All summer, the Sunlake cross country boys were waking up and training. These ranged from long runs at 7 o’clock, to speed workouts every week, to running twice a day. They were working hard and they were tired, but they loved it. They were doing it together, for a greater cause. They were doing it because it was all they knew.
The first race, The Claw Preseason Classic, took place at the USF course. The boys ran together in a pack, striding to their first win of the season. At the next two races, the boys went against Belen Jesuit, a team that was ranked 1st in the nation. They came in second at the Kowboy XC Inivitational and the Florida Horse Park Invitational. At the Hammock Invitational, they brought home a win. After these races, the team traveled all the way to Georgia to compete in one of the biggest races of the year, the Alexander/Asics Invitational. The course was a fast one, and the competition was greater than ever, so the boys were ready to race their hearts out. Each one of them destroyed their best times, running their best race ever. They came in second, which was extremely impressive, considering the competition. The times they ran in the race placed them in 1st in the 4A state by a lot, and they were really excited.
At Conference, the boys won by a huge margin, and all of the top 5 boys placing in the top 15. It was the 6th year in a row they finished as Conference Champions. At Districts, they had a plan to pace with each other and then branch off and run the race alone. It worked well, and they were District Champions. At Regionals, the boys were planning to complete a speed workout during the race. With States just a week away, they wanted to save their energy so that they could go all out at the State Championships. They ran as a pack, crossing the line within the same second. Even though they raced Regionals as a workout, the boys still came away as Regional Runner Ups. And while States didn’t go the way the boys had hoped, it was a great season.
The top 5 consisted of senior Josh Hindman, junior Cade Culpepper, sophomore Christian Hindman, sophomore Oscar Brown and junior Joaquin Abanses. Racing as a pack in several races, these boys worked together to succeed. Josh led several races, running a best time of 15:19, just 5 seconds away from the school record, and one of the fastest times in the state. Cade also led several races, leading the boys at states with a strong individual finish. Christian ended the season as the fastest sophomore in the state with a time of 15:22. Oscar and Joaquin were always in the mix as well, securing the teams placement. The top 5 runners are the ones who score points, and each one of these boys were vital members who pushed each other to greatness.
