Senior hopes to guide team to CCS; Faulk leading the way for
Lady Acorns
MORGAN HILL — Live Oak senior Adam Groen spent the last 2 1/2 months working 80 hours a week at a pack station in Kennedy Meadows, a campground located 57 miles east of Sonora.
Groen loaded city folk onto pack mules and guided them into the wilderness on camping and fly-fishing trips at about 7,000 feet above sea level. Groen even cooked.
For an outdoors enthusiast and long-distance runner, it was the perfect summer job.
“I called that my blood doping because of the elevation,” Groen said Tuesday at Live Oak High School. “I would have loved to have gotten some running in up there if I had time.”
Groen is still at an advantage going into what he thinks will be a solid final season of cross country. Groen fulfilled his career goal of qualifying for the Central Coast Section championship meet in 2009 and is on pace do the same this fall.
The Acorns captain is more excited at the possibility of doing so with his team.
“That was the only thing that was missing last year,” Groen said. “It’d be great to have more of us go this time, see some more green and gold out there. That could definitely happen if we work hard enough.”
The LOHS boys will have that opportunity at the Nov. 1 Blossom Valley Athletic League Finals. Until then, they should mop up the West Valley Division thanks to their largest roster in a decade — 21 runners, including several who were key members of talented teams at Britton and Martin Murphy middle school a year ago.
Live Oak had barely enough boys for a team in 2009.
“We were begging for people to be out here,” third-year coach Tom Sumpter said. “Then, all of a sudden, a whole bunch of freshmen come out. I was like, ‘Oh my gosh.’
“We have 13 freshmen out here, which is amazing.”
One of them, Kalum Bergstrom, is giving Groen a good push for the team’s top spot.
“I can see him making it up there this year. Kalum’s a very determined runner,” Groen said. “He kind of makes sure I’m always on pace and pushing myself. He’s not afraid to do his best at practice.”
Ben Hopwood is another up-and-comer who has looked good at practice. He, Bergstrom and veteran sophomore Eddie Plascencia will likely round out Live Oak’s top finishers at meets behind Groen, who has a fair shot of winning a West Valley individual title.
Groen is doing all he can to help himself and the team. He focused most of his offseason training on hills and long flats to be better prepared for the BVAL meet at Crystal Springs.
The CCS championships are scheduled to be held Nov. 13 at Toro County Park, another undulating course.
“Adam is much more focused this year. He’s eager to improve and give this team the best chance to score high at meets,” Sumpter said. “When he was a sophomore, he ran a marathon in the middle of training — that wrecked him for a month. Now he’s more focused, more of a leader.”
Assistant coach Justin Miyakusu, a LOHS graduate who was part of the Live Oak boys’ last CCS-qualifying team in 2006, wants the group to bond in time for its first meet, the Sept. 18 Chieftain Classic at Toro Park.
“We were really tight-knit when I was here. That was a huge strength,” Miyakusu said. “That helped us use the talent we had to go the distance.
“This group can do that if the guys train up. It helps that they’ve set high goals.”
The Live Oak girls team is much smaller than in years past with seven on the roster.
Chelsie Faulk is on a clear path to her fourth CCS berth. She put in five days of training per week this summer, following a strong track and field season.
“I do track to train for cross country. I get tired of running in a circle,” Faulk said. “We might not be able to make it to CCS as a team this year, but I definitely want to make it individually and have a great season.”
Faulk’s main competition at practice has been sophomore newcomer Amber Thomas. Ashlynn Adair, another sophomore who made the varsity team in 2009, will likely hold the No. 3 spot.
“I’m really excited to see how Chelsie and Amber do in that first meet,” Sumpter said. “They’re going to push each other.”
