In a whirlwind of determination and grit, the boy’s cross-country team pioneered their way to an unforgettable season that has now come to an end. For the first time in 31 years, Millikan was able to come in first place in Moore League.
Previously, the boy’s cross country team has been known to come in second to Poly High School. In the finals on Nov. 2, 2023, at Heartwell Park, they were able to win in all levels and individual races. Brandon Hinojosa won for Frosh, Lucas Crockett for Junior Varsity, and Jason Parra came in first place for Varsity, changing the record books for Moore League Cross Country Finals.
QUEST junior, Jack Brown feels very good about how his team did this season. “Our main focus this year was getting to state and pushing ourselves as far as we could, knowing that we were making history,” said Brown.
Mr. Ramirez, the boy’s cross country coach and Millikan Spanish teacher, feels that the driving force behind their victory was the hard work and dedication at practice.
“We don’t really take many breaks, we run all summer, during the holiday break we meet at least five times, and we also meet on Saturdays,” said Coach Ramirez.
Now that their Moore League is over, Millikan’s varsity cross country team moved forward in CIF and made it to the finals which took place on Saturday, Nov. 25 where they were eliminated by just a few points. The San Clemente High School team was the Division One champions.
Although Millikan’s team did not make it to state, Jason Parra, senior in QUEST, won his individual race with a time of 14:57 in the three-mile. He competed in the Nike Cross Nationals which took place on Dec. 2, 2023, where he placed eighth out of 201 students nationwide.
After this amazing season, Coach Ramirez has a lot of faith in his boys and believes they will have many winning seasons to come. This is only his fifth season as coach of the boy’s cross country and he has seen a lot of potential in his boys within the last few years.
“From now on I expect a few more years of success in the league,” said Ramirez. The Rams are rooting for you boys so keep up the good work and we look forward to seeing what you boys will do in the following years.
Kevin Perez • Jan 10, 2024 at 10:33 am
On December 7, 2023, Arianna Garcia wrote an article titled “31 Years in the Making: Boys Cross Country Makes History”. In this outstanding article, the flow of how she presented her ideas was amazing and I felt really informed about the school’s cross country team. This article’s tone was very exciting and joyful, demonstrating all the victories and accomplishments this team did in their season. I felt this article allowed me to be more connected with the school and be more aware of what has been happening throughout this school year.
When I first read the title I was surprised to see how important this year was for the Boy’s Cross Country Team since they haven’t won it in 31 years and being able to accomplish it must’ve brought relief to the whole team. Hopefully, the championship streak will continue and the team will bring back another championship next year and maybe even go farther in CIF. Once again this was a well-written article and you did a great job!
Dayanara Zamora • Jan 10, 2024 at 10:02 am
This article was finally made for the boys’ cross country team for winning Moore League. As it says in the title they finally made history since 1992, which is a big accomplishment for the coach and the runners. This win made the coach proud of the runners for their hard work of practicing every day and taking the time to practice during school breaks. “We don’t really take many breaks, we run all summer, during the holiday break we meet at least five times, and we also meet on Saturdays,” said Coach Ramirez. This quote shows overall how truly the team deserved the win and it shows how hard work pays off. A suggestion I have is to interview the other runners in the teams and to give them more questions about how practicing every day made it a better reach to win or do they think practicing every day didn’t really matter.
Samantha Pemari Macanlalay • Dec 22, 2023 at 12:13 pm
Garcia wrote an inspiring and uplifting article about the success of Millikan’s Boy’s Cross Country team. She gives her audience details which allow them to feel communal success for our school. Her inclusion of Millikan’s defeat of Poly in the Moore League Finals exemplifies the great feats Millikan athletes can accomplish against a team that they most frequently second. Garcia provided statements both from the team’s coach and a member of the team to show how their achievements were well earned through immense efforts during practices. Garcia also includes the team’s accomplishments in CIF to give hope that their next season will be even better. Garcia’s article was very informative on the athletic wellness of our school. Her usage of words like “determination and grit” illustrates how hardworking the team is and proves that their success this season was well deserved. Garcia’s article title highlights the years that the Millikan Boys Cross Country team has been around as well as underlines the strength in their capabilities. Overall, this article successfully elevates school spirit.
Benjamin Cholico • Dec 22, 2023 at 12:11 pm
On December 7, 2023, Arianna Garcia wrote an article titled “ 31 Years in the Making: Boy’s Cross Country Makes History”. Ms. Garcia wrote that for the first time in 31 years, Millikan Boy’s cross country placed first in Moore League. This is a huge accomplishment for not only the boys, but Millikan as well because of our former weak cross country team. Placing first in Moore League signifies the growth of our team, coaches, and program throughout the years. Ms. Garcia uses selective word choice and phrases such as “whirlwind” that give the reader the impression that the article is full of praise not only for the team, but for the coaching and staff as well. She then gives background information of our formal struggling program in the past and it shows how much we’ve grown as a school and program entirely.
Sincerely,
Benjamin Cholico
Cameron Floyd • Dec 22, 2023 at 12:10 pm
December 22, 2023
Dear Corydon Editor,
On December 22, 2023, Arianna Garcia wrote an article titled “31 Year in the Making: Boy Cross Country Makes History”. Garcia’s article scrupulously investigates the historical victory against Poly High School in Boy’s Cross Country on all three levels. Garica achieves this conciseness by obtaining primary sources from members of the Cross Country team and by their coach. Additionally, Garcia displays a hopeful outlook on the future of Millikan’s Cross Country team concluding her article with a positive message on the success she envisioned in the coming years. Although the article is thorough in its coverage of the sport, the article is not overly complex and provides comprehensive insight into the sport. Furthermore, Garcia adds on the success the Cross Country team had in CIF, to highlight the significance of the season to the sports teams history. Overall, the article is extremely informative and I look forward to seeing other articles crafted by this author in the coming future.
Sincerely,
Cameron Floyd
Caden Bui • Dec 22, 2023 at 12:06 pm
Dear Corydon Editor,
On December 7, 2023 Arianna Garcia wrote an article titled “31 years in the making: Boys Cross Country makes History”, which highlights the rams successful season as they finished in first place for the first time in 31 years as well as spotlighting Jason Parra and his success during the season and in the Nike Cross Nationals. Garcia details Millikan’s final race of the season at heartwell park where all three levels finished in first place boosting them to first place in moore league. She does a good job getting interviews from Jack Brown and Coach Ramierez who stated that they were focused on getting to state and doing the best that they could, and that they took very little time off as they practice during holidays and over the summer. She follows the teams path after they finish moore league and includes how they did in CIF where they were eliminated in the finals, falling just short of San Clemente High school. She then highlights Jason Parra’s success as he ran 14:57 for three miles and then on December 2nd, he competed in the Nike Cross National, placing eighth out of 201 other racers. She finishes the article with more from her interview with Coach Ramirez as he states that he sees a lot of potential in the team and expects a lot of success.
Sincerely,
Caden Bui
Jacob Binder • Dec 22, 2023 at 10:57 am
This article highlights the highs of the historical boys cross country season just as it is supposed to. The information stated is straight forward and Garcia gets to the point in no time. The multiple interviews in this article is a nice touch and adds a perspective from a runner and a coach. Jack Brown talks about how the team acknowledged throughout the season about their historic run, which gives a good insight into the teams thought process and goals for the season. Coach Ramirez also gives us more information about how the boys work during the season and throughout the off-season. He states that the guys practice all the time, season or not. This adds on to the reason why they are experiencing more success and is a great addition to the article. Along with this, the article goes through sequences of events in chronological order very well, starting with Moore League Finals on Nov. 2 and ending with the last XC race of the season Dec. 2. Overall, this essay has all the positive components that article needs along with the extra touches that make it engaging to read.
Diego Castilo • Dec 22, 2023 at 9:39 am
On December 7, 2023, Arianna Garcia wrote the article “31 Years in the Making: Boys Cross Country Makes History”, and the article accomplishes its intended purpose of highlighting the hard work the team puts in and the results they achieved. The interview of the coach, as well as a member of the Varsity team better allows the reader to gain a better understanding of the work that this Cross Country team puts in week in, week out. As Coach Ramirez said, they hardly take breaks and the results are there to show for it. The article is well written and has a chronology that is simple and easy to follow. The word choice also is helpful in illustrating the magnitude of this achievement for the team. Some other valuable information could be added, though, including race times for the runners at Moore League finals or the names of the runners on Varsity who made history. Overall, a well written article allows the readers to become informed on Millikan’s historic 2023 Cross Country Team.