Carson High’s Sean Thornton competes during the Douglas High class races at Lampe Park in late August.
Photo by Ron Harpin.
Carson High boys cross country set itself a simple goal this fall – to win a regional title.
Last season the Senators were third at the Class 5A North regional meet behind Spanish Springs and Galena, but plenty of offseason work has this year’s squad eyeing the top spot.
The boys last won a regional title in 2018, a few years prior to any of the team’s current members joining the high school ranks.
“This season we are really looking to win regionals,” said junior Sean Thornton. “This season with a few changes on the roster of the Galena team, and our team improving, we are really looking for that regional championship.”
OFFSEASON WORK AND REGION OPPONENTS
After a couple of races, Carson has already scoped out times from the other schools in the region.
It’s not a new strategy for the Senators, who are uniquely aware of the times and other competitors they are trying to track down in any given weekend race.
This season’s varsity roster is made up of Thornton, Sawyer Macy, Alex Miner, Ivan Romeo, Nate Freed, Seth Chalmers and Quinn Kuchnicki.
Carson had four runners finish in the top 20 at last season’s regional meet and Sawyer Macy won the individual title.
Staying healthy will be instrumental for the team’s success.
Macy had his track season cut short due to injury this past spring.
Miner said he broke his hip at the beginning of the summer and has only been ramping up workouts over the past few weeks.
Thornton said he’s dealt with injuries, too, but all three have already posted impressive results this fall.
Building muscle after time off is a process, but the team feels it’s putting in the work to make sure they’ll be ready for the season’s biggest events.
Last weekend, the trio were all top-five at the Nevada Union Invitational.
For a team title, Carson will need the best times it can muster from its top five runners, meaning every individual is important for team success.
“My main goal is to close the gap between the faster runners,” said Romeo.
“I want to go under 17 (minutes) in the 5K,” said Freed. “I’ve been struggling this season with cramps … but I keep pushing myself.”
Chalmers and Kuchnicki said they are also hoping to track down runners who have been ahead of them in the past.
While the team says they are always looking to grow together, there’s still some healthy internal competition.
“Sawyer is a great runner, but I am looking to get some of those records he set,” Thornton said.
Finding commonality between individual goals can be challenging, but with a season-long singular goal as a team, Carson knows its chemistry will be important, too.
“There is not a single person on this team who doesn’t want the others to get better,” Freed said.
Next weekend, Carson will head to the 43rd annual Woodbridge Invitational in Orange County, California to face-off with some of the best runners in the western United States.
They’ve got about six weeks to continue improving before the Class 5A North regional meet at Rancho San Rafael Park in Reno on Oct. 25.
(Carson High’s Nate Freed runs during the 2023 Class 5A North regional cross country meet. Freed and the Senators have their sights set on a regional title in 2024. Carter Eckl / Nevada Appeal)