This week the cross-country team had two meets, and one of those was in Queen Creek, almost all the way to Phoenix. The meet is one of the biggest in the country, with over 100 teams from all over the country and state. The race was during the dark, glowsticks and glow-in-the-dark tee-shirts leading the way for the athletes. Watching and cheering for all the athletes got the team pumped up and ready for their races, especially their own team. Before the races, we talked to a couple of the seniors to find out how they felt about the meet. Senior Iyannah Toliver said, “I am excited to get out fast and strong, see how everyone does, and hopefully get a PR.” Another senior, Brian Sarabia said he most wanted to race to redeem himself, he had hurt himself on the course the year before.  

Some of the others felt anxious, but still excited to race. Senior Joeli Vakatawa said he was going to “hope for the best and prepare for the worst.” Before the race, both the girls and the boys get themselves pumped up with a pre-game cheer of, “What team? Cougars! What team? Cougars! What team? Cougars! Get your head in the race!” from high school musical. The boys… went with a more traditional “1.2.3 Cougars.”  

For those on the XC team, it feels like family, Christopher “Chris” Norton said before the race, “I am excited to be with the people that are my family.” Brian said, “Despite not hitting my goal, I’m proud of my team coming out here and running the best race we could.” Through the encouragement of the team, and all the hard work that the team has put in, all the participants made it to the finish line, a big accomplishment for those who run Cross Country.  

During a post-meet press conference, Senior Victor Calderon said, “I didn’t PR (personal record) but it’s going to make me work harder for next race.” Overall, most did not PR during the race, but they all also felt that it was going to help them work harder for their goals in the future. 

Joeli said, “Life is a race, it’s just a matter of getting to the finish line.”  Sahuaro High School is so proud of our Cougar XC team, go Cougars!