The Kinnelon Boy’s cross country team won state sectionals on Nov. 14 for the first time in 14 years at Garret Mountain. This effort was the culmination of running consistently since the Summer months and a strong varsity squad.
The cross country team has been running for months to get to where they are now. Varsity cross country runner and Kinnelon High School sophomore Andrew Garcia said, “I trained nearly every day over quarantine and this fall for this victory. Running upwards of 50 miles a week and even 11 miles in a single run.”
The varsity squad was projected to have a decent showing but was not supposed to win. The team had been projected to place third, but they proved the projections wrong. “They [the projections] were wrong because our schools were closed during our later meets so our projections were based on times from early October while our competitor’s times were based on more recent races,” said Garcia.
The race took place at Garret Mountain, a course with a difficult layout compared to other courses the team had previously raced at. “The beginning was downhill and a lot of it was quite flat, but at the end, the majority of the elevation lost was gained at the end with a massive uphill,” said Garcia.
Garcia added, “It is very important to us because it was our goal for the season. Winning sectionals was our goal for the season and we accomplished it. And, as with anything, accomplishing a goal feels amazing.” This victory is a proud one for this boy’s team that always strives to do better. Sectionals are not where they want to stop with their eyes on winning the state championship next year.
