The California Pintos boys cross country team finished in fifth place at state Nov. 4 in Jefferson City. With that finish, the team had set a new best finish in school history.
The team finished with a total score of 152 points, just two points shy of tying with St. Vincent for fourth place. Lamar finished in first place with 48 points, Fatima was second with 61 points, Stockton was third with 129 points and St. Vincent was fourth with 150 points.
Head Coach Jonathan Lindquist said the team was aware of the fact that they made history at the meet.
"Yes, the team was aware of their accomplishment. But, they were also upset that they missed all-state by two points," Lindquist said.
The team set out to accomplish the goal they had for themselves before the start of the season.
"At the beginning of the year, the goal was to place top five and that is what they did," Lindquist said. "I'm very proud of them. But, of course, they wanted more, because they are competitors."
Heading into the race, Lindquist said he told his team to go out and enjoy themselves and to finish strong.
"The pre-race message was to enjoy the race, reel your opponents in slowly and don't give up your position in the final mile," Lindquist said.
Lindquist said he was very happy with how his team performed at the final race of the year. He was glad to be able to coach the team and was happy with how they ran all year.
"This was an awesome team to coach, and it ended at state, making team history," Lindquist said. "I had a ton of fun with these kids. And, first or last, I wouldn't trade coaching them for anything else."
Jason Crow led the way for the Pintos, as he finished in 46th place out 171 total runners with a time of 18:05.80; Jordan Bondurant finished right behind him in 47th place, with a time of 18:06.70; Caden Kirksey was next for the Pintos, as he finished in 52nd place with a time of 18:13.63, Trevor Porter finished in 64th place, with a time of 18:29.13; Isaac Ash finished in 65th place, with a time of 18:29.75; Colby Sommerer finished in 83rd place, with a time of 18:42.78; and Austin Bolin finished in 140th place, with a time of 19:47.20.
While the team had a great season, Lindquist knows there are ways for the team to get even better next season.
"To improve, the boys need to start running year-round," Lindquist said. "I would like to see them attend running camps and really focus on making cross country a passion."
Following this season's success, the team has its eyes set on an even higher goal.
"I think the boys would tell you that it is all-state or bust, next year," Lindquist said. "They've set the bar high, and I have no reason to believe they won't achieve that goal."
While this season is over, Lindquist hopes his returning runners will decide to run all-year-round, in order to improve next season.
Lindquist said it was too hard to pick a favorite moment from this season, as there were so many good moments.
"We had a ton of fun throughout the entire season, so to name one particular moment would be hard," Lindquist said. "The season, as a whole, was very special."