The cross country team competed in their first league meet on Sept. 11, with both varsity girls and boys teams securing first place, while JV girls also took first, and JV boys finished in second place.
Varsity runner, Jamal McKissick (11) shared that this league meet set a great tone for the team and the rest of the season, especially since it’s been a long time since the SHHS cross country boys have won a league meet.
“To be on track to be league champs this year is really exciting. It definitely gives a great catalyst to work even harder. So to see both the guys and the girls team do so strongly, for the first time in so long, is just really powerful,” McKissick said.
Samantha Quezada (12) dominated the varsity girls’ race, pulling well ahead of the competition. Looking back on her impressive victory, Quezada shared her view on the win.
“It felt great [to win] because you are right in the middle and you’re close with your personal PR [personal record],” Quezada said.
Varsity runner Gael Ramirez-Sanchez (12) offered insight into his personal experience during the meet, sharing his thoughts throughout the race.
“Be patient with everything at the right time, everything will happen. I think that’s another thing a lot of people in cross country [think, that] if you go out too fast, you’re done for, so it’s just waiting for your moment,” Ramirez-Sanchez said.
McKissick finished second overall at the league meet. McKissick acknowledged how each win was a win for the team.
“I think the team was very unified, we were all there to support each other. We made sure that we took care of each other, we gave each other the time we needed, and that when the race started, we knew we were all working hard, not for ourselves, but for each other, because we knew that every single individual performance added up to what our team was gonna do,” McKissick said.
