- December 30, 2024
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The Lakewood Ranch High boys cross country runners know how to run a race.
It is about more than speed, senior Vayle Johnson said. It is about pace and mental strength, along with physical strength, especially when it comes to elbowing other runners out of the way at the starting line.
These are all things that Johnson and the other senior Mustangs have learned over their first three seasons in the program.
Of course, speed ultimately matters, Johnson said. The Mustangs have plenty of that, too.
As of Sept. 12, the team has won two meets in a row: First the Mustangs-hosted the Lakewood Ranch XC Invitational on Aug. 31, then the Green Devil Invitational at St. Petersburg High on Sept. 7. At both races, the Mustangs were led individually by senior Derek Robinson, who finished third (17:12.3) and second (16:21.5) respectfully.
Head Coach Bill Zarrella said the team's other top runners — seniors Jonathan Leatt, Vayle Johnson, Dylan Johnson and Vicente Rivera — jockey for position behind Robinson, which Zarrella likes. It creates a competitive atmosphere, he said. At the Lakewood Ranch meet, it was Leatt who finished second among Mustangs and ninth overall (17:52.0). At the Green Devil meet, it was Vayle Johnson, who finished sixth overall (17:12.1).
The Lakewood Ranch-hosted meet was the first cross country meet the school had hosted in close to 20 years, Zarrella said. It saw 24 teams participate in the boys division and 25 participate in the girls division. Now that the program has the groundwork laid, Zarrella said, he would like to make it a yearly occurrence.
Zarrella said it was nice to see his team defend home turf in the meet. Having a top group of senior runners means they know what is at stake this season. For the Mustangs, at stake is the program's first Florida High School Athletic Association state meet appearance since 2016. Last season, Lakewood Ranch reached the regional stage, but finished 14th; only the top eight teams move on to the state meet at Apalachee Regional Park in Tallahassee.
The Mustangs said things will be different this year. Lakewood Ranch currently projects to be the No. 7 team in its region based on regular-season times, and its seniors believe they can go even faster. One reason? The competition the Mustangs have faced at recent meets has been mediocre. Once they start running with other state-contending teams, they said, they will push themselves to keep the pace.
The meat of the cross country schedule begins Sept. 20 with the North Port Invitational hosted by North Port High. The meet is a favorite of many cross country runners thanks to its flat and largely concrete course, which leads to fast times. The Mustangs are no exceptions.
"That is when we'll see what we can actually do," Dylan Johnson said. "We'll see better schools and better times."
The Mustangs are giving it their best shot. Multiple times a week, the runners complete distance runs of six miles to stay at their best. The seniors push each other during these practices, which vary in location, but they also remember to have fun.
Robinson acts as a DJ, carrying a portable speaker that blasts music for the rest of the group. The music content varies based on mood, Robinson said. Sometimes it's out-and-out pop music like Lady Gaga and Katy Perry. Other times, it will be country music, like Morgan Wallen and Zach Bryan. On more rare occasions, the group will run to hip-hop, too.
Zarrella said that he believes in his team's ability to break through to the state meet after years of building speed and endurance.
"We have a solid top five, and that's what you need to advance," Zarrella said. "They all want to be the captain. They all ask me about it. I have to say 'I am (the captain).' But it's because they are competitive, which is good. And overall, we probably have 11 or 12 guys competing for 10 postseason spots."
