Coaches: Jacob Holloway (head coach), Ashley Bordy (assistant coach), Gideon Pichardo (assistant coach)

Top Returners:  Mia Gonzales (10), Esther Kim (12) Elias Peru (12), Silas Procaccini (12) 

Top Newcomers: Peyton Brown (12), Sophia Gentile (10), Maya Kew-Layton (11), Symone Taylor (12)

Last Season: The varsity girls team placed sixth while the varsity boys team placed fifth in the Freeway League, falling short of qualifying for CIF.  

Outlook: The cross country team’s boys and girls squads aim to strengthen their teamwork, win their Freeway League games to enter CIF and improve individual students’ personal records to reduce their times.

“[I want the team to work on] working together as a team toward a common goal, which is league champions at [both junior varsity and varsity levels],” Holloway said.  

Team captain Peru said he shares a similar goal.

“[I want to change] our placement for the Freeway League [this year],” Peru said. “I have high hopes that we will be in the Top 3 after looking at our team’s improvements during our practices.” 

The senior said he looks forward to seeing his teammates continue to reduce their times and personal records throughout the season.

 “Our progress has been going well, especially our juniors, but our newcomers are doing great,” the captain said. “I’m really excited to see how they will run during races.” 

The team still maintains regular practices after school with more frequent water breaks to fight the heat, Holloway said. 

“We’re going to reiterate the important points and stress discipline,” the head coach said. “We don’t do much in this sport besides run, stretch and take care of [our bodies], so [we] have to do those things to the best of [our] ability all the time.”

As his last year on the team, the senior captain set goals for himself and the team. 

“My personal goals are to set a 16 minute and 30 second record in a three-mile, beat Troy [High School] and make it to the preliminary [for CIF],” Peru said.  

Like most of the team, girls team captain Kim’s goals are similar.

“I want to make it to CIF as a girls varsity team and I also want to break my personal record of 19 minutes and 5 seconds to enter 18 minutes,” she said.

Other students will also chase new personal records and try to benefit the team as a whole this year, said Kew-Layton.

“A personal goal for me is to keep my mileage up and improve over the season,” she said. “For the team, I would love for us to place in the Freeway League finals.”

Holloway said the team’s two-hour summer practices at the school track and nearby parks starting 7:30 a.m. or 6 p.m. will pay off this season, hopefully helping the team in the long run.

“[I expect] better overall team performances in the league spearheaded by individuals who have been working hard over the summer,” the head coach said.

The Lancers kicked off the year with the Cool Breeze Invitational against 125 other high schools with the SH boys and girls squads placing 73rd and 75th, respectively Saturday, Sept. 2, at the Fairplex in Pomona.

Both boys and girls teams’ first Freeway League meet will be against the five high schools in the Fullerton Joint Union High School District on Wednesday, Sept. 6, at Ralph B. Clark Park in Buena Park at 2 p.m.