The Amador Valley Cross Country team has been working hard preparing for their upcoming North Coast Section (NCS) championship. While practicing hard at home and competing at events, they are hoping to place high and get a spot in the State race.
“We’ve made big improvements. You know, I think some of the teams that might’ve beat us in the first meet, we should be closing the gap on them. Maybe even beat them,” said Boys Varsity Cross Country Captain Prithvij Rajish (‘24).
The cross country team has been making steady progress since the start of the season, with their largest event being the ASICS Clovis Invitational in early October. With large terrain changes and many more teams, the focus for the varsity team was to learn the course that would hold the State meet.
“Clovis was a very big meet. There’s thousands of people there, and unfortunately I didn’t do too well, but varsity did very well and I’m happy for them,” said Logan Martin (‘25)
One of the main focuses of the team is to strategize—whether it’s the places to “surge” and make a pass, like at the bottom of a hill or around a blind corner, or to conserve energy running up a hill. This will be key to winning the NCS championship.
“We also really want to learn the course so when we come back… we know where we want to surge, where we want to relax, so that’s more important than the outcome even though we want to race and be as competitive as possible,” said Cross Country Coach Jason Oswalt.
The training and strategizing will pay off. The boy’s team is in good shape this year, in both performance and size. Some might say the best it’s been yet, or at least since the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I think the boy’s side is our strongest team since COVID,” said Oswalt.
With a promising team, a great learning session ahead, a motivating team captain, and an experienced coach, the Amador Cross Country team can expect great things for the competition season. You can follow their endeavors at their Facebook page.
“My goal is to run faster. That’s gotta be the main one,” said Martin.
