Cross country heads into league with their boys’ and girls’ team. Seniors John Welch and Hannah Dumaine are the team captains and attempt to lead their team into CIF.

Cross country coach Rich Medellin described Dumaine as a “very talented runner and a good team leader.” Medellin described Welch as a “hard worker” with a “strong worth ethic.” He notes Welch as a “coach’s dream” and explains how he made a lot of progress over the years on the team.

Welch was interviewed by a cross country news media after a successful result in league prelims Sept. 25. “I was interviewed since I was in the top three by Cal. Prep. sports. The questions were complicated but it was funny. It was cool since it was the first [time I was] interviewed.”

“If we beat Brea [Olinda] we are league champions,” said Medellin about the boy’s team. “Our goals are to go to CIF and then to go to the state meet. We haven’t gone in eight years.”

“For girls, we are trying to get ranked in division three to go to CIF prelims. Our best case is that we get ranked in the top 16 so we can go straight to CIF. The top two teams in the league go to CIF. Right now, we are fourth,” explained Medellin.

“For the boys at Clovis, John got third overall and our boys’ team got first. We are ranked ninth in the state, and I think seventh in the Southern Section. They’re having a great season. There were 35 other teams that we beat.” The Clovis invitational took place Oct. 6 in Fresno.

The boys team won first place at O.C. Championships on Oct. 13. The meet featured over twenty schools from the county. At Mt. SAC, the boys team got fourth overall in Division 3 on Oct. 19. They were the first of the Orange County schools to finish.

Dumaine finds that as team captain she has a duty to “always encourage them, being their friends, we just talk and have fun since running is hard. You have to make the best out of it, if you hate the people you’re running with, you will hate running. You want to make the environment good.”

“Coach Chadez doesn’t use team captains, but who ever steps up is it. As de facto, it feels right in a way. You work really hard to get to this spot,” said Welch.

Dumaine explains that the girls feel close as a team. “I feel I am in a spot where I can’t let the girls down. I have to be the leader,” said Dumaine. “It is hard since I have to motivate myself before them. Helping them makes me want to work harder for them.”

Welch described how proud he is of his team by saying, “I don’t even have words. I have been with them for four years. I view my team as a family, and it is so amazing for them to be racing with me.”

Dumaine is proud that her team continues cross country since “it is a difficult sport.” She is proud of her team for always being positive when practices are tough.

“I feel sophomore year was my best year. I looked up to the seniors, and now, they are gone. It is tough,” said Dumaine. The 2017 girls’ team had six seniors, and this year, it is down to two. “We are a young team. They graduated early,” said Medellin about the girls’ team.

The boys’ team finds inspiration in movie quotes. The team coined the term “shake and bake” from the movie “Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby”. “Before prelims this year the team went to my house and watched it.” said Welch.

Welch’s personal challenges this year has been with breaking 15 minutes in the three mile race. He is hopeful to get under that time by league finals. For his team, he describes them as “very strong” and small arguments always get resolved.

“Personally, it is easy now to find inspiration since we love to race. Coach Chadez, Kyle and Matt are motivating forces. As our coaches say, ‘Practice has to be harder than the race,’” said Welch.

Up and coming runners include freshman Nicole Reeves. “She has run with varsity three times, so I think she will be able to become a strong runner,” said Medellin. Sophomore Josh Moore broke school records when he was a freshman.

“We are both looking for cross country and track runners. We are a small team. Our league finals is Oct. 30 at Yorba Regional Park. Come out and support because it helps the runners when people cheer,” said Medellin.