by Macade Maxwell

After a long season of grit and determination, the youthful St. John Bosco Cross Country team not only faced adversity but ran each race with pride, showing everybody that they have what it takes to compete with anyone. While having only three returning runners, Coach Tim McIntosh and the Braves welcomed nine new runners to the squad, who showcased the future of the program. 

Although this may be a young squad, the Braves had their eyes set on winning league. Now this isn’t just an ordinary league; this is the Trinity League, one of the most competitive high school leagues in the country. Filled with fierce competition in each sport, the Braves had high ambitions coming into the season. Even though the Braves didn’t accomplish their season goal of winning league, they still ended the league season with an impressive third place finish.

“Our goal is always to win league, but we ended up finishing third,” said Head Coach Tim McIntosh, who holds a record for winning 17 consecutive league titles in cross country. “Running a lot of freshmen in the Trinity is very tough, but we held our own and made state finals for a third year in a row.” 

The Braves qualified for the CIF-SS Finals to have the opportunity to race against the best of the best in southern California. Entering with odds stacked against them, the Braves exceeded all expectations and managed to finish in an impressive fourth place finish, earning them a spot in the CIF State Finals. Located in Fresno, the Braves managed to have another excellent performance, finishing in ninth place, and wrapping up the season on a positive note. 

Senior Aiden Aldana, a recent Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo commit, played a huge role in the success of this team. He recently received All-CIF honors and placed 4th overall. 

“We may have not finished the way we wanted to, but the future for this team is promising,” Aiden said. 

Coach McIntosh was a key factor in the success of the Braves this season. Playing a vital role in giving the team guidance and support, he also recognized the struggles and challenges of mentoring a primarily young team. Coach McIntosh mentioned the importance of having accountability, determination and dedication regardless of experience. 

“Part of being successful is having accountability,” he said. “Whether that is tracking your workouts or being on time to practice, it’s the little things that matter.”

Taking a brief look into the future, Coach McIntosh sees great promise in his team. Having a young team doesn’t bother him and is very optimistic about this season’s rookie runners. Coach McIntosh also highlighted the love that his team has for running and believes that this will only set them up for success in the future.