2020 Martin Luther King High School Cross Country Volume 22 Coaches: Brad Peters, Dan Peirce, Jim Griesinger, Pedro Sandoval, Carrie Porter Athletic Director: Chip George Principal: Mike West Writing, Layout and Photographs by Brad Peters 43 Athletes at Season’s End
“Ours is a spiritual movement depending on moral and spiritual fortitude. ... Freedom doesn’t come on a silver platter. With every great movement toward freedom there will inevitably be trials. Somebody will have to have the courage to sacrifice. You don’t get to the Promised Land without going through the Wilderness. You don’t get there without crossing over hills and mountains, but if you keep on keeping on, you can’t help but reach it. … We won’t back down.” - ML King, Jr.
The winter in Montgomery, Alabama can be cold and rainy, with an occasional snow storm that drops and makes the sidewalks treacherous. The summers are hot and humid and the pestering bugs fly with the beating wings of nuisance. Montgomery’s seasons were the backdrop of the 1955-56 Bus Boycott, the civil rights movement event that followed the famous arrest of Rosa Parks who refused to give up her seat on a city bus to a white man. Our school’s namesake, Martin Luther King, had recently moved to the city from his birthplace in Atlanta, taking the pulpit of Dexter Avenue Baptist Church and would be picked to lead the boycott. His leadership would catapult him to national and historic fame that changed America for the good. But that boycott wasn’t easy for African Americans living in Montgomery. It called for extreme sacrifice, as getting to work or church or the Curb Market was done by taking the city bus system, as few could afford cars. To boycott meant you walked. And walked. You walked through the winter, the spring … well, it lasted a full year before finally, King and his fellow marchers prevailed and the buses were desegregated. There were doubters, difficulties and distractions, but King wouldn’t be diverted. In March of that year he motivated a gathered crowd to not give up, calling them to resolve, strength and perseverance. This “fortitude” that King described is defined as “courage in pain or adversity.” Fortitude was in high demand during those weary miles and months of the Montgomery Bus Boycott. And fortitude is needed today. This past year was long and challenging. COVID-19 caused much heartache and change. We lost much, we lost many. It has been hard and strange and sadly, it doesn’t have a declared “end date.” No one knows. Likewise, fortitude is needed in the sport of cross country. Runners need to be able to persevere, to “cross over hills and mountains.” The going is tough, like walking miles every day was for the good people of Montgomery back in the 50’s. Fortitude kept them going and will keep us going as well. So how does one develop courage in the face of this adversity? How does one find or develop - fortitude? Can I give you an answer? Gratitude. By focusing on what is good, in the middle of the pain and adversity is a great way to develop the strength to “keep on keeping on” to use Dr. King’s words. Fortitude comes from gratitude. And this was our theme for a strange, difficult, adversity-filled season. We have always believed cross country is for “LIFE” - Learning, Integrity, Faithfulness and Excellence. Having an anchor for our thoughts and focus allows us to get closer each season to our four pillar values. This pandemic has been difficult, but fortitude can see us through. Embracing a spirit of “gratitude” is where to start on that journey. It’d make Martin Luther King proud, I’m sure.
2020 LETTER EARNERS 4th Year Edgar Ortega, Francisco Zavaleta 3rd Year Audrey Brunken, Justine Marshall, Gray Mavhera 2nd Year Evenie Fuentes, Victoria Gonzalez, Andreya Goodson, Julian Morgan, Bohdin Rush 1st Year Nathan Curtner, Andrea Guadian, Matthew Gwynn, Kaylee Magno, Leah Pendleton, Ashlyn Richmond, Gardemia Sandoval, Jack Slavin, Jonathan Weaver, Damien Zemanek
2020 SCHOLAR ATHLETES 4.0 and above Mena Fam, Francisco Zavaleta, Evenie Fuentes, Matthew Gwynn, Julian Morgan, Ashlyn Richmond, Isabella Anthony, Audrey Brunken, Kalee Magno, Justine Marshall, Maria Mendez, Leah Pendleton, Edgar Ortega, Brandon Valenti 3.5 to 3.99 Andea Guadian, Madison Lee, Timothy Gill, Jack Slavin Ryan Stuckey, Scotty Biddle, Nathan Curtner
OUR FOUR YEAR RUNNERS 2017-2020 The journey these six young people have been on since their freshmen season has been written with the ink of detemination. They have overcome the challenges that come with being a student-athlete: Time management, keeping up one’s grades, a sacrificed social life ... and so much more. Fortitude was the theme of this, their senior year. It has been a year unlike any other, a year of challenge and disappointment that no one could see coming. Yet the season themes during their four years have no doubt been helpful navigation. Learning how to “Thinc Diphrunt”, how to leave a “Legacy” and surpass their fears in “Greater Than” could well have mingled with this season of “Fortitude.” They persevered and finished the course and COVID couldn’t stop them. Justine Marshall ~ Grace Lowry Victoria Gonzalez Edgar Ortega ~ Bohdin Rush Francisco Zavaleta
STORIES FROM 20 UNLIKE AN
020 ... A SEASON NY OTHER
A TOUCH OF NORMAL IN A YEAR THAT’S BEEN ANYTHING BUT
The last time the King cross country teams raced was November of 2019. 441 days ago to be exact. It was the CIF-SS D1 Championship. Thousands of fans clumped together shoulder to shoulder, shouting at hundreds of kids who were racing in the biggest meet of the season. Not a face mask was in sight. A lot has changed since then, as COVID-19 and quarantining has reshaped the high school landscape in a myriad of ways. Sports were put on hold, kids were sent home to learn online and as weeks turned into months, what was once normal seemed to be almost forgotten. But there was a return to some semblance of normal on Saturday as the King High Cross Country teams took to the line for the first time in almost 15 months. “Normal” … well, kind of. Spectators were limited. Some runners wore masks. Team huddles were forbidden and social distancing was enforced. All good things in this pandemic, but certainly not normal. Former courses for racing were closed, so a 3-loop circuit was laid out on MLK’s campus, a first in the school’s 22 year history. But despite all of those differences, King kicked off their long-delayed season on Saturday in a dual against CoronaCentennial High. Competitively there wasn’t much to shout about behind one’s mask as King won both races easily, even sweeping the boys race. But it was an official Big 8 League race – the first athletic contest of any sport this year – and the King kids made a very good showing against not just their opponents, but against the obstacles the pandemic imposed upon their day and their last year. Call it a win in more ways than one! Andrea Guadian (Jr) is in her second season of cross country and is dramatically faster than she was last season (in 2019) as she took the race early and never looked back to win her first ever race at any level with a time of 19:36. Audrey Brunken (Jr), Justine Marshall (Sr) and
Evenie Fuentes (Sr) were the next across the line before Centennial’s first came through. Andrea Goodson (So) was the final scorer. The Wolves won, 17-44. King had some solid showings from a couple of freshmen who ran their first ever high school race. Kaylee Magno, Leah Pendleton and Gardemia Sandoval were among King’s top 10. For good measure, sophomore Ashlyn Richmond was 8th overall. For the boys, Francisco Zavaleta (Sr) took the lead right off and held it, finishing the 3 mile course in a time of 16:02. Right behind him were Edgar Ortega (Sr) and Gray Mavhera (Jr). Then came a red wave, as the next six places went to King. Two sophomores, Jack Slavin and Damien Zemanek were 4th and 5th respectively, while Julian Morgan (Jr), Jonathan Weaver (Sr), Nathan Curtner and Matt Gwynn (So) all crossed the line before the first Centennial runner. 15-50 was the final score. In a year in which the starting line has been moved so many times, the fortitude it took for these studentathletes to get to this point is remarkable. ML King’s Athletic Director, Chip George said, “the kids have been working so hard the past four months without knowing if they even had a chance.” That chance, that starting line, finally materialized on Saturday. A little glimpse of what was once normal, in a year that has been anything but.
SECOND MEET OF THE YEAR TURNS INTO A HORSE RACE The teams traveled to the Eastvale campus of Eleanor Roosevelt High School Mustangs on Saturday for the second meet of the season. Roosevelt has long been one of the league powers in both the boys and girls divisions, and so the Wolves knew they were going to have to push to beat them. And that’s exactly what they did. In two races, the King kids scrapped and fought for three meandering miles through the campus and it’s surrounding fields. The boys were the first race of the day and executed a flawless team race but had to work for it as Roosevelt matched them mile-for-mile. Francisco Zavaleta and Edgar Ortega positioned themselves at the front of the field and while Zavaleta would be able to create a gap after 2 miles, Ortega had a dual going throughout with Roosevelt’s Landen Breckner that only a hard last 500 meters by Edgar was the difference maker as King went 1-2. Both King seniors ran career personal records. But it was a brilliantly executed race by junior Gray Mavhera who held back over the first mile (he was about 10th at that point) but steadily moved up to cross in 4th, a difference maker in the score! Two sophomores Jack Slavin and Damien Zemanek, both of whom ran career-best times, closed the door on the Roosevelt attack and King went home victorious 24-32. Julian Morgan, Jonathan Weaver and Nathan Curtner were all in the top 9 for King Andrea Guadian had company over the course in the girls
race as Audrey Brunken (Jr) and Roosevelt’s top two harriers ran in a pack through 2 miles before Andrea and the two orange-clad Mustangs took the lead into the final quarter mile. A terrific kick by Andrea wasn’t enough to hold back the galloping moves made by Roosevelt’s Kayla Wrathal and Madyson Nakamura who went 1-2 to Guadian’s 3rd. Andrea broke 19:00 for the 3 miles for the first time in her career, and Brunken, who crossed in 4th had a lifetime PR of 19:00 as well. Justine Marshall (Sr) had an outstanding race. “The atmosphere was full of positivity, encouragement and good competitions” she said after the race. “I believe that it fueled our fire and we left it all on the course.” Fellow senior Evenie Fuentes ran that way as well and the two of them finished 3rd and 4th for King respectively. Sophomore Andreya Goodson scored as King’s number 5 but the Wolves fell by a mere 3 points to the ‘Stangs. Freshman Kaylee Magno finished in the top seven varsity runners as did sophomore Ashlyn Richmond. Slavin commented, “today was an outstanding day for both boys and girls as we showed all the hard work has payed off. It was great to see all the smiles on my teammates faces. It felt good to beat a high caliber team like Roosevelt on their home course.”
CORONA, THE CLOCK OR ONESELF: WHICHEVER, KING COMES OUT VICTORIOUS
The boys cross country teams moved to 3-0 on the season with a dominating win over Corona High School in a dual meet held at ML King High. Corona was only able to puncture King’s top 10 runners with one of their own and the Wolves beat the Panthers by a wide margin, 18-45. That sole Corona runner was the talented Victor Ceja who pulled King’s Francisco Zavaleta (Sr) and Edgar Ortega (Sr) along until about 800 meters to go to the line when Zavaleta and Ortega broke free. Both seniors entered the stadium for the last 110 meters across the football field to finish, but Zavaleta edged just ahead to the win. Both harriers ran personal records (PR) on the course. As did every King runner behind them. Gray Mavhera (Jr) and Jack Slavin (So) continued their fine seasons with course PR’s their own finishing 4th and 5th respectively. Jonathan Weaver had nearly a lifetime PR for 3 miles with an outstanding race where he finished 6th for the Wolves followed by Damien Zemanek who also ran faster than he did two weeks ago on the same course. In fact, improvement was the story line, as all 16 runners who were on the course 14 days ago, bested the time they raced to then. Timothy Gill, Brandon Valenti, Joseph Mayberry and Bryson Pradia all had significant drops. Significant too, in that the Panthers did not mount much of a challenge, so the King athletes had to find other motivation. Weaver noted after the race, “The atmosphere of the whole team really helped during the race, I believe, it felt good having teammates pushing each other.” That is pretty much all that the girls had, as Corona was unable to field a full scoring team of 5 girls. Nevertheless, Audrey Brunken (Jr) took the lead early on, only to be shadowed for a while by her fellow junior, Audrea Guadian. The two, like Ortega and Zavaleta did before them, entered the stadium very close together but Brunken was able to sprint well to the line to earn her first-ever varsity cross country individual win. Both would snag PR’s in the process. “It was nice seeing teammates pushing teammates and having a good race, especially on our home course” Brunken said. I loved seeing all the smiling faces after the race from everyone.” King’s top five were as they’ve been since the season opened, with Justine Marshall and Evenie Fuentes and Andreya Goodson (So) taking the next three spots, followed by Ashlyn Richmond (So) and freshman Kaylee Magno. Two more 9th graders, Leah Pendleton and Gardemia Sandoval were just behind Magno. Like the boys’ team, every girl on the line who had a chance to notch a course PR, did so. 9th graders Samantha Torres and Maria Mendez had the largest drops from two weeks ago. Jazz Arroyo (So) was 2 minutes better, as was Mia Castaneda (Fr). Isabella Anthony was over 3 minutes ahead of where she once was, and Sarah Pietrantonio (Fr) improved by 1:06. Sometimes racing is against the other team. Other times, it’s against the clock, and then at other times still, it’s against oneself. For King on this day, it was a bit of all three.
KING-POLY RIVALRY RUNS ON If COVID-19 has changed things, and it has, it has not seemed to affect a good ol’ cross town rivalry. UCLA and USC played a football game last November in an empty Rose Bowl. The Dodgers and Angels played in front of cut-out cardboard fans last summer. Rivalries are rivalries even in the era of COVID.
With limited spectators on hand Wednesday, the Riverside rivalry of King vs. Poly revived it’s long tenure on Wednesday as the two schools’ cross country teams raced on the MLK campus course in non-league action. Fitting of a rivalry, it was a spirited competition. Especially on the girls’ side, as Poly’s and King’s top two racers each ran nearly in tandem for almost the full three mile course. Kalista Tibbels of Poly would win the race, but King’s Audrey Brunken and Andrea Guadian gave great chase to take 2nd and 3rd. Through the first four finishers, the Bears and Wolves were tied at 5. King’s two steadfast seniors, Justine Marshall and Evenie Fuentes took the next two critical spots. With Andreya Goodson finishing in 9th, King was able to close the deal with a 25-30 win. Kaylee Magno and Ashlyn Richmond both placed among King’s top 7 runners. Further back, but still racing great were Emely Ruiz, Gardemia Sandoval and Sarah Pietrantonio who all ran their fastest times of the season. The boys race was not as close as the Wolves put 3 across the line in the top four places. Francisco Zavaleta continued his undefeated season while Edgar Ortega and Gray Mavhera went 3-4 and were followed by Jack Slavin and Jonathan Weaver who collectively shut down the Poly attack to win handily, 19-41. Matthew Gwynn and Nathan Curtner completed the top 7. Both Weaver and Mavhera dropped season-best times on the course, as did Luke Stokes and Michael Rodriguez. The boys moved their season record to 4-0 while the girls went to 3-1. Dodgers and Angels. USC and UCLA. King and Poly. Rivalries run on even through the pandemic, and depending on one’s allegiance, in all three matchups, it could be said that even COVID couldn’t keep the right teams from winning.
PENULTIMAT UP NEXT SAT
TE LEAGUE RACE SETS TURDAY’S SHOWDOWN Under blue skies on Saturday, the cross country teams took on the blue-clad Norco Cougars on Saturday. It was the 4th of 5 Big 8 League dual meets and contested on Eleanor Roosevelt’s campus course. The Wolves raced well despite lacking the drama of competition, as Norco could not field a scoring girls squad, and King’s boys swept, 1550. It was the clock and each other that served up the competition for the boys, as King would put the first 9 places across the line. Gray Mavhera, who has been exceptionally consistent this season while steadily improving, had another excellent race, coming very close to his season personal record (PR) set on the same course two weeks ago. He finished just steps behind the race winner, Francisco Zavaleta who won in a time of 15:43. Jonathan Weaver also ran a PR to finish fifth for the Wolves, as did Bohdin Rush, Michael Rodriguez, Bryson Pradia and freshman Gavin Moore. The girls ran their second league race in a row in which their opponent could not put the minimum number (5) of harriers on the line to score. So, it was King vs. King in a way, which, given the gracious and supportive nature of the team, makes it a friendly competition. Audrey Brunken and Andrea Guadian continued their front running, with Brunken gaining the win by just a few steps. Evenie Fuentes looked really solid in third with a season-best time of 19:43. Emely Ruiz and Jazz Arroyo kick to the finish The sixth through ninth place finishers all had PR’s on the day, with Victoria Gonzalez, Gardemia Sandoval, Jazz Arroyo and Emely Ruiz all under their previous bests, while Jazz and Emely put together a spirited kick over the last 100 meters, side by side. Samantha Torres, Grace Lowry and Stephanie Ortiz also put together PR performances. The final race will go off next Saturday on the King High campus. The boys at 4-0 will go against Santiago who is also at 4-0. The winner will be the league champion. Both girls squads stand at 3-1 in league, so the Sharks and Wolves will race to decide the league runner up behind the league champions, E. Roosevelt. If this penultimate meet was missing a level of intensity, next week should make up for it.
KING WEARS THE CROWN IN
There’s an old cliché that goes, “All’s well that ends well.” In this year of pandemic, quarantine and a nasty virus that has littered the last year with so much uncertainty and upended high school sports, the cross country teams entered their delayed season last November with far more questions than answers. Even as they were poised to start competing, COVID intervened yet again and pushed the first race back by yet another month. But they finally did start racing in early February and despite a season of differences and disappointments (the post-season CIF Championships, for one, was cancelled last month) when it ended on Saturday against Santiago, the King teams came away with hard-fought victories and the boys earned the Big 8 league title. And just for good measure, the face off with the Sharks turned out to be the best two races of the season. Both Santiago and King were undefeated on the boys’ side and the race would decide the champion. In a pre-race computer mock-up, the two teams were tied. But you don’t race in a computer, and so the Sharks and Wolves would race — and race hard — on terrain to determine the winner. In a very exciting contest, the two teams matched place for place over the first six spots. Francisco Zavaleta (Sr) closed strong over the third mile, gapping Evan Hild (Jr) of Santiago to conclude his undefeated season. He became the first King runner to earn the individual league title (and MVP) since Lane Werley did it last in 2010 and 2009.
N FAST AND FURIOUS FINISH
“I knew I was going up against someone faster than me” Francisco said, with a respectful nod to a time Hild notched earlier in the season against Roosevelt. “So I had to play it smart … after passing him, I kept an adequate distance (between us) for him to tire out, but not for me to burn out.” It worked, as he sprinted home with a course record of 15:17, earned the title and started the scoring train for King. Edgar Ortega (Sr) was next for King in third, and closed his stellar career with his fastest ever 3 mile time at 15:30. “I believe that I really put everything I could to finish on a high note, just fought hard but not for me, in all honesty, that last mile was for my team” he said. Gray Mavhera (Jr) was next, in 5th place, a key scoring spot that kept King through the first three scorers ahead by 3 points. “It was stressful” Gray said later, of the knowledge that both teams had their eyes on the title and one last chance to get it. “I gave the team a pep talk and told them all to just race your heart out and that’s what we did.” Jack Slavin (So) got the message and ran his best race of the season, finishing sprawled out on the other side of the finish line in exhaustion. At the half-way mark, the talented sophomore was behind a large group from Santiago but was able to break free and beat all but one of his opponents, finishing 7th. Bohdin Rush(Sr) saved his best race for last. Never has he scored in a varsity race, until today. And while six Santiago runners were ahead of him, it was his gritty effort that anchored the final scoring spot and put King into the win, 27-29. Jonathan Weaver (Sr) and Julian Morgan (Jr) were 6th and 7th for King.
It was a close race, and the first league title for King since 2015. “You really couldn’t tell who the winner was” said Ortega. “As soon as we found out we won, the excitement on everyone’s faces was bright. This honestly feels better to me than any PR because we all contributed, for months and months.” The girls’ race, which preceded the boys, had high stakes resting on it as well. Santiago, the defending league champions, and King entered at 3-1, so the race was for second place in the conference. Like the boys, both teams were evenly matched and both teams knew it could come down to one point. Well, it came down to two points, and King would ultimately secure the win with a 27-29 score. Their attack differed from the boys, as they clumped up the front spots in the race, taking 2-3-4. Audrey Brunken concluded her breakout season with the runner-up spot, followed closely by Andrea Guadian and then Justine Marshall who closed furiously over the last mile to flip a spot with an opponent. “Sometimes you just know when you need a point” she said after race, referencing a spot with a half-mile to go when she was told by this coach that her team was 1 point up and her position critical. “I know” she mouthed as she went by. Evenie Fuentes improved on the course by 39 seconds and was 7th overall. “I knew this race was the race to put it all out there and give it everything I had, so the results were a sweet reward” she commented later. King’s 5th would be Andreya Goodson,(So) who employed a new strategy which paid dividends with her fastest time of the year on the course and secured the win for the Wolves. Two freshmen – Leah Pendleton and Kaylee Magno were in King’s top 7 and 14 girls ran PR’s on the day. “Everyone raced extremely well” Justine said. “We were so blessed to have Santiago as our competition for our last race.” Audrey added praise, saying “I’m so proud of everyone, especially all the freshmen and rookies. Everyone raced their heart out and it was a great way to end the season.” Such exploits in both races may have seemed unlikely a few months ago. Months and months – to use Edgar’s words – have gone by, and most were full of challenges and disappointments to overcome. But with great fortitude, these kids found a way. And while it may be cliché, it is true nonetheless: No matter what the past looked like, all’s well that ends well.
LEAGUE FINISHING PLACES IN OUR HISTORY
2020 ALL LEAGUE RUNNERS FIRST TEAM Francisco Zavaleta - League MVP Edgard Ortega Gray Mavhera Andrea Guadian Audrey Brunken Justine Marshall SECOND TEAM Evenie Fuentes Andreya Goodson Jack Slavin THIRD TEAM Kaylee Magno Damien Zemanek Bohdin Rush Julian Morgan Jonathan Weaver Nathan Curtner
2020 - Boys 1st, Girls 2nd 2019 - Boys 2nd, Girls 3rd 2018 - Boys 2nd, Girls 2nd 2017 - Boys 3rd, Girls 2nd 2016 - Boys 2nd, Girls 1st 2015 - Boys 1st, Girls 2nd 2014 - Boys 2nd, Girls 2nd 2013 - Boys 2nd, Girls 1st 2012 - Boys 1st, Girls 1st 2011 - Boys 3rd, Girls, 3rd 2010 - Boys 1st, Girls 1st 2009 - Boys 2nd, Girls 1st 2008 - Boys 2nd, Girls 2nd 2007 - Boys 2nd, Girls 1st 2006 - Boys 2nd, Girls 1st 2005 - Boys 1st, Girls 1st 2004 - Boys 1st(tie), Girls 1st 2003 - Boys 2nd, Girls 1st 2002 - Boys 2nd, Girls 1st 2001 - Boys 2nd, Girls 2nd 2000 - Boys 2nd, Girls 2nd 1999 - Boys 1st, Girls DNF INDIVIDUAL LEGUE CHAMPIONS 2020 - Francisco Zavaleta, Big 8 League 2010 - Lane Werley, Big 8 League 2009 - Lane Werley, Big 8 League 2017 - Lauren Peurifoy, Big 8 League 2016 - Lauren Peurifoy, Big 8 League 2013 - Ruth Wiggins - Big 8 League 2010 - Hanna Peterson, Big 8 League 2009 - Kelsi Tippets, Big 8 League 2008 - Kelsi Tippets, Big 8 League 2007 - Carissa Bowman, Ivy League 2006 - Carissa Bowman, Ivy League 2005 - Carissa Bowman, Ivy League 2004 - Kristina Moore, Ivy League 2003 - Megan Fairley, Sunkist League 2001 - Tawny Odekirk, Sunkist League