Oct 9 | By Coach Larry Weber. Each year I honor our seniors by recognizing their accomplishments as a group. I also write a summary of each senior’s story in my blog.  This class is not finished yet! However, here are some of their team and individual accomplishments to date.

Summary of the 2020 Cross-Country Class

The final individual stories of your 2020 Cross-Country Seniors are in the links below! I could not be more proud of this year’s class! Every one of these student-athletes works hard day in and day out in the classroom and on the field.

The purpose of these next couple of paragraphs to recognize the strong leadership of the seniors on the team. As we all know, any major accomplishment is the result of hard work, strong faith, and commitment. These senior leaders displayed all of these traits.

The 2020-2021 senior leaders thus far have led their respective teams to the Sea-Tac League Sportsmanship team of the year awards, six Sea-Tac League Cross-Country Championships, four district cross-country championships, two-second place finishes in the Washington State Championships (first in the 1B Division), the first-ever JPII Washington State School athletic state championship, the first-ever school JPII Washington State Academic Sports Team Championship with the team with the highest statewide GPA, six statewide academic awards from the WIAA, and numerous league, district, and state individual placings along with multiple first-team All Sea-Tac League honors.

I know not everyone desires to compete at the next level in college sports. Some are called to this activity while others are not. This is for each family to decide. However, every one of the senior runners this year is capable of competing at either the NAIA, NCAA Division 3, NCAA Division 2, or NCAA Division 1 level. This is significant because normally only 2-4 % of all high school student-athletes in America reach the collegiate level.

The tangible accomplishments of this group and their teammates are many. Much more importantly, I will remember the great character of this group of student-athletes collectively.

We don’t hear nearly enough about the good things that our youth do in our society any longer nor do we hear the word character much anymore in our culture. These JPII student-athletes put in hundreds of hours of service to others. They supported each other through thick and thin. They became barrier breakers that opened the door for others to follow. And, they displayed strong character in the midst of some challenging storms.

May God bless and keep every one of these seniors in the palm of His hand. May each one of these student-athletes reflect the love of Jesus in all that they do each day, and may they become difference-makers in the lives of others through their service, compassion, and love for their fellow man.

Read more about your 2020 seniors and their stories

Joe O.://www.coachweber.org/Joe-Oczkewicz.html

Mattox M.://www.coachweber.org/Mattox-Marsh.html

Kobe D.://www.coachweber.org/Kobe-Deutscher-1.html

Maggie L.://www.coachweber.org/Maggie-Larson.html

Emeline R.://www.coachweber.org/Emeline-Russell.html

Holley N.://www.coachweber.org/Holley-Nichols.html