Boys Have Strong Showing at CCS Championship

“If you feel good you are not pushing hard enough.”

Those were Eyobed Mesfun’s words as he addressed the team on Senior night. But words come easy, actually putting those words into action and pushing yourself through that pain is something else entirely.

Mesfun took what he said to heart and did just that. Running the first uphill mile at Toro Park in 5:40 Mesfun then went to work in the second mile and surged up a series of challenging hills known as the “camel humps,” moving up over 10 places and into the top 25 with just a mile to go. The last mile is a blur for Mesfun; he pushed himself to the second fastest time in school history where he now sits with Joe Garcia. His time is a 35 second improvement from two months ago and 1:23 over last season.

His improvement is impressive but hardly a surprise, Mesfun bumped up his mileage this summer and focused on running at least 60 minutes a day and at least 60 miles a week. The results were almost immediate as he finished the team time trial that kicks off the season almost a minute faster than the previous year.

"Running is one of those sports where hard work trumps talent and is not kind to those who are lazy," Coach Small said.  "His dedication through the summer is what propelled him into the record books from the onset of the season running all the way to CCS."

Mesfun ran a personal best in every race he ran, culminating at the CCS Championship where he finished 21st in 17:05.

Quietly having a breakthrough season, Alex Ascencio came into the season determined. He solidified himself early as a top runner for the Warriors and qualified for his first trip to the section championship by running 17:11 at the WCAL Finals at Crystal Springs, a 1:31 personal best. The seniors’ transformation this season gave momentum to team that had a direct impact on the varsity squad. Five runners ran in the 17’s and under at the WCAL Championship this year, a first for the Warriors.

Freshman Jeremy Dong was one of those clearly impacted by the work ethic and leadership of the seniors. A talented freshman Jeremy finished in the top 20 at the Early Bird Invitational earning a spot on the varsity team. He continued to improve running the WCAL Finals in 17:37 earning the final individual qualifying spot to CCS. Suffering from a cramp from the start of the race Jeremy battled through the three miles finishing in 19:15.