Last November, the Live Oak High girls cross country team finished in 12th place in the Blossom Valley Athletic League Finals to earn the final spot into the Central Coast Section Championships. It was a splendid moment for the team, something that had not been accomplished in recent memory.
A day after the BVAL Finals, however, the Acorns learned they would not be going to CCS on a technicality. A team in the league finals had violated a rule, which meant only the top 11 teams were headed to CCS. Unfortunately, Live Oak was the squad left out.
“We’re shooting to get back to CCS,” Kiefer said. “I know we lost (standout) Kaylah (Grant), but the girls are wanting to get back. We got bumped out by another team’s rule violation, so the girls still have a burning sensation after being told you’re in one moment and the next day be told you’re out. They have the fire to get back.”
Especially standout sophomore Audrey Reed, who won last week’s league invitational at Montgomery Hill in 18 minutes, 16 seconds, a full minute ahead of the second-place finisher. Reed had a sensational freshman season in 2017, taking third in the CCS Division III Championships to earn a berth to the state meet. Reed is always on the move; for instance, she often goes from cross country practice to club soccer practice on the same day.
“Audrey is very focused,” Kiefer said. “She has that intense focus and desire, and it’s a coach’s dream because it’s something you can’t coach. Her goal is to win CCS and improve on her state finish, which last year was 35th.”
Freshman Abby Paulson was the team’s second finisher at last week’s league meet in what could be a harbinger for the rest of the season.
“She has a lot of potential to put up a lot better times,” Kiefer said.
Returning junior Gillian McCaw, junior Aly Conlan, sophomore Nadia Aboukhadijen, Alyza Figueroa and senior Jenna Watson should be difference-makers at all or some point in the season. Conlan and Watson are coming off ACL tears, and both have unique situations.
Conlan, who also plays basketball and field hockey, wasn’t actually cleared to play field hockey but got the go-ahead to do cross country.
“She was someone who we weren’t expected to get but did, and that helps us,” Kiefer said.
Watson is coming off her second ACL tear since her freshman year, and she was only cleared to race five weeks ago. Watson and Conlan went to the same physical therapist and spent plenty of time rehabbing together, bonding in the process and pushing each other whenever things got tough.
“Rehab is definitely not easy, but it’s nice to have a partner who is going through the same thing you are,” Watson said. “I’m happy Aly is on the team because we bonded a lot over our injuries.”
Live Oak goes into every race with certain objectives, with the ultimate goal to peak at the league championships and earn a spot into the section finals. For the first time since Kiefer took over as the school’s cross country coach, there are more girls in the program than boys.
That reflects well of the girls team and gives it a sense of something special brewing. The Acorns do have a boys standout in Luke Sandberg, a sophomore who finished fourth overall in the opening league meet in a solid time of 17:42, smashing his personal-record by two minutes at Montgomery Hill.
“Luke had a really good summer this year and he’s shocked how much quicker he’s running,” Kiefer said. “He’s someone who was finishing in the middle of the pack of our own team, and now this year he’s leading the pack.”
Watson has already accomplished a lot simply by competing for this year’s team. Watson has the misfortune of suffering two ACL tears—the first on her right knee during the club soccer season in her freshman year and the second on her left knee, also while playing soccer last season—and yet she’s running again with the hopes of having her best season yet. Watson had surgery in February and started jogging in May. Even though Watson had a rough race, she looks forward to getting back on track.
“I’m not there yet, but every race is a new day,” she said.
Kiefer had a general sense of well being after the first league meet, noting the initial race is usually a tough one for a variety of reasons.
“The first one is always the hardest because some kids are not sure what to expect,” he said.
“Some of them are not where they should be at this point of the season, but this gives them a sense of what to anticipate going forward.”
