Regional Recap

We knew going into Regionals it would be a 4 team race for the last 2 spots, at the beginning of the year the guys set out to qualify for Sectionals as a team, something Central hasn’t done since 2010. On paper we would need to run a very strong race, something the guys knew, but they also felt confident that they could do it.

Race morning was perfect weather, the course was in great shape. It was time to race. Lining up at our Regional is a great thing. We get to line up next to arguably the best team in the country as well as two other top 10 teams in the state. In order for us to turn the program into what the guys want, we are lucky to have some great measuring sticks right in our backyard.

The course was changed due to flooding, so it was a simple 3 loop course. When I first saw the guys at the 600 meter mark Jon, Riley, and Javy were all very close together, with the underclassmen (Tommy, Austin, Ryan, Dean) out a little conservative towards the back end of the field.

Jon was out very under control. In his post-race log he talked about wanting to have fun with this race. He put himself in a great position to be able to move up the entire race. Every time I saw Jon he looked more confident and had moved up a few spots. You could see the perfect mix of joy and confidence as he ran his race. When I saw Jon the final time in the woods with about 800 to go, he was running his best race of the year. Finishing strong put himself in a great spot to be able to qualify for Sectionals even if the team did not.

Riley has been our most consistent runner all year, each week Riley brings his A game. The fun thing about Riley is he loves to move late in the race. You know Riley is having a great race at the 2.5 mile mark because he is mowing people down. And he did the same thing Saturday. He told me after the race that he knew if he could pass a few guys in the last mile he could qualify for Sectionals, and he did just that. I am really proud of the way Riley battled on Saturday and can’t wait to watch him race at KLM.

Javy is a leader. That is what he does. He has been such a huge piece of our team this year, not only for getting us a low stick at meets but because of who he is as an athlete and a teammate. Javy knew he had to run a great race on Saturday and he went for it. Javy got out really hard to put himself in a position to be with Riley and Jon, and he was there through halfway. I think the hot pace early came back to haunt Javy as he faded late in the race. He still managed to hang on to be our 3^rd finisher. After the race you could tell that Javy was frustrated with his race, but talking to him it wasn’t because of any selfish reason it was all connected to team goals. That attitude is why Javy is such a special athlete. I am excited to get to see what the future brings with Javy after this being his first year of XC.

Ryan Bonomo was next man in, he lead the underclassmen on this day. He and Tommy Adelmann were shoulder to shoulder for much of the race. They got out conservative but moved up and pass a few athletes late in the race. Both of these guys are gamers, I don’t always know what to expect from workouts with these guys but I do know what to expect in races. They both have been very consistent week in and week out in races. As they continue to grow as runners the sky is the limit. Ryan has been so steady all year. After the race the East guys were talking about some Central kid who came flying into the finish and past a few of them, I am hoping that is a sight that fellow Plainfield athletes see for years to come.

Tommy came in as a frosh and stepped up right away to be one of our best runners. He had some down weeks in the middle of the season, but as post season has rolled around he has been money in the bank. He thrives in the big moments, that is something that will bode well for him as he continues to compete for the Wildcats.

Next in was Austin Emrath. He was dealing with a slight muscle pull during the week. Something that he didn’t want to tell me about. He was afraid he would have to miss racing at Regionals. After his teammates sold him out that he was banged up we came up with a plan to get him ready for Saturday. And he was good to go. Austin has been the embodiment of #Kaizen for us this year. He never does anything flashy, but just constantly grinds away. Some people might say his improvement has been unpredicted but if you see the way he approaches each day, it’s not. Austin ran tough on Saturday he got out with Tommy and Ryan but struggled the later stages of the race.

Dean Eubanks was our 7^th finisher on Saturday. He said in his log his legs just never felt right on Saturday. Sometimes that happens in a race. The thing about Dean’s race that is a big positive is he continued to fight. When I first saw Dean in the woods about 1000 meters into the race he was in last place by about 20 meters. As a coached I feared that that could be a frustrating spot to be in for Dean and he might coast it in, but that is not who Dean is. He fought his way back into the race and continued to catch guys all the way through the finish line. He passed 5 people in the last mile and a half. I know Saturday was not the race Dean wanted but his character displayed in the race shows the kind of competitor that he is.

As the race unfolded I could see that advancing as a team was not going to happen this year. But I can’t put into words how proud I am of the work this team has put in to improve so much this year. I look forward to our season continuing at Sectional with Jon and Riley but I also look forward to what this team has in store in the years to come.