A Hollywood Ending
by
Mark Jimenez
This story starts on November 2, 2019 at Veteran’s Memorial Park in Boulder City, NV.
On a bright day five sophomore girls from Shadow Ridge High School ran past their expectations in the 4A Mountain Region Championship Race to finish 3rd, qualifying for the state meet in Reno.
Back then there was no 5A division. Las Vegas was cut in half along Sahara, with schools North of Sahara being in the 4A Mountain Division and schools South of Sahara being in the 4A Desert Division. The top three from each division would go on to the state championship race.
If anybody has asked me on that day if we would qualify for state I would have said, “I think we’re a year away.” But as Ellie Reese, Bella Stosich, Sofia Day, and Alexis Abney crossed the finish line I realized we had a shot.
The course at Veteran’s Memorial Park ends with a tiny little hill followed by about 80m of grass to the finish line. You don’t see the runners until their heads pop up coming up that hill. One of my favorite memories is seeing little Liz Ferre’s head pop up coming up the hill and racing to the finish. The girls ran out of their minds and placed 3rd in the region, qualifying for the state meet in Reno.
They didn’t win state that year, but the groundwork was there. We were so excited for the 2020 season. We returned everybody on the girls team, and in 2020 the state meet was in Boulder City, we wouldn’t have to make the bus ride to Reno. The future was bright!
We all know what happened in 2020. Covid hit, we thought we might get a season by the time fall 2020 came around. We started summer practice. It lasted about a week before CCSD called it off. There would be no Cross Country season in 2020. Red Rock Running Company did put together a winter Cross Country club season, and the girls won the Championship race of that series. Still, it’s just not the same.
I’ve written about the 2021 season. What a great year! Our boys team had Dennis Speaks and Ryan Watts. We had Ethan Hughes, Ryan Stevens, and a couple of goofy freshmen named Carson Wetzel and Landon Larsen. They finished 4th at the state meet that year!
The girls team won every single race in NV. They dominated. By this time Bella, Alexis, Ellie, and Liz were seniors. They were joined by Leah Okuda, who would go on to become an 800m state champion in track. They won the regional race with 41 points.
Then came the bus ride to Reno.
CCSD puts our schools at a disadvantage. The NIAA doesn’t make us ride buses to Reno. CCSD does that. The NIAA doesn’t make us stay at the Circus Circus in Reno, CCSD does that. When the teams from Reno come to Vegas they can drive with their families, they aren’t mandated to take a bus ride for 8 hours, sleep in an uncomfortable bed, and race the next day.
If you’ve never rode a bus for 8+ hours and raced the next day, I challenge you to say it doesn’t have an effect.
The girls placed 2nd at state. I’ll never forget the heartache of that day. The sadness, the sense of lost expectation. The sorrow of a season lost in 2020 and the knowledge that this group of ladies wouldn’t race a cross country race together again. I don’t want to revisit that memory too often, as a coach it hurts. I will always look back and wonder if I could have done something different the week before to change the result of that race.
Sidebar - one of the things I love about coaching with Coach Flynn is that we take this philosophy: The kids win the race, but the coaches lose the race. When a loss happens, it’s on us. When a win happens, the kids celebrate while we watch from the sidelines with smiles, watching them make their memories.
2022 was an interesting year. I’ve written about that as well. On the boys side, Faith Lutheran dominated the competition all year. Shadow Ridge squeaked out a victory against Faith in the Coaches’ Invitational late in the year, and we began to think we might have a shot. Faith Lutheran beat us at the regional meet, but at the state meet the Shadow Ridge boys eeked out a 1 point victory for their first ever state title.
2023 - odd years aren’t kind to Shadow Ridge. It was a mirror of the girls 2021 season except on the boys side. The boys returned so many runners, and Justin Rawe joined the team after moving from California. Again the boys dominated the competition, just like the girls in 2021. Again we faced a bus ride to Reno. After the regional meet, a Shadow Ridge victory, one of the boys talked about some ankle pain. We rested him, knowing that the hay was in the barn. He declared himself good to go for the state meet and we ran him. Unfortunately what we didn’t know was that he had a stress fracture. He finished the race that day, which is an amazing accomplishment.
It’s not his fault. We had a great team and we had so many opportunities to step up from other runners to win the race. Carson and Justin both medaled, finishing in the top 7, but the team fell short, finishing 2nd. Another 2nd place finish in Reno. More heartache. More soul searching.
More wondering what I could have done better to change the ending of this story.
At the banquet that season, I joked with the legend Leah Okuda, now running for UNLV, that the girls would win state without her next year. “The boys won state the year after Dennis graduated. The girls will probably win state next year now that you are graduating.”
We both laughed. One of my biggest regrets is that we couldn’t get Leah that Cross Country State Championship ring. I’m so glad she got one for track!
2024
In order to have a successful Cross Country program you absolutely have to train during the summer. For anybody who thinks coaching Cross Country will be easy and that you don’t have to train in the summer, you’re doing your kids a huge disservice. You need that base training in the summer. That means goodbye to summer trips. That means waking up early to beat the heat. That means dedication. Successful cross country programs sacrifice so much in the summer, and kudos to all the kids and coaches who make the sacrifice every year.
The hard work pays off at the first meet of the season. For Shadow Ridge, that’s the Red Rock Running Company Invitational. The boys and girls won their races that night, and then the fun for the coaches begin. That’s when you go to athletic.net and start looking at the times from other schools and comparing them to your times. In cross country, you know very early on who your competition is and where you stand. Every time you race you get a picture of where your team stands compared to all the other teams in NV, and even the country.
Side bar to coaching. I’ve taught for 23 years, ending my teaching career in Spring 2022. I’ve been a dissertation advisor for a university. I’ve been on the leadership team at a startup in Silicon Valley. I own a small business that has grown incredibly over the years. All this to say that I’ve worked with a lot of different people, adults and students, and a lot of different personalities. I have never found somebody so easy to work with as I have with Coach Flynn. He is the yin to my yang. We have never, not once, argued with each other in anger. We have discussed differences (and there weren’t many) civilly and logically. Together we are better than we are individually.
We were lucky enough to be joined the last two years by Coach Ferre. It’s been great to coach with them.
This story ends on November 2, 2024 at Veteran’s Memorial Park in Boulder City, NV.
Five years to the day after it started.
The boys and girls both won their 5A Regional Race and came into the state meet as the favorites. The big questions of the day would be 1) how would the Reno teams perform, and 2) how would the kids perform. We knew we faced competition from Galena and Carson on the girls side and Spanish Springs and Carson on the boys side.
As a coach, I preached business as usual leading up to the race. I didn’t want the kids to pick up on any anxiety I might be having. “You know how to run,” I told them, “this is just another race!”
Inside I was filled with anxiety. I didn’t sleep much the week before the race.
Las Vegas weather is crazy. It was 85 degrees the day of the regional meet. One week later for state the low was 39 and the high was 60. When the weather changes that fast people get sick.
During some shakeout 800s on Tuesday Landon sounded like he couldn’t breathe. I pulled him off.
“What’s going on?”
Turns out he was sick and on antibiotics. I told him he didn’t need to finish the 800s. “The hay is in the barn!” I told him (one of my favorite phrases this time of year). “Just focus on getting healthy.”
On Thursday I got a text from Elynn’s dad. “Elynn isn’t feeling good. She’ll miss practice and we’re taking her to the doctor.”
Something was going around, as it happens when kids go to school and practice together. And our whole team seemed to have the bug.
On Friday before the race I gave my last bit of advice.
“Something is going to go wrong tomorrow. Count on it! Somebody will have a bad day. That’s just racing. So who is going to step up when you see somebody on your team is having a bad day? This is a team sport, and you have to fight for your team.”
I had no idea how true those words would be.
The day before the race I was still awake at 1:30am with my alarm set for 3:00am so I could get a run in before I headed to Boulder City. My cat jumped on me and decided it was time for attention. I think I finally dozed off around 2:30am.
The girls ran first, followed immediately by the boys. I gave the boys their race instructions and told them to get their warm up and drills in. The coaches will be to the starting line about 5 minutes before the race starts, I told them. We had to watch the girls finish then we'd be over.
Logan from Finished Results NV had a great setup at the meet. Gone are the days of waiting for printed results to be posted to see how your team did. We had live scores every mile.
The girls race started! The way the course is set up, you get to see the kids about 4 times before you have to run off to the finish line to watch the finish. The girls were in good shape. There was a lead back with 3 girls from Reno (the favorites of the day) followed by Gabby from Bishop Gorman and Ellyn and Ryen from Shadow. After the girls crossed the 1 mile mark Shadow had a 13 point lead over Galena.
“The two mile mark will give us a much better indication,” I said to Coach Martinez from Centennial, who was standing next to me at the time.
At the two mile mark the three girls from up north had opened a lead on the chase pack. I figured that would happen, but Shadow still had a 12 point lead at the two mile mark. When I saw the girls for the third time they were looking good. Elynn and Ryen were running together. Ava was making her move like she always does in the 2nd half of the race.
They ran around the ponds and started coming down the hill.
Ryen and Elynn were running together, tied for 5th and 6th and chasing Gabby for 4th place.
“Let’s go ladies!” I yelled, “only 600 meters to go.”
That’s when Ryen’s eyes went as wide as I’ve ever seen them.
“Oh crap,” I thought.
Ryen didn’t finish the state meet in Reno in 2023. She passed out. Ryen always gives everything she has, and when I saw those eyes go wide I thought she was going down and wasn’t going to finish.
Off to the finish line I went to see the finish.
The 2021 Shadow Ridge girls team had Bella Stosich, Alexis Abney, and Kennedy and Leah Okuda. They were 2nd at the state meet, behind Galena.
The 2024 Shadow Ridge girls team had Ava Stosich, Savannah and Mandi Abney, and Elynn Okuda.
Lots of familiar names there. The younger siblings carried the torch.
Back to the race. The lead pack finished, Kambri from Spanish Springs narrowly beating Eleanor from Galena. Gioia from Galena finished 3rd, already putting two Galena runners finishing. But we knew this would happen.
Then Elynn’s head popped up. Shadow had our first finisher, 5th. Then other runners started to come, and Ryen wasn’t among them.
She was right next to Elynn 600 meters ago.
Then Ava came, finishing 8th.
“Oh crap,” I thought again. “Ryen went down somewhere.”
“Where’s Ryen?” I started to yell at nobody in particular.
Then I saw her. She was coming up the hill behind runners.
If you’ve never seen somebody with spaghetti legs finishing a race, it will scare you the first time. It literally looks like your legs have no bones, like they are strands of wet spaghetti noodles holding your body up. I’ve seen marathoners have this many times, and it’s crazy. I’ve seen people lose bladder and bowel control. You have nothing left in your body.
Ryen wobbled to the finish with everybody screaming for her.
She collapsed right in front of the finish line.
If somebody assists her she’s disqualified.
She starts to crawl, slowly, agonizingly, towards the finish.
She crosses, 10th place, our 3rd finisher.
Savannah Abney came in for 4th. Now it was down to our 5th runner.
In cross country, 7 people run and the top 5 score. The tie breaker, if necessary, is the 6th runner.
Senior Ashley Cottino and Sophomore Mandi Abney had been going back and forth as our #5 all year. I pulled Ashley aside earlier in the week and showed her the time she ran at the regional race in 2023 compared to the time she ran at the regional race in 2024.
“We need you to be more like 2023 on Saturday,” I told her earlier in the week.
Ashley as a freshmen when that great 2021 team took 2nd place. I often talked to her about looking back at that team and how fast they seemed, and how she was now posting times better than some of them. Ashley has had a fantastic cross country and track career. She was part of the 4x800 meter relay team that smashed the school record at the state meet but fell hundredths of a second short of a state title.
Before the season started Ashley said, “I just want to get a state ring!”
At the start line I pulled her aside and said, “Ashley, go get your ring.”
So while we waited for our #5 to come in it was an amazing feeling to see Ashley’s head pop up in the hill and charge in to the finish.
Ashley Cottino - 43 seconds faster than last week.
Ashley Cottino - her best time on this course by far.
Ashley Cottino - senior leader on the team, running with heart, running all out.
Ashley Cottino - scoring at the state meet.
I looked at my phone for the updated scores. Shadow Ridge was in first place. The scores always adjust as more runners come across, and the lead changed to 6 and then 8. It was moving in the right direction. When the scores finally settled, Shadow Ridge had their first girls state championship in cross country, beating Galena by 9 points.
Ashley Cottino - state champion.
Off I ran to the start line to get the boys started. Along the way I almost broke down in tears. The emotion was too much. I was so happy for the ladies, but I also knew I had to be calm for the boys.
Shadow Ridge had the opportunity to be the first team in 5A to win boys and girls the same year.
I gave a few last words of advice. I reminded the seniors it was their last race in a cross country uniform. I told them how proud I was of them, and I reminded them that they had to fight for each other.
The race started. Coming up the hill the team looked good. Justin and Carson were in the lead pack with Kenan Dagge from Desert Oasis and some kids from up North. They ran around the pond and went down the hill towards the mile mark. They were together in a pack, with Carson right behind Kenan.
“Can Carson beat Kenan?” Somebody around me asked.
Carson Wetzel.
It took me 2 years to understand Carson, and that’s on me. I taught high school for 23 years and I thought I was a pretty good teacher for most of it. I got along with the kids and never had discipline problems.
Carson was a tough nut to crack. His freshman year he’d often be off by himself. He was the best freshmen cross country runner Shadow had ever had. He’d never be too excited or too upset. In short, he was a goofy high school freshman.
His sophomore year I remember him lining up for the state race and I asked him how he was feeling. He gave a very nonchalant answer and then went out and ran an amazing race, helping his team win a state championship.
It was his junior year that I really got to know him, and I’m glad I did. Carson wants to win. His track and cross country resume is so impressive. Look at what the teams have done with him on them.
Cross Country
9th grade - 4th
10th grade - 1st
11th grade - 2nd
12th grade - 1st
Track
10th grade - 1st
11th grade - 1st
12th grade - TBD
Carson is fast, and Carson likes to be first. I love having Carson on the team, and even more I’ve loved getting to know him these last two years. Some college is going to be lucky to have him.
When Carson and I showed up wearing the same hoodie today, I took this selfie with him. It will be one of my favorites for years to come.
Can Carson beat Kenan?
Yes, I thought to myself. And he has beat Kenan before, in track and cross country. But not on this day. Kenan was next level. Kenan ran what was probably the most impressive cross country race in NV history, running 15:28.3 on this course. The course in Boulder City is hard. It wasn’t long ago that if you ran a 17:10 on that course you had a great day. Nobody had ever gone under 16 on it until last week, when Kenan did with a 15:54.3. Kenan blew that out of the water for the state title.
Carson ran 15:55 on the day, finishing the race in 2nd place. On any other day in history everybody would be talking about what an amazing run Carson had. Unfortunately he had it on the day Kenan ran out of his mind. So I’d like to take some time to recognize Carson and his amazing Cross Country career.
At the first mile Shadow Ridge was in first place with 36 points. You’d think I’d be happy, especially since 2nd place was 108 points.
Nope.
“Uh oh,” I thought. “The boys went out too fast.”
It’s also possible that with the large pack the boys were in that some tags weren’t read.
In any case, now I had to wait until the two mile times popped up.
Kenan turned in on and opened a 20 second lead at the 2 mile mark. Then Carson crossed. The scores started coming but Justin, who was looking good in 3rd place the last time I saw him, wasn’t there. His score didn’t show at the two mile mark. Shadow Ridge now had a 9 point lead over Galena at 2 miles, but something was wrong.
The week before the regional meet Justin had told me his shins hurt. This quickly turned into a valley wide rumor that he had a stress fracture. It’s funny how rumors spread. We rested him and he ran a great regional meet, finishing 3rd on the day.
Justin has been a great addition to the team since he moved here before his junior year. He has given Carson somebody to run with and pace with, and he’s a natural leader. His with ethic is 2nd to none. He is so coachable.
And I was so scared that he dropped out of the race.
Kenan came up the hill first. Then Carson. Then I saw Justin and relaxed a little. The tag just didn’t read.
Justin was in a footrace with Peyton Miller from Spanish Springs with 600m to go.
“Trust you kick” I yelled to him as he went by.
Justin finished 3rd beating Peyton by about 3 seconds.
Landon Larsen came up the hill further behind than he would have been on any other day, but that’s ok, he had been sick.
Landon has got to be one of the goofiest kids I’ve ever known, and I absolutely love it. He says the funniest things at the most random time. He won’t pay attention to me when I give instructions, and then when I say “Landon, what did I just say,” he’ll absolutely make something up.
Landon got the short end of the stick this year. His times absolutely deserve him being first team in the Southern Nevada Track and Cross Country Coaches Association (SNTCCCA) awards team. He has beat many of the kids that made first team, and actually beat them often. But he had the misfortune of being sick for the regional meet, and they put a lot of weight on that meet, so he got 2nd team. I told Landon that the best revenge was being a state champion.
Even if you’re over being sick, being sick takes a lot of energy out of you. I knew Landon wasn’t going to be a top 7 finisher on the day, and if he were healthy I have no doubt he would have been. So I told him to just run his race and FINISH THE RACE.
When I saw Landon with 600m to go he looked like he was hurting, having trouble breathing. “Just finish the race!” I said to him.
We were good enough that we didn’t need him to be top 7 in the race, we just needed him to be top 20.
Landon finished 14th.
Cannon and Dylan had been going back and forth as our 4 and 5 all season. Dylan, a freshman on our 2022 state championship team, was after his 2nd ring. Now a junior, he ran out of his mind at the regional race. He ran another amazing race at the state meet, finishing 4th for Shadow and 23rd overall. He immediately collapsed after crossing the line and rolled out of the way. He was taken to the trainer.
Then the wait was on. To make matters worse, sometime after mile 2 the live scores stopped working. Nobody saw anything, so we were waiting.
The last time I saw Cannon he was close behind Dylan. Coming up the hill he had Dylan in sight, but after the pond Cannon had fallen back.
Once again I was at the finish line waiting. Once again I wondered where one of our runners was. Runners kept coming and Cannon wasn’t there. Ten runners go by. Fifteen runners go by. Then Connor Heaton’s head pops up.
Connor Heaton! Who you wouldn’t know was in the room because he’s so quiet. Connor Heaton, who has probably said 7 words that I’ve heard all season long. Connor Heaton, charging to the finish line with a look of determination on his face that I’ve never seen before. Connor Heaton, who usually runs 6th for us but knew he was in a scoring position and had to score.
Connor Heaton crossing the finish line.
Then we waited. Where was Cannon?
What was the team score?
While we waited for the scores to pop up we saw Cannon wobbling up the hill. His legs were bloody. We found out later he had fallen 3 times. Spaghetti legs again. Like I said, something is going around and I’ll bet he was fighting off an illness and running at the same time.
In a heartfelt moment, his brother Dax passed him on the straightaway. I can only imagine how hard it must have been for Dax to pass his brother and not offer assistance as he went by. If you assist another runner you’re both disqualified. Dax finished, then Cannon crossed and collapsed.
Then finally, the scores came up. Shadow Ridge had won by 4 points.
It speaks volumes that our teams won both races despite so much adversity on the day. I’m so proud of these kids for persevering and pushing through. I’m so happy for them.
I hope this experience lives with them always. Running is a metaphor for life. It is the truest sport, you get out what you put in. You can’t fake running.
Thank you to all the parents for trusting Coach Flynn, Coach Ferre, and me. Thank you to the kids for working so hard.
Thank you to all the other coaches and runners in the Southern Region. It’s been a joy working with you and watching all of you do amazing things.
Thank you to my wife KJ, for supporting me every step of the way.
Thank you to Kory and Paul from the SNTCCCA for taking the Athlete’s Village and running with it, making Red Rock Running Company look good.
Running changes things. Give it a shot, you won’t regret it. It’s hard for the first few weeks, but if you can push through then you’ll find something that will change you forever.
*******
Every run is a good run.