A year ago, the Mesa Vista cross country team got off to a late start because new coach Ben Sandoval had arrived shortly before school started.
“This year, it’s a little different,” he said. “We got started in June and that’s pretty good for our teams. It’s good to get started early, especially in cross country. The season is won in the summer.”
Sandoval has high hopes for his squads, particularly the boys, who finished fifth at the state meet last year and returns five of those seven runners.
“It’s been a little easier with the guy’s team because it’s intact as it is right now,” he said. “Last year, we were already a tough team with some seniors, but now that we’ve built up that camaraderie and with a season under our belts and my training program, I think year two is going to be a lot better.”
Still, the race for the podium is likely to be a hotly-contested affair, he said, with Pecos, Oak Grove Academy, Laguna Acoma and Peñasco joining the Trojans as the teams vying for the trophies.
What’s more, Sandoval said, the Trojans should be a force going forward into the future.
“We’re the only team that’s returning pretty much everyone from this season for next year,” he said. “If we finish in the top three this year, that’s a good stepping stone for next year.”
Mesa Vista has been led by juniors Andres Valdez and Ezequiel Nevarez, who were 26th and 30th at state and both are off to strong starts this season.
Sophomores Jonathan Martinez and Dominic Lopez have taken a big step forward this season.
And Santiago Martinez, as the Trojans lone senior, has been a team leader.
Nevarez, “he’s my team leader as far as time goes, and as he goes, the whole team goes,” Sandoval said. “He’s our No. 1. When he’s feeling great and calm, well you saw it in 4×800 (at the spring state track and field meet), he doesn’t let anything faze him. He stays calm.”
Nevarez, along with Valdez and Martinez, set a Class 2A record in the 4×800 relay and that’s had an impact on them coming into the season.
“The state title gave him and them a lot of confidence going into this year,” Sandoval said. “He’s running a lot better this year than he did at this time last year. I think the team is going to follow suit, as well.”
The girls side of things is a little more ragged, but expectations are high for the team.
Although the girls fielded a state team made up almost entirely of young underclassmen, this year’s squad is going to be relying on three eighth graders: Aaliyah Garcia, Magaly De La Cruz and Mirella De La Cruz.
“We have a lot of girls coming back from injuries,” Sandoval said of the state returners. “The girls got a late start, so we’re still trying to get them in running shape. I have high expectations for the girls, even though they haven’t been as successful as of late.”
With the team being so young, there is plenty of room for growth, he said.
“I was telling them that you never really know what’s going to happen,” Sandoval said. “Stay encouraged and stay working hard. If we stay on that path, we may end up surprising a lot of people.”