It wasn’t very long ago when R.J. Collins thought he was
finished running cross-country. After two years running
cross-country at Spring Grove School, Collins, who at heart is a
basketball player, decided to try playing football during his
freshman year at San Benito last year.
But playing football lasted only a year.
HOLLISTER
It wasn’t very long ago when R.J. Collins thought he was finished running cross-country. After two years running cross-country at Spring Grove School, Collins, who at heart is a basketball player, decided to try playing football during his freshman year at San Benito last year.
But playing football lasted only a year.
Needing a sport to stay conditioned while he waited for the basketball season, Collins decided to try running cross-country once again.
And head coach Jess Morales couldn’t be happier with Collins’ decision.
The sophomore runner has exceeded expectations this year for the varsity squad, finishing below 16 minutes in each of his first two races to lead the Balers.
“He has been a surprise,” Morales said. “He is only going to get better. If he is doing this now … wait ’til later in the season.”
At that point, Morales expects to be wealthy with fast runners, with Said Hernandez, Steven Velarde, Omar Vasquez and Ricardo Esqueda all running times in the low 16 minutes.
But for now, Morales will just enjoy watching Collins blow away the competition.
“The funny thing is, he isn’t even one of my fastest runner,” Morales said. “If I was to start the season before that meet (the Earlybird Invitational on Sept. 10) I would have said he wouldn’t have been my fastest runner. My fastest guys are Said Hernandez and Omar Vasquez.”
But Collins continues to change that thinking.
In the Balers second race of the year – Saturday’s Chieftain Classic – Collins finished four seconds faster than the next runner to win his first race – in only his second varsity race.
And the biggest reason for the Collins’ early season success: The drive to win.
“I’m very competitive,” Collins said. “I don’t like to lose and that really makes me try harder.”
And it’s that competitiveness that will help Collins get better at cross-country and other sports throughout the year.
“I think I can be ready for a lot of things,” he said. “I just have this competitiveness. The more competitive things you do the less nervous you get and you don’t have to worry about it as much.”
In Collins’ mind, running cross-country will keep him mentally and physically prepared for the upcoming basketball season.
“It’s pretty great,” he said. “It really inspires me to keep trying and help the team as much as I can. So I can bet better.”
Morales is just happy to have Collins on the team after watching the sophomore run at Spring Grove.
“It kind of broke my heart but it was his choice,” Morales said about Collins deciding not to run last year. “I’m glad he made that transaction this year.”
Collins isn’t the only young runner do good things for Morales.
Velarde, who ran on last year’s team as a freshman, has improved and finished with the Balers’ third fastest time, and seventh overall, at the Chieftain Classic.
And its Velarde competitive fire that allowed him to decrease his time over the past year, he said.
“I always like to be competitive and going against other people and always trying to win,” he said. “I always want to get better and improve.”
Running alongside his fellow sophomore Collins has only allowed himself to push harder.
“We are pushing each other during the race,” he said. “It helps a lot because you start thinking or falling behind but here is someone you know and you can finish up with them.”
Chieftain Invitational
Collins helped lead the Balers to a dominating showing during the 2011 Chieftain Invitational. Collins finished with the fastest score, finishing at 15:44 – four seconds faster than Leland’s Richard Ho. Overall, the Balers finished with five runners in the top 10 and six runners in the top 15. The times helped San Benito place first overall in the meet.
Hernandez finished second for the Balers, and sixth overall, with a time of 16:13. Following the senior was sophomore Velarde, who finished with a time of 6:22 good for seventh overall.
Esqueda and Vasquez rounded out the Balers top 10 showing with times of 16:34 and 16:35. San Benito’s Johnny Corral finished in sixteenth place with a time of 16:53.
On the girls side, Vanessa Estrada and Maura Forbush once again led the Balers into a first place finish – the second time in two invitationals. Estrada placed second overall with a time of 18:16 and Forbush finished ninth with a time of 20:17.
San Benito’s top five was rounded out by Amy Quinones, Cynthia Trujillo and Megan Pape. All three placed inside the top 20 overall.
The Balers hosted their first meet Monday against Salinas at the Baler River Course.
This week’s San Benito Score
