Baler Cross Country looks forward to a challenging season

Lea este artículo en español aquí.

Excelling in league play in high school, as both Hollister High School cross-country teams did last year, often leads to medals and honors. In the girls’ case, they were co-champions in the top-of-the-league Gabilan Division. And the boys’ team took a second-place finish in the Mission division, the second highest in the league.

The downside? Competition will not get any easier this year. The girls will return to the Gabilan Division to defend their title, and the boys will join them, making this season an even more significant challenge for them.

“There are 32 teams in the Pacific Coast Athletic League,” said cross-country coach Ralph Chavez, “and we are going up against the toughest ones. The girls are ranked fourth out of five, and the boys are fifth out of five. It’s a challenge, but one we accept.”

The teams share an advantage: with one exception, they both consist of returning runners who have already been tested in competition. The one exception is Kendra Melching, who graduated last year. 

“She was one of our top three runners,” Chavez said. “She was pivotal for the team and helped secure that co-championship with Carmel High. So the girls will have their work cut out this season.”

On the plus side, Prienna Chavez and Ana Kaplansky, who competed alongside Melching, are returning as the team’s No. 1 and 2 runners, which Chavez said gives him something to build on.

“They bring great strength to the team,” he said. “We just need to find three more girls who were part of the varsity team last year willing to step up and get closer to her level to make an impact in the league.”

While the girls team relies on a few very fast runners to score their points, Chavez said the boys team is keeping the pace together.

“The way they’re going to win is by running as a pack,” he said. “We don’t have one or two boys who will be league champs. There will definitely be top-10 runners, but they need to be in a pack in order to make an impact.”

Chavez also praised his returning coaches—five-year veteran Maxine Cunningham, and Tracey Bloomfield—and considers himself fortunate to have gained a new volunteer coach, Juan Gutierrez.

“He’s a 2016 graduate and was in the cross country and track programs,” Chavez said, “He was very successful and continued to run in college as well. So now he’s back and wants to be a part of this program’s growth, which will be a huge asset for us.”

Chavez said that the secret to being a great cross-country runner is a dedication to training and making the effort to build mileage week after week.

“You gotta push through all the pain you’re feeling when running at such a strong pace,” he said. “And that comes through in all the training you are doing off-season when no one is there and watching you.”

Chavez selected four athletes for BenitoLink to interview: Prienna Chavez, Ana Kaplansky, Luis Perez and Aidan Castaneda.

Prienna Chavez  “Prienna is a naturally gifted runner,” Chavez said. “She has actual talent, and running to her comes very easy, probably because both her parents were Baler runners when they were young. They did exceptionally well, and she is following in their footsteps.”

A 15-year-old sophomore, Chavez said she feels stronger when she is running, and while she knows there are challenges she will face during a race, she knows she will conquer them.

“There are a lot of hills out there,” she said. “They can be so difficult. Once you overcome that hill, you get a sense of relief because now you can look forward to the downhill. But you know there will be so many more ahead after every hill.”

Chavez said she was proud of the team’s fourth-place finish at the CCS championships and of how her team performed all season.

“We were all super positive and supported each other,” she said. “Everyone has been improving.”

Ana Kaplansky  “Ana comes to us from Spring Grove,” Chavez said. “From an early age, Ana has had a passion for running and has successfully run many local 5Ks. She’s mentally strong and knows how to push through pain and push herself to be the best.”

Also 15, sophomore Kaplansky got interested in running in the first grade after participating in the Turkey Trot race at Spring Grove Elementary School. 

“I loved the freedom that I had,” she said. “Being outside, it was like the road was my runway, and I could just go for it, and nobody could stop me. And as you train, you meet such amazing people.”

Kaplansky said the team’s strength last year was that the runners worked really well together. She looks forward to seeing the team improve, even though a star runner has graduated.

“I think a big part for us is our mental state,” she said. “In running, you lose people, and you gain people. Ultimately, you need to improve your mindset to improve everything else. I think that will be really important for us this year.”

Kaplansky said she handles tough races by pushing through obstacles and concentrating on the finish line.

“You know you will get there eventually,” she said. “You’re not going to die. I just think about my breathing. ‘Smell the roses, blow out the candles,’ my dad always says. I know just being relaxed will take me through the race.”

Luis Perez  “Luis was a freshman last year and was our No. 1 boys runner,” Chavez said. “He is just a gifted runner and very, very self-motivated. He’s mentally strong, and that’s what it takes to be a successful distance runner.”

“I just liked the feel of running,” Perez said. “I started running in the first grade and was always very fast. Back in Spring Grove Middle School, I would run the 1-mile, and I got the school record of 5:14.”  

Perez won the MVP award from his team last year and said his strengths are his mentality and knowing that, at any race, he will be the fastest in the field. He said he is confident that his team will finish well this season.

“We have more people on the team—way more than we had last year,” he said, “A lot of the returning runners are fast, and I think we are better connected now because we all know each other and how we are all different from each other. “We did it last year and we can do it again.”

Aidan Castaneda  “Aiden has been running since he was five years old,” Chavez said. “He grew up training in San Juan with his dad, running local 5K and 10K races throughout his childhood. Once he got to high school, he was ready to blossom.”

A Hollister High junior, Castaneda, 17, has been a fixture at the San Juan Bautista Mission 10, running the annual race eight times so far and, at 12 years old, participating in races to raise money for a track at San Juan Elementary.  

“I would see my dad running after work every single day,” he said. “So I kind of wanted to be like him. I think events like the Mission 10 are really good for the community—it  gets people involved and brings them together.”

He said his approach to strain and monotony of racing is just putting one foot in front of the other. “I try to block it out,” he said. “I just want to go out and do my thing. I don’t let anything bother me.”

Casteneda said that, after participating in two Central Coast Section championships, he thinks the team is in good shape this year to take on the season. 

“We have a really good mentality,” he said. “We are all really close, we are all really fast and we all just try to do our best.”

Fall 2024 PCAL Cross Country Schedule

Sept. 19, 3:30 p.m., Palo Corona Park, Carmel Valley

Oct. 3, 3:30 p.m., Toro Park, Salinas

Oct. 16 or 17, 3:30 p.m., site to be determined

Nov. 2  PCAL Championships, Palo Corona Park, Carmel Valley

Nov. 16: CCS Championships

BenitoLink thanks our underwriter, Hollister Rotary, for helping expand the sports coverage around San Benito County. Rotary is a nonprofit organization that conducts humanitarian projects, encourages high ethical standards, and works toward world understanding. All editorial decisions are made by BenitoLink.

The post Baler Cross Country looks forward to a challenging season appeared first on BenitoLink.