It’s 6:30 a.m. The sky is still black. A dedicated group of runners begin their daily workout before school, just as they have since June. Mile after mile. Interval after interval. Race after race.
For the past six months, the Jesuit Rangers have followed a tough training plan, running about 50 to 60 miles per week. Led by Coach Douglas Robinson, who has been coaching cross country for 42 years and at Jesuit for 3 years, the Rangers qualified for the UIL state meet for the first time in Jesuit history.
Held on November 7 in Round Rock, the state meet featured a challenging course filled with mud and water, but the Rangers were determined to give it their all.
“It was so muddy and we weren’t expecting it at all, but it’s the state meet and you have to be ready to race in anything,” said junior Connor O’Neill, who led the Jesuit team with a fifth-place finish and a time of 16:28.
Following O’Neill were seniors Connor and John Garvey, junior Miles Burrow, senior Ethan Brownlee, and juniors Joey LoRocco and Elliot Ingram. O’Neill ran in the state meet last year as well, but felt “more complete” this year with his teammates beside him on the starting line.
The Jesuit team placed twelfth overall and faced off with many other large, 6A public schools including Flower Mound, Hebron, South Lake, Keller, the Woodlands, and College Park.
The Rangers would not have been able to compete with the fittest and strongest in Texas without self-motivation, hard work, and dedication to cross country.
“To keep them inspired throughout the season, you’ve got to create challenges for them and keep them focusing on the task at hand and never get too far away from accomplishing winning today’s workout,” said Coach Robinson.
Running, specifically cross country, requires a true mental focus as much as the physical finesse of an athlete. Without mental toughness, a runner cannot reach his or her full potential.
“It is so easy to get comfortable in a race, but if you want to be successful you have to push yourself beyond that point,” noted Connor O’Neill.
The Rangers embodied this mental toughness at their state race because of the daunting conditions they faced. Giving up seems like the easy way out, especially when pushing one’s body to its physical limit—but to push just beyond this barrier and to experience a “runner’s high” makes the sport completely worth it.
“That feeling you get when you finish and know you accomplished so much and you have your team around you—you feel a special presence and it’s something you can’t beat,” said O’Neill.
As a team captain, along with seniors Connor and John Garvey, Connor O’Neill leads the team by staying focused, but still has fun and bonds with the rest of the team, leading to a cohesive yet tough group.
The Rangers not only connected with one another but also with their coach.
“I’ll get you to the church, but where you sit is up to you,” says Coach Robinson. No matter the training plans, motivation was the team’s driving force to success.
The Jesuit Rangers certainly did “get to the church.” Cross country had arguably their best season ever, exceeding all expectations and making the state meet for the first time in school history. It will definitely be a season that the members of the team remember forever, a season characterized by their dedication and hard work. Looking forward to next year, the team will lose important seniors whose leadership helped propel them to their outstanding finish, seniors such as the Garvey brothers. However, Jesuit’s cross country team still hopes to continue their success next season, returning four out their top seven runners, giving them a good chance to qualify for the state meet again.
