After competing this past weekend of Oct. 17, the cross country varsity won 2nd place in district play to qualify for regionals.  Losing to only Eastlake in the district, the varsity boys are headed to Lubbock Oct. 24. The team was led by Yair Casas, who finished in the top 10.

“All our hard work has finally paid off. All the sweat and pain was rewarded. Now we’re on our way to Lubbock,” Casas said.

Casas said he is extremely excited to travel for the cross country team. Casas wasn’t the only runner to place within the top 20. Rene Ramirez placed 15th overall.

“When we arrived I felt my team’s energy, and I fed off that. I ran with everything I could for the team, just like I know they did for me,” Ramirez said. Ramirez said he hopes to only become faster with his time and keep winning.

Coach Jerry Shaffer said the team must train harder to make bigger improvements.

“It’s all about preparation. If we show up to Lubbock fully prepared then there will be no problem racing.”

Shaffer said he believes how the team practices and recovers from here to the race will play a big part in the upcoming race. Shaffer said he thinks the team is full of hard-willed runners, but they just need to prove it.

By Christopher Diaz