The San Benito High boys’ cross-country team came within one spot of making it to the CIF State Championships in two of the last three years.
This season, the Haybalers plan on finishing the deal.
“This year we’re ready to make it to state,” said junior Jose Ruiz, who finished in fourth place in last year’s Monterey Bay League Championships before a 24th-place showing in CCS. “Last year we were bummed we didn’t make it, because it’s been a goal of ours for a while. But I’m dedicated to make it to state, and I know the team is, too.”
The Balers return four of their top six runners from a year ago, including Ruiz, junior Elijah Changco, junior Juan Gutierrez and senior Javier Azcona. In addition, they have sophomore Nolan Sanchez in position to secure the No. 5 spot and a couple of talented underclassmen who will battle for the sixth position.
“Our goal every year is to make it to state, but this year is our best chance because we’ll have that fifth guy and a lot more depth backing us up,” Changco said. “We’ll have a few guys competing for that sixth spot, but they’ll have to show up and prove themselves over time.”
Indeed, any time a new up-and-coming runner looks to join the varsity squad, he has to prove himself to the team’s best. In this case, Changco, Gutierrez and Ruiz want to see which one of the newcomers is willing to suffer through lung-busting speed workouts and hill repeats.
“We want to make sure the new guys are ready to help the team,” Ruiz said. “They’ll have to be not only physically prepared, but mentally prepared.”
Last year in the CCS Championships, the Balers’ top five runners all finished in the top 40. But third-place Homestead nabbed the third and final berth to the state meet after their five runners finished in the top 27.
The formula has been pretty consistent over the years: Put your top five runners in the top 30, and you’re going to state. That’s exactly what the Balers did in 2011, finishing in third.
However, that year only the top two squads from CCS earned bids to state, and San Benito was left home despite having arguably its strongest team in school history. Changco, Gutierrez and Ruiz are making sure history doesn’t repeat.
For a good portion of the summer, Ruiz woke up at 4:50 a.m. to go running before attending summer school. Gutierrez, who finished 14th and 34th, respectively, in the 2013 MBL and CCS Championships, has also been on top of his training.
Changco, meanwhile, took a couple of weeks off after a grueling track and field season—Changco had a terrific year on the track, taking 12th in the 1,600 meter-run in the CCS Championships—before ramping up his training again in late June.
Changco eased his way back into things, progressively increasing the intensity of his workouts with each passing week.
“I had an amazing season in track, which gave me even more confidence to run this summer,” said Changco, who took seventh in MBLs and 35th in CCS in last year’s cross-country championships. “I’m looking to go low 16s (minutes) for my first couple of races.”
Ruiz is looking to do the same, and both will get an early-season barometer of their fitness level when San Benito competes in the Earlybird Invitational at Toro Park on Sept. 6.
When this edition went to press Wednesday, San Benito still didn’t have someone to lead the program. Longtime coach Jess Morales is no longer with the program, much to the dismay of the team.
Ruiz was vociferous in support of his former coach: “Jess helped us a lot. A coach is supposed to be on your butt and make you do what you need to do. He shouldn’t be your friend during the season; he’s supposed to push you to the limit so you can be all that you were meant to be. We would never become the runners without him. People are arguing that he’s too hard or too mean, but he’s not. We need him to be our coach again, because he’s taken us this far and deserves to take us all the way to state.”
In the absence of a coach, Changco has been leading informal team workouts, using the workouts Morales taught him over the years. Ultimately, if the team’s top three runners—Changco, Gutierrez and Ruiz—consistently clock times in the low 16s, the Balers will be that much closer to reaching their state goal.
During one race last season, Ruiz, Gutierrez and Changco came across the finish line within two seconds of each other, taking the fourth through sixth spots. If the trio can replicate more of those performances this season, they’ll be in strong shape to nab that coveted spot to the state meet.
“Whenever I went out for those early-morning runs, all I could think about and focus on was making it to state,” Ruiz said. “It’s always on my mind.”
