Billy Wong, Jonathan Kamei, Jesus Atanacio and Orlando Lucero.
Four senior boys who will be the difference between acclaim and
disappointment for the Live Oak High boys cross-country team this
season. Taking aim at berths in the Central Coast Section and State
finals, the quartet of distance runners are hoping to put their
talent together and reach the pinnacle of their sport.
Billy Wong, Jonathan Kamei, Jesus Atanacio and Orlando Lucero.
Four senior boys who will be the difference between acclaim and disappointment for the Live Oak High boys cross-country team this season. Taking aim at berths in the Central Coast Section and State finals, the quartet of distance runners are hoping to put their talent together and reach the pinnacle of their sport.
“I told the guys if we’re going to go to state, this is the year,” Acorn cross-country coach Dean Raymond said. “Two years ago, Salinas had a senior-dominated team and they made CCs and state, and last year Hollister did it. This year, we have four senior boys. It’s our turn.”
Meanwhile, the Acorn girls cross-country team is led by a runner who not only hopes to make it to CCS and state, but expects to do so – junior Cobbie Jones.
All in all, it promises to be an interesting season for the Live Oak cross-country program, which begins competition at the Mandatory Jamboree at Toro Park on Sept. 8. The Acorns, who begin league competition at Hollister-San Benito on Sept. 13, will hope to continue competing through Nov. 13 (the CCS finals at Toro Park) and Nov. 27 (the State Championships at Woodward Park in Fresno).
In many ways, the Live Oak senior boys’ quest for CCS and state began last season, when a disappointing TCAL finals performance left the Acorn team short of its postseason goal. With Wong nursing a sore ankle, and Atanacio running a sub-par race, the Acorn boys fell one point short of advancing to the CCS finals. It was the first time Wong and Atanacio had not advanced to CCS in their high school careers after qualifying with the Live Oak boys team in both their freshman and sophomore seasons.
Only Kamei, in his first cross-country season, moved on to the section finals after qualifying individually.
“It was a painful lesson to learn, that one place here or there makes a big difference,” Raymond said.
This season, that failure could be the straw that stirs the Live Oak boys’ drink. Or not.
Raymond said he has been less than completely pleased with the team’s effort so far in the preseason workouts.
“I get the sense that the seniors want to do well but I haven’t seen it in their actions,” Raymond said. “They need to be more consistent. Missing one or two days a week is devastating to the team. It’s up to them.”
While Wong and Atanacio are a year older and stronger, Kamei has made strides of his own after spending the summer training with the Los Gatos Athletic Association and competing at the Junior Olympics in the 1,500.
And, new addition Lucero, who also runs track and plays soccer, offers a potentially valuable boost.
“He brings a fresh perspective in that it’s all new to him,” Raymond said.
Finally, sophomore Josh Levy will fill the role of the No. 5 runner for the Acorns after just missing a spot on the varsity last season.
(The top five runners for each team score at meets.)
On the girls side, there’s little left for Jones to prove at the local level, although Raymond said he believes she will be motivated by competition at the section and state finals.
Last year, she won a league title, then took third at CCS and finished in the top half of the field at the state finals.
She also made the CCS and state track finals in the 800 last season.
As a freshman at Los Gatos High, Jones made her first visit to the CCS and state finals in both cross-country and track.
After also spending the summer with the LGAA and competing at the Junior Olympics in the 800, Jones is poised for another fine season.
Perhaps Jones’ most important role on the Acorn girls team will be as a mentor to burgeoning talent Lisa Herrera, a junior who returns to cross-country after a two-year absence.
Last season, Jones often ran with the Acorn boys because of the lack of a comparable runner on the girls team but Herrera could help change that.
Herrera, whose father Ignacio is the Live Oak girls tennis coach, played field hockey the last two years. After making the CCS track finals in the 3,200 last year, Herrera said she decided that her future would include running.
“From my freshman year, I dropped my mile time by 30 seconds,” she said. “I thought (running) would take me farther than field hockey. I hope to be doing this for the rest of my life.”
While Jones and Herrera are joined by just three other Acorn runners on the girls team, the duo could end up advancing to the CCS and state finals together, as individuals.
“(Herrera) has a great role model in Cobbie,” Raymond said. “I think she has a shot at state.”
This year, Raymond will be joined by a pair of Live Oak grads as assistant coaches in Kris Mott (Class of 2003) and Daniella King (Class of 2004).
