Saugus' Quest For 10 Highlights State Cross Country Finals A school located a few miles down Bouquet Canyon Road is full of history.
Its gym walls are full of banners and plaques, the principal’s office is full of newspaper clippings, and head coach Rene Paragas' classroom is full of trophies, each with a different tale to tell. The track, meanwhile, is marked by the footsteps of past champions. You can’t see them, but they’re there. There’s a certain ring to the goal Paragas and his illustrious cross country program at Saugus High School craves most this Saturday. A win at this weekend’s CIF State Cross Country Championships at Woodward Park in Fresno wouldn’t just be another state championship win for the Saugus dynasty, it would be the 10th consecutive one. What’s being called, “the quest for 10,” could turn into a decade of excellence if Paragas and this year’s varsity girls team gets this one right. "For us to win again this year and bring on a 'decade of excellence' would only unite the past and present Saugus teams even more," said senior team captain Ashley Heys. "While only seven girls can race Saturday at the state meet, it took far more athletes to accomplish something as special as 10 state championships." Ryan Tate loves to listen to Eminem’s song “Lose Yourself” before his races.
With his iPod in hand, head phones blocking out the rest of the world, and running shoes on his feet, Tate listened to the rapper’s lyrics on repeat several times during the days leading up to the 2013 CIF State Cross Country Championships as a sophomore at Saugus High School. “I love his music and message, but his background is also very inspiring,” says Tate. “He grew up extremely poor with no dad and pretty much a dead beat mom and lived in a trailer park in a very ghetto town, and the only way he could get out of there was through rapping.” It is Eminem’s story, as well as an exceptional work ethic and focus towards the sport, that enabled Tate and his Saugus teammates to capture the school’s first-ever boys state championship on Nov. 30, 2013. A state championship was never a guarantee when it came to Tate’s future though. Before his sophomore year he competed in baseball, flag football, karate and soccer, but never cross country. It was not until his physical education teacher noticed he had a talent for running that Tate decided to join a program that is vying for its 10th consecutive state cross country championship this fall. In 2005 Corona Del Mar became the first girls team in Mt. San Antonio College history to break the magical 90-minute barrier, running 89 minutes, 42 seconds at the CIF Southern Section Championships that year. It remained the standard for California high school girls cross country for two years until a team from the Santa Clarita Valley started its record-breaking dynasty. Since that day in 2005, only six programs - five from Southern California and one from San Diego - have had five females average under 18 minutes on the historic 2.9-mile hill course.
One program, Saugus, accomplished this feat not once, not twice, but an impressive seven times between 2007-11. During that time, the Lady Centurions also won a record four consecutive sweepstakes titles at the Mt. SAC Invitational and set a record for lowest point total at the prestigious meet (24 points at the 2008 invitational). Another, Great Oak, heads into this weekend's meet as the defending sweepstakes champions and course record-holders (87:58 in the 2013 section finals). California high school girls cross country is so competitive nowadays, teams finishing second in the invitational and section finals are still going under the 90-minute barrier (Simi Valley took second at the 2012 invitational in 88:30, Saugus took second at the 2011 section finals in 89:12, and Great Oak took second at the 2013 invitational in 89:53). This weekend the best teams of the 2015 season will clash in Walnut, Calif. Great Oak, Saugus and Davis could write their names into the record-books, as all three are capable of challenging the 90-minute barrier in conditions cooperate. There's no doubt as to whether not the pace will be quick enough. Davis' Fiona O'Keffe (16:28 in last year's invite) and Great Oak's Destiny Collins (17:10 in 2013) headline a deep field this weekend. |
Categories
All
Archives
November 2017
|