by Luis Hernandez, Managing Editor

St. John Bosco High School Cross Country, led by Head Coach Tim McIntosh who has coached for nearly 40 years, currently holds third place in the Trinity League and fourth in CIF Division Four while relying on underclassmen contributors.

The Braves have just recently competed in the Clovis Invitational, which they won and look to continue the streak at Mt. Sac, which is their division sweepstakes.

Bosco Cross Country team is very different from previous years, due to the lack of older runners that have experience. This has caused the team to depend on the younger runners to perform well, which they have done thus far.

“This big group of freshmen are important,” said Coach McIntosh. “We need them, and usually they would be brought up a lot later, but we simply need runners.”

This influx of younger athletes has allowed the seniors and juniors to be mentors to them and help the team develop as a whole.

“With these new freshmen coming in, I am happy about how fast they are evolving and I am happy to be there to help them,” said senior Andrew Perez.

The team coming into this year only had four runners on varsity, which forced new runners to take a bigger role on the team. Seniors Aiden Aldana and Andrew Perez have performed very well this season and are the backbone to the team.

Aiden Aldana has been an essential element of the team especially, as since he has had consecutive top finishes, most recently getting second place in the Trinity League contests. Aiden’s senior leadership makes a great impact, as the younger runners can look up to him for help and inspiration.

“The older runners helped bring the team together and helped [the freshmen] become better runners. They have played a big role,” Coach McIntosh said.

Coach McIntosh thinks that better times are ahead with the COVID-19 pandemic behind the program and the runners being able to practice and spend more time together. He emphasized that Cross Country is a team sport, and in order to be successful, they must all work together.

“You will run harder for your team than for yourself,” said Mr. McIntosh.

The Braves have their eyes are on the podium, as their main goal is to win league and place well in CIF-SS and State. This team has high expectations for themselves, knowing what they are capable of and believing this season is a perfect opportunity to succeed despite their youth.

“I am very impressed with the team this year and believe that we are in a position to accomplish great things,” said Andrew Perez.

The team has done great things to this point in their season and look forward to ending it in a similar fashion with Trinity League Finals on the horizon.