2008 Trinity League Champions
Setting the record straight - for the 14th time
For the 14th straight consecutive season the St. John Bosco cross-country team is crowned the league champion. It is not with out controversy though that they accomplish this feat. Although they were beaten at last week's Trinity league finals on a tie breaker, they were rewarded the league title because they were the most consistent league team through both the preview and final meets. Taking the top spot at the Trinity league preview meet landed the Braves 5 points. Mater Dei, who had a superb finals race captured 6 points at the final meet, but because they only received 2 points at the preview meet, their total of 8 points for the season was 1 shy of the Braves, who gained 4 more points at league finals to end the season at 9 points total.
Confusing? Maybe, but the real point here is the Braves are once again league champions and all is right with the cross-country world. Coach Tim McIntosh has lead his team to a title every year since 1994 and with slew of sophomores and a sold freshman, McIntosh could see his team's "streak" extend into 2009.
Although having a sub par race the varsity Braves can still be mildly positive when realizing that their top four runners were all sophomores. Mario Flores lead the Braves with a third place finish with a time of 15:47. It was a nice rebound from his Mt. SAC and Clovis races where he had sub par performances. As one of the individual league favorites Carlos Martinez complained of heavy legs and struggled throughout to finish in fifth place. Arturo Trejo and Anthony Fierros rounded out the sophomore fab four as they finished in 11th and 14th places respectively. Their times of 16:19 and 16:22 place them 6th and 7th on the all time Central park sophomore list.
Rounding out the scoring for the Braves was senior Stuart Chapman who was followed by seniors Juan Bustos and Brett McCoy respectively.
In an impressive showing on the freshman sophomore level the Braves took the top four spots. Frosh/Soph champion, sophomore Auburn Jimenez finished in a time of 17:07 and was followed by teammates Ricardo Lara, Christian Regan and Joseph Hannah. Freshman Matthew Gonzalez and Greg Urueta finished in 8th and 10th places to give the Braves an overwhelming victory on that level.
The junior varsity level saw seniors Evan Word and Alex Theriot gap the field to finish 1-2 in 16:52 and 16:55 respectively.
This week the Braves travel to Mt. SAC for the CIF-Southern Section preliminaries where they are a 2nd seed in their heat. They look to advance to the CIF-Southern Section finals for the 8th time in a row a feat that has only been duplicated by Valencia high school this decade on the division 1 and 2 levels.
Their race starts at 12:07pm.
Bell Gardens Invitational
Braves strong while Varsity rests
As has been tradition each year at the Bell Gardens invitational the Braves sat out the Varsity squad in order to allow the younger and less experienced team members to shine. Overall the squad had a strong showing on the day running to an 82:33 team time and a 39 second gap for its scoring five.
Notable performances came from sophomores Anthony Fierros and Ricardo Lara who both set big PR's in their respective race. Fierros battled for second place the whole race before eventually being out kicked, but still managed a 26 second personal best to finish with a 16:11 clocking. Lara, who has come into his own this season, challenged fellow sophomore Christian Regan (16:40) all race long. Unable to catch Regan, Lara would still race to a 16:50 clocking, besting his previous best by 22 seconds. While Regan didn't set a personal best this race out he still managed to improve over last year by nearly 2 minutes!
Other notable races came from freshman Matthew Gonzalez who continues to impress through his sheer determination. His time of 17:16 was 8th best on the team and good enough for a top 5 race placing. Sophomore Joseph Hannah returned from an early season injury and looked as though he didn't miss a beat as he returned to set a huge personal best of 17:27. Alex Theriot had a solid race finishing 8th place in the senior race. His clocking of 16:22 is in indication of his talent and shows with some extra effort he is ready to challenge for a varsity top 7 spot.
Individuals & Frosh/Soph
highlight Clovis
Varsity struggles while F/S finish 4th
The Braves took their first big test of the 2007 as they traveled north to Fresno's Woodward park, the site of the California state cross-country meet. While this year's team passed their first test it was certainly not with flying colors. As a young team the Braves may have been expected to come across some bumps in the road and the Clovis invitational proved to be a slight bump. Out of the 7 varsity members that lined up for the championship race 4 proved to run solidly while 3 others faltered a bit. Still the Braves came away with much needed experience on a course they hope to run on come late November.
Sophomore Carlos Martinez ran to a 15th place finish, posting the 19th fastest time by any boy on the day and the 2nd fastest sophomore time. He finished as the teams number one man in 15:40. Sophomore Arturo Trejo turned in the most gutsy performance for his team. After taking a spill in the first half mile of the race Trejo still managed to finish as his teams number two runner with a time of 16:28. Both Martinez and Trejo enter the time school's all time Clovis list with the later capturing yet another school record in besting the old sophomore class mark. Sophomore Mario Flores finished as the team's 3rd man in a noticeably off race to record a 16:36 finish.
Senior Stuart Chapman rebounded from a couple of lack luster races to finish as the teams number 4 man with a solid clocking of 16:42, bettering his previous best on the course by 1 minute 21 seconds. Senior Evan Word dropped 1 minute 6 seconds from previous best as he finished as the Brave's number five runner in a 17:05 clocking.
Senior Juan Bustos and sophomore Anthony Fierros rounded out the top 7 for the Braves.
The Frosh/Soph race saw the team of sophomores Christian Regan, Auburn Jimenez, Ricardo Lara, Matt Sauceda and freshman Matt Gonzalez take 4th in their respective race. Regan lead the way with his 13th place finish while Jimenez had a breakthrough race, followed by strong races by teammates Lara and Gonzalez.
Warren-Stauffer Invitational
Congratulations are in order to freshman Matt Gonzalez, sophomore Christian Regan and senior Evan Word. Those three Braves were tops of their team at this years Warren-Stauffer invitational. Word had his breakthrough race finishing 14th overall with a new lifetime best of 16:14 to lead the Braves, while Regan also set a lifetime best of 16:40 to finish 14th in the sophomore race.
Perhaps the biggest surprise of the day came from the freshman race as Gonzalez decided to take his best race from the 18 minute range straight into the 16 minute range as he was the top placer for the Braves on the day placing 5th in a solid time of 16:48!
Sophomores Impressive
Soph's sweep top three places in their race
It was more of the same scenario at the Sunny Hills invitational as the sophomores once again led the way to a solid showing on the damp, muddy course of Craig Park. Carlos Martinez and Mario Flores finished first and second for the third time this season as they led their team to a 3rd place showing overall. Their times of 15:52 and 15:56 were 5th and 6th best on the day behind only the senior race.
Sophomore Arturo Trejo ran 16:28 for to provide the Braves with a top three sweep of the sophomore race. Fellow Soph Anthony Fierros finished in 9th place for the Braves and as the 4th man overall finishing with a time of 16:55. Senior Juan Bustos raced himself into a top 5 spot this race out finishing with a 16:57 clocking.
Rounding out the Braves top seven were seniors Stuart Chapman and Alex Theriot finishing in 16:59 and 17:17 respectively.
Braves Future Starts NOW
Sophomores breakthrough for Braves - AGAIN
Weather it be by a force of nature, luck, talent or as coach Tim McIntosh would jokingly put it: "it's all coaching," the Braves of St. John Bosco high school are again in prime position to repeat as league champions - a distinction they've claimed every year since 1994. This is what happens when you combine talent and heart with tradition, even in a year where the cross-country team was supposed to be rebuilding. Rebuild they did - over the summer - and ready they came to race at this year's Trinity league preview meet.
The most exciting thing about this team is the fact that they are not going anywhere. Boasting a top four this day out that included 4 sophomores the Braves look nothing less like the team of the future. These young runners though are obviously impatient and are ready to start their dominance right away.
Once again leading the way were Carlos Martinez and Mario Flores - two names that could go down as the best duo to come out of California in a long time. Both runners bested their time on this course from a week ago and now hold the 4th and 5th best performances by a Brave of any class. Expect another show down between these two as they look to capture the league individual title after being out kicked in the closing moments by Mater Dei's Luis Gallardo.
Sophomores Arturo Trejo and Anthony Fierros stepped up big on this day. Trejo continues to run strong as the teams 3rd man while Fierros really came into his own on this day out running a time that lands him amongst the best sophomores in school history.
Senior Stuart Chapman improved his time over a week ago but was noticeably off in the final stages of the race as he provided just enough strength at the 5th man position to seal the win. Seniors Juan Bustos and Evan Word rounded out the top 7 for the Braves.
In the coming weeks the team will challenge themselves at the Clovis and Mt. SAC invitational's before a heads up competition with Division I power Arcadia before heading back into league action as they hope to advance on through the state meet. Stay tuned!
SJ Bosco's Sophs are not soft
Second-year runners to lead way for Braves in '07.
By Kirby Lee, Special to the Press-Telegram
There's no question St. John Bosco High has one of its deepest sophomore classes in the boys cross country program's history this fall. Whether it will be able to extend the Braves' league winning streak to 14 years is open for debate.
St. John Bosco might have as many as five sophomores on the varsity roster this season after graduating four from its 2006 Southern Section Division II champion team that placed third in the state meet.
"I think that we can be a good team, but we'll be a really good team next year," St. John Bosco coach Tim McIntosh said. "We're trying to have a good outlook, but they're going to have a hell of a lot of experience."
Sophomore Carlos Martinez held his own as a freshman last season, when he broke all the school's cross country course records and the 3,200-meter record in track. He was the third man for the Braves in the state championships.
Martinez and sophomore Mario Flores, the sixth man for St. John Bosco in the Southern Section finals and state championships, are projected to be St. John Bosco's top returnees.
Senior Brett McCoy, the other returnee, has been slowed by knee pain and isn't expected to race until at least October.
St. John Bosco's sophomores were impressive in their season opener at the Bosco Tech Invitational on Sept. 8. Martinez, Flores, Arturo Trejo and Anthony Fierros swept the top four places in the 10th grade division.
Sophomores comprised five of St. John Bosco's top seven runners from the meet with seniors Juan Bustos and Stuart Chapman as the only non-underclassmen.
It's the youngest team during McIntosh's 22-year tenure at his alma mater that has included postseason berths in 20 of the last 21 seasons and two Southern Section Division II title in four years. St. John Bosco, eighth in the Southern Section Division II rankings, will receive a stern test in the Trinity League preview meet at Central Park in Huntington Park on Sept. 20.
The meet will count as a percentage toward the league title with all the league teams, including Orange Lutheran - the No. 1 team in the state in Division IV.
"When you look at it, we're very green," McIntosh said, " but all I can (tell them is), `Grow up and don't be afraid You guys are going to feel the pressure, but run the best that you can.' "
Sophomores Power Braves
Once again Sophomores lead team to success
As the Braves tune up for their season in the Trinity League one wonders if this year's team has all the tools to compete for a 14th consecutive league title. Some of those questions were answered as the Braves traveled to Huntington Beach to get a feel of where they stand on their league course. In a race that included El Modena, Marina and Huntington Beach high schools the Braves were strong up front, but displayed a bit of heavy legs in their 4-7 scoring positions.
Sophomores Carlos Martinez and Mario Flores finished first and second for the 2nd consecutive race. In an interesting turn of events Flores took advantage of the small gap in front of him to out kick his teammate for the win. Their times of 15:43 and 15:45 place them as the top two tenth graders in school history - a record that will surely not span an entire season as the two get to race the course two more times. Also making his name known not only on the all-time sophomore list but as the 4th place finisher overall was Arturo Trejo, whose time of 16:26 places him 4th on the existing list but moves to 6th all-time behind his 2007 teammates.
Rounding out the top seven for the Braves were seniors Stuart Chapman and Juan Bustos, followed by sophomore Anthony Fierros. Senior Evan Word finished as the final man for the Varsity Braves.
Braves 2nd in Season Opener
Sophomores lead the way in a 3 way battle with two Division 1 ranked teams!
Sophomores Carlos Martinez and Mario Flores led the way during the Braves season opener at the Don Bosco Tech invitational. Martinez posted the 2nd fastest time of the entire day running away with the sophomore race in blistering time of 15:13, while Flores finished as the sophomore race runner-up in the days 5th fastest time (15:34). All in all the Braves went 1-4 in the sophomore race to show huge promise for the future.
If this year's opener is any indication however the Braves' future may come earlier then expected as the team posted a faster team time then Arcadia high school, the 4th ranked team in Division 1, but finished in 2nd place overall, being bested by the Division 1 5th ranked team - Upland.
Seniors Stuart Chapman and Juan Bustos showed vast improvement in their first race of the season as they were the 2nd and 5th scorers for their team in 16:09 and 16:35 respectively.
Sophomores Arturo Trejo (16:27), Anthony Fierros (16:37), and Chris Regan (17:05) rounded out the top 7 for the Braves.
The Braves' next challenge will be held at Huntington Beach Central Park as they take on a number of Orange County teams. Check the schedule for more information.
Brave New World
Many new Braves will lead the way into the 2007 cross-country season. These new faces will have the auspicious task of defending a league title that dates back to 1994. These new runners, while possessing limitless talent, will most likely not have that sort of pressure placed on them by coaches, but rather by outsiders who are only familiar with the "St. John Bosco Cross-Country" name that has carried so much tradition, especially since the year 2000. Dating back to that season the Braves have won a league title in every season, qualified for CIF-Southern Section finals in every season, won the CIF-Southern Section title in 2003 and 2006 and qualified for the State meet five out of seven seasons, with podium honors coming in 2003, also a championship year, 2004, and 2006.
When the season starts and the new look Braves line up for the first time all they can expect to accomplish is gaining experience in Varsity races and doing their best to improve in the same way that teams of the past have before them.
The Braves return three varsity athletes from last year's squad. The other four varsity members will be determined when the junior varsity, frosh/soph runners, along with the new runners battle it out for a top seven honor.
Leading the way will be sophomore Carlos Martinez. After a stellar freshman campaign that saw him break every school freshman cross-country and the 3200 meter track and field record, Carlos has already exhibited the type of training of former #1 Braves and could very well challenge for the Trinity league individual title, and an All CIF-SS placing. Senior Brett McCoy brings two years of varsity experience back in 2007 and has improved by leaps and bounds over the past two seasons. McCoy has displayed a new found leadership role this season as he prepares to lead his young team mates by example while providing solid back-up to his sophomore counter part.
Sophomore Mario Flores was another freshman in 2006 that was among the best in the state. He should challenge McCoy for #2 man honors while posting impressive times throughout the season. A 4:26 miler this past season in track, Flores has shown great heart in the big races which could prove to be invaluable to this team.
A number of seniors could round out the top seven. This group includes much talent, but little varsity experience, although most in the group have been part of the team for at least three seasons. Seniors expected to challenge for a varsity role include: Stuart Chapman, Juan Bustos, Alex Theriot and Evan Word.
Challenging those seniors are also a very determined group of sophomores that want a varsity spot just as badly. This group of sophomores are coming off a very impressive Track and Field campaign and seem ready to step up to the next level to help their team. This group of young harriers include: Arturo Trejo and Anthony Fierros; with Matt Sauceda, Christian Regan and Joseph Hanna being another group that could round into form by seasons end!
The Braves will open up their season at the Don Bosco Tech invitational. Check back as the season draws near to get the latest updates on your favorite St. John Bosco high school team!
Are Your Shoes Worn Out?
by Super Dave, Industry Expert
On a regular basis you will find me staring at the ground. Most folks walking by probably think I'm deep in thought but if they knew what I was doing they might think I'm a little wacko.
I count shoes (brand and name), and I look for people in the wrong shoes. Sometimes I strike up a conversation with someone, but usually, I just observe. I am struck by two things every time I do this exercise. First and most important, people still predominantly buy fashion over function and therefore are probably running in the wrong shoes. With all of the great information on our website and at retail stores across the country, this phenomenon just amazes me. My conversations with them always start with, "What hurts on your body?”
The second thing I see too much of is worn out shoes. In general my opening question with these runners is also, "What hurts on your body?" Yes, the same question. Running in worn out shoes is just as bad as running in the wrong shoe. By the way, when I ask that question, I usually get one of these answers: sore knee, achy feet early in the morning, shin splints, tight quads, or something else. My next question is always, "Why do you put up with that?" Typical answer? Because running hurts. But that's not really true and I want to help folks change their answer and their view of running. Running does not have to hurt. If you do the right things, like running in the right shoes that are not worn out, it should not hurt. The two major things I see in worn out shoes:
1. Compressed midsoles - Look for compression wrinkles to see if your midsoles are worn out.
2. Age - I know runners have favorite shoes, but you can't keep running in them forever. Buy multiple pairs of the style you like and 'retire' the old ones based on the guidelines below.
A good rule to use with your running shoes is 350 - 500 miles. Beyond this mileage and you risk pain and possibly a long lasting debilitating injury. The mile variance is big because of the size and form of individual runners. If you're a larger runner whose form could use some improvement (i.e. you're a heavy striker), it's likely your shoes will wear out sooner. If you're lighter and have good form, your shoes will last longer. Before any backlash, I am aware that there are runners who claim they get 1000 miles or more out of a pair of shoes. Just like anything there are always extremes and that's okay. If you don't track the mileage on your shoes, here's a guide that should help you:
Guidelines to determine if your shoes are worn out:
1. If you're consistent with your running and suddenly start feeling sore.
2. If you can't remember when or where you bought those shoes.
3. Look at the midsole and check for compression wrinkles. If they're there, your shoes are worn out.
How often should you buy new shoes?
General Rule Based on 500 miles
You run: Replace:
2 days/week Once/Year
3 days/week Every 8 months
4-5 days/week Every 6 months
6-7 days/week every 4 months
If you are heavier or heavy on your feet (there is a difference), take 2-3 months off your replacement time. For instance a heavy runner running twice a week should replace shoes every 9-10 months.
One last tip - Shoe Rotation: Any runner running more than 3 days/week should have more than one running shoe and should rotate running in each shoe on a regular basis. Your shoes will last longer and so will your body.
