For the first couple of miles, the Sea Hawks knew they were in the lead. But as the race began to close, they had no way of knowing if they had kept it. Every hour and stride that had been put toward this goal throughout the season came down to this race. They had to prove that all of the work put in behind the scenes was worth it.
In fact, they did prove themselves. For the first time in Redondo history, the boys placed first in the Division One California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) finals, achieving a long coveted goal of the team. Through their oftentimes lengthy practices spanning from the beginning of the summer until now, this aspiration kept them motivated.
“People have made [CIF] their lock screens,” senior Gavin Hasson said. “This year we worked really hard. We had a good team work ethic and eventually we did it. We set the goal at the beginning of the season that we were gonna win, and it happened.”
The road to becoming champions was a literal and figurative uphill battle. The struggle for success took its toll on the team, with them not only needing to develop their physical strength but also their discipline and resilience in order to win.
“Once you get to this point, it’s very much a mental battle because everyone can run fast. It’s how long you can endure the pain compared to other people, and whether you can handle the lactic acid for another mile [as opposed to just] giving up,” Hasson said.
For months, the drive to win occupied the team’s minds, so the relief that ensued when they emerged victorious was immense. Miles Berillis, another senior on the team, recalled the moment that the champions were announced.
“I [had fallen] to the ground out of exhaustion because I finished the race, and then I heard on the loud speakers that it looks like Redondo was gonna win. I immediately got up. I was shocked. I ran over to my team to celebrate. It was very surprising. I worked hard for it and it was really good to see it pay off,” Berillis said.
Their victory at CIF secured them a spot at Nike cross country nationals, the last competition of the season. Now that the seniors’ high school careers are officially over, many of them have been reflecting upon how far they have come to reach the goals they set for themselves.
“This has been a dream of mine since freshman year, especially to qualify for the national meet. I mean, [especially with it being] the first time in school history, it was a really, really cool experience. There were just crowds of people congratulating you, and being able to come out of it being the number one team ranked in California was really cool,” Hasson said.
Through the close-knit nature of the training, relationships have developed between the teammates as they pushed each other to show up every single day. To win alongside some of their best friends and biggest supporters made the moment they won feel even sweeter.
“We all see each other as brothers and I feel that’s [been] a big contribution to why we were able to do good at state and go to nationals,” Berillis said.
Their success this year opened new doors for the future of the team and school. Now that Redondo cross country has established itself as a team to beat, the current team members have hope for the incoming varsity team to further their dominance.
“I would like to see another championship, another national appearance. It won’t be easy; stuff like that doesn’t come every year,” Berillis said. “You have to be really good to get there, but I think we have the skill level and the dedication to do it again.”
