By: John Coleman
One month ago, the Estrella Foothills cross-country team finished off their abnormal season. Since then, Coach Mock has been able to reflect on the season and the accomplishments that the team earned.
A shortened schedule and smaller team were two big differences that Coach Mock had to adapt to compared to her last few years as cross-country head coach.
“We had about half of the people we normally do. But the kids that were out were very dedicated and wanted to have a season, so they followed the protocols, worked very hard, and were successful,” Coach Mock said.
The success of the team was demonstrated throughout the season in important races like the district and sectional meets. At district, Rudy Carlos, a senior, placed first in the boys’ meet while sophomore Claire Knappenberger placed first amongst the girls. The girls’ team took home the title of district champions and the boys finished second, just one point shy of the winners.
The team was able to build off a strong district meet at the sectional competition, where the boys’ team would solidify their spot in the state meet, along with Claire Knappenberger and senior Kennedy Harper, who would earn individual bids into the state meet for the girls.
These Wolves represented Estrella Foothills at the state meet which took place November 12 at Crossroads Park in Gilbert. Here, the boys would finish 12th out of 18 teams with a total of 336 points.
The best finisher on the day was sophomore Trevor Vaughn, who crossed the finish line of the 3.1-mile course in 17 minutes and 56.4 seconds, placing 45th among his competition. Rudy Carlos placed 72nd with a time of 18:33.
For the girls, Claire Knappenberger finished in 54th place with a time of 21:50, while Kennedy Harper’s 22 minute, 16 second finish put her in 69th. The girls did not place as a team, as they only had two individuals compete at state.
Nonetheless, Coach Mock was very pleased with the team’s hard work throughout the season.
“Considering the circumstances that we had a shortened season and half the number of competitions we normally do, I’m very proud of what the kids accomplished,” Coach Mock said. “We saw personal bests all season long, and I’m very proud of what they accomplished as a team.”
A final notable accomplishment was Coach Mock’s 18th consecutive year of getting athletes into the state meet. When asked what that meant to her, Coach Mock replied, “Because this was such a crazy year, and the way to qualify for state was very different than it has been – the fact we still qualified for state, overcame and endured the pandemic … Eighteen years in a row we’ve qualified either an individual or a team for state. I’m very proud of that. I’m very proud that this team, under these conditions, was able to keep that streak going.”
Congratulations to Coach Mock and the cross-country team on another great season!