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No one came right out and said it, but there's no question what was on the minds of the Nevada Union Miners boys squad after they took 14th place in the California Cross Country State Championship Meet last fall.
"We knew we were coming back and would be on that starting line 12 months later," said Dan King, head coach of the Metro Conference and Sac-Joaquin Section champion NU boys' team.
Sure enough, they were right.
Nevada Union returns to the state meet Saturday, powered by six of the nine Miners who made the trip to Fresno last season. This time, though, NU is looking to run a race that will have the Miners running shoulder to shoulder with the state's best.
Nevada Union's varsity boys and girls cross country teams will compete in the state meet Saturday at Woodward Park in Fresno, as 23 teams in each of five divisions try to keep a championship pace. The Lady Miners lead off, running the Division I race - the first of the day - at 8:30 a.m., followed by the NU boys making their second straight state appearance in the Division I boys' event at 9:40 a.m.
"It doesn't happen very often, having both the boys and girls teams from one school make it," King said. "But at the same time, quality programs are quality programs. As a general rule, true quality programs will take both the boys and the girls."
In last year's 14th-place performance, the NU's boys were led by Luke Ridens' run of 16 minutes, 26 seconds over the 3.1-mile course for 65th place overall. Matt Freitas clocked a 16:38, Patrick Lane a 16:49, Brian Dell a 16:58 and Trevor Robertson a 17:40. Tyler Freeman, who also made that trip, was an alternate in 2002.
Those six seniors return to the state meet Saturday with junior Robin Carr and freshmen Parker Brown and Cody Hood making their first state trip.
"Knowing they have the experience, they are in a position where if they have great races, I think they could be a top-five team. They're definitely a top-10 team," King said. "It just depends on what race they decide to run.
"The expectations for us are to prove to ourselves that we are the quality program we believe we are and to prove to everybody else we are the quality program they believe we are."
Though some of these Miners might be, Nevada Union is not exactly a stranger to the state meet. The girls team, then coached by King, qualified for the state meet in 1997, '98 and '99, the latter two being section championship seasons for NU in which the Lady Miners turned in seventh-place finishes in the state meet.
The boys' team, under the guidance of then-coach Clyde Lehman, won section titles in '95, '96 and '97, followed up by two third-place finishes and one runner-up at state in those respective years.
In this fall's preseason polls, some had Nevada Union boys rated as high as sixth in the state. For the Miners to finish that high, or higher, in team standings, they'll most likely be keeping pace with Division I powers Ventura, Murietta Valley, Dana Hills and Royal high schools.
"Those teams have been nationally ranked," King said. "Ventura and Murietta Valley have been in the top 15 in the nation."
On the girls side, head coach Sara Freitas' Nevada Union squad finished second at the Nov. 15 section meet at Sierra College (Rocklin), falling two points short of champion Davis.
"I think the goals are different with the boys and girls, though obviously they both want to perform well," King said. "This is the girls' first trip back to state. None of these girls have ever run in a state championship."
But that doesn't mean they don't expect a strong showing.
"They're hoping for a top 10 finish, which we think they're capable of," King said.
Junior Caitlin Schultheiss was the Lady Miners' top finisher at the section meet, managing an eighth-place finish in 20:43, despite muddy conditions on the Sierra College section course. Sophomore Randi Fairweather, junior Shannon Lingo and freshman Maya Bernadett took 12th, 13th and 14th places, respectively.
Those four will be joined by juniors Shannon Buckley, Maddie Sheffield and Melissa Cissney, along with senior Jenna Campis and sophomore Lucie McKirdy on Saturday.
"Sara has prepared the girls very well and I think they will run well at the state meet," King said. "It can be intimidating to run at the state meet, but one thing we try to do as coaches is to get them to buy into the 'business as usual' approach.
"We try to treat it like any other race, which is difficult to do because it is the state championship. But with all the work and miles they've put in since the middle of June, they can't really afford to go down there and be in awe."
And, King said, the Miners shouldn't be.
"They've trained incredibly hard," he said. "I couldn't be more pleased or proud of what they've done this year. I know they've put in the time and have done the work. The race will speak for itself.
