The boys’ cross country also had a great season. They placed third in the North 2, Group 2 Sectional Championship and qualified for the Group 2 Championship. Many ran their fastest times of the season in this race, which emphasized their passion for the sport. Before this event, the team’s Head Coach, Roy Hamblen, said that the race that felt like the turning point of the season was the NJAC Large Schools Championship meet. “We had a very young team this season, and they started to believe in their ability after that meet,” said Hamblen. 

       Specific runners who made the biggest impact on the season include sophomore Photis Pascali and senior Carlos Espin. “They just kept running faster as the season progressed,” said Hamblen. When asked about the star runner of the season, he said that it was “difficult to pick one star.” He said that there were three runners who stood out to him. “Nicholas Leo, Nate Perkins, and Jackson Idle. They provided leadership throughout the season and were the three fastest.” 

       To keep the team motivated, Coach Hamblen wanted to “instill in the boys a sense of pride and confidence for themselves and the team,” he said. He told them that they need to ask themselves every morning if they’re proud of who they are, and if they’re not, then they need to improve and work harder every day. He remarked, “Pride never stops. If you have any, then you always give it your best effort.” The team used some key strategies on race days so that they had the best chances to win the race. They visualized the race and which part of it they need to put their top efforts into. “If they focus, then it will turn out the way they visualized it,” said Hamblen. 

       Of course, the season did, unfortunately, come with setbacks, but the team figured out a way to fight back against them and come out successful. Many of the runners were very young, which led to many knee problems and other annoying aches. For a newer runner coming in, no matter the age, Hamblen said that the best way for them to improve over the season is “to have fun and do what I tell them and they will become a better runner.” 

        Looking ahead to the next fall season, Hamblen was focused on the major goals for them. “Our goals are to improve as everyone [remaining] will be a year older and a year stronger, and we aim to win some championships.”