The Shiloh Cross Country teams, boys and girls, were lead to state championships with the help of our two coaches: Coach Godfrey and Coach Richards. Last year, the guys finished second in the state tournament by one point, and the girls finished seventh. The team began training this summer in hopes of a state championship. Both coaches pushed their teams through hard practices and meets with the idea of responding from last years shortcomings. All the hard work paid off in the end for both teams.
“The team has been diligent in their effort to focus on their goals both as a team and as individuals and that helped us attain two state championships this year,” said Coach Richards when asked about the cross country teams. Although the girls team is young, they proved their dedication and guts this year. Coach Richards emphasize to the team that what Christ did on Calvary outweighed whatever pain they might experience at Mountain Home State Tournament Course, even though the course would probably be the hardest they would ever experience. The sweetest part about the girls state championship, according to Coach Richards, is that no one predicted the Shiloh girls team to win. With regards to the boys team, Coach Richards said, “(They are) experienced and very focused. The leadership on this team is unmatched.” Coach Richards concluded that she is honored to be a part of such a fantastic program.
With both the boys and the girls team winning state championships, Coach Godfrey was simply impressed. First, he thought both teams responded in a big way from last season. After losing by one point last year, it’s hard to come back from that with victory. The boys team came back and won by a controlling twenty-five points, and the underdog girls team won by 13 points. As far as leadership for the team goes, Coach Godfrey believed that everyone (both boys and girls) did their part in leadership. “Overall the team cohesion was there,” says Coach Godfrey, “The fellowship and prayer all made a big difference.”
When asked about a repeat next year for both boys and girls Coach Godfrey responded, “The guys can probably do that we did this year. The girls will have a target on their back all next year because they were the underdog last year, but now they are on top.” With both teams looking forward to next season, a lot of work will have to be done to get another state title. Overall Godfrey humbly concluded, “I’m just thankful for the opportunity to serve.”
