running leads to injuries.
“We want to take away the negative connotation that cross country is easy because it only involves running. It takes teamwork, motivation and practice to reach the finish line,” said Kwan.
However, the largest factor motivating the team is that Head Coach Steve Morales is retiring from coaching this year in order to spend more time with his children at home. Morales has spent the past fourteen years coaching at AHS and the team is hoping to make his last year a memorable one.