As Dos Palos High School continues to upgrade its track and field program, the school has gone full-fledged into cross country.
Head coach Edwin Gibb, himself a former long-distance runner at Cardinal Newman High, has seven girls and six boys on this year’s squad, the second year the sport has made its comeback at DPHS.
Gibb and the runners have been working out since June.
“Some of the students had jobs and could not attend the morning practices, and others joined the team once the school year began,” he explained. “We continue to build the team and add new members.”
Some of the top male runners for the Broncos include sophomores Andrew San Roman and Javier Bravo, as well as junior Israel Cordova.
“Andrew was about 45 seconds from reaching state last year in Div. IV,” Gibb explained. “And he has only gotten faster this year. He is running smarter races and accelerating at the most advantageous parts of the course. Javier has greatly improved from last year and he has much more endurance. This is Israel’s first official year on the team, and he continues to get faster every week. Elijah Lutz, Caleb Alvarado, and Bryce Goodman are also invaluable to the team.”
As for the ladies, junior Mara Torres and freshman Shyanne Bryant are leading the way. Torres made it to the Div. IV finals last year, and the coach says that she is quickly returning to form.
“Shyanne joined once the school year began, and she continues to improve her times every week and build her endurance,” Gibb said.
Karyme Lozano, Jordan Jasso, and Gennesis Ramirez compose the rest of the team and Gibb said they also continue to improve.
The Broncos ran very well at the hilly Calaveras County Fairgrounds at the Bret Harte Frogtown Invitational. Everyone who ran the course last year improved their times by at least one minute this time. San Roman got second in the sophomore race out of 110 runners. As a team, they also did extremely well at the Eagle Fly-in at Firebaugh. San Roman placed third for the varsity and Bravo placed eighth for junior varsity boys.
Gibb is most impressed with the work ethic and drive of the student/athletes, noting that every team member has their individual goals that they strive to attain for each meet and for the season as a whole.
“It is an amazing group of kids that hold themselves to a high standard athletically and academically,” he said. “Many of the students want to become doctors, practice sports medicine, become computer programmers or engineers, and some want to start their own business or become teachers. I wouldn’t be surprised in particular if the girls actually win some type of award this year for having such a high GPA. On top of focusing on academics, the girls aim to score this year in league for the first time and get a few of the Top 10 spots. The boys aim to improve upon their team score from last year and continue to lower their own personal times. Andrew is hoping to reach state this year for Div. IV.”
Gibb does not have any assistant coaches, but he has been able to rely on good support from the parents of the athletes.
“Support from Ashley Caygle, Melissa and Doug Goodman, Jessica Bryant and Lisa Conger has been extremely valuable. They have helped provide assistance to the athletes and have really made the team more of a family.”
As the season continues, the Broncos will get their first taste of Woodward Park in Fresno on Friday, October 18th when they will participate in the Rough Rider Invitational. They will be hoping to return to Woodward later in the year as the venue will host both the Section Championships and the State Finals, and Gibb is excited about the prospect.
“It is truly a privilege to coach every one of these athletes. I deeply enjoy watching them grow athletically and as individuals,” he explained. “I have loved watching friendships blossom from the team, and I am excited to continue watching the program grow in future years.”
Mendota will host the West Sierra League Championships on Nov. 6.
