David Bernauer is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover Shadow Ridge for AZPreps365.com

Shadow Ridge’s boys' cross country team is gearing up to be one of the best in the Valley. A team that lost only one senior from last year’s squad, the Stallions are looking to leave a legacy as the fastest team in school history. Their goal is to improve upon last year’s rank of 15th and improve to a Top 10 team in Arizona.

“We’ve worked hard and are looking forward to placing high at state. We’re looking at third, fourth or fifth,” junior Kaden Passey said. “If we keep working at it, then those are all very real possibilities.”

Added senior Haden Pittson: “We all are super close (as a team) this year, and we give our all into every workout and every race.”

They’ve gotten off on the right foot, placing first at the Chandler Prep Invite. Passey and Pittson led the way with season bests of 16 minutes, 16.8 seconds and 17:04.1 in the 5,000 meters, respectively, according to athletic.net. But it all started with the team's summer work.

“I ran about 660 miles,” Passey said.

Many of the others ran long distances during the offseason, ranging from 400 to 600 miles, according to coach Arrick Nietert. Runners like Passey even took themselves into the White Tank Mountains to run. On September 16, the team got up before 5 a.m. just to train, running in darkness before sunrise.

“Every day, Monday through Saturday, they were out the entire summer, just meeting and running,” Nietert said.

In addition to the physical aspect of training, the Stallions were given Matthew Futterman's "Running to the Edge," which chronicles coaching legend Bob Larsen’s relentless pursuit to find the best training to run as far and fast as possible.

Although the team feels like it can compete with anybody after its long summer, there’s always room for improvement. Each person has individual goals he wants to work on, whether it's getting faster kicks and improving times or getting into a good pack to start a race. 

Consistency, though, is the team’s biggest area for improvement.

“We have embraced ‘Running to the Edge’ this season, which means running hard at a pace you can hold for a decent amount of miles,'' Pittson said. "We grinded out hundreds of miles this summer in the heat, and it has definitely paid off."

Most of the runners also do track and field, which was cut short by the COVID-19 pandemic, so they know just how quickly this season can be taken from them. A lack of a full track season made the team hungrier and more excited to go against the stiff competition they’ll face in cross country.

“As soon as track was cancelled due to Covid, we all slipped into cross country training," Passey said. "We’re very much counting on this season to continue; we are very invested to say the least.”

The Stallions are a team in the truest sense of the word. Nietert has developed elite runners, and the team loves being around each other.

“I happily give our coaches much of the credit (for our success])'' Passey said. "We’re all great friends. The varsity squad gets along great, and we push through each run together. We practice running long, and we practice running fast,and we practice running fast for a long time.”

Added Pittson: “We have amazing coaches who care about everyone on the team. They create such a positive and welcoming environment. I love that the coaches teach us that no matter how fast somebody is, they have an important role to play in the success of the team.”

The feeling is reciprocated.

“It’s been amazing what these kids do,'' Nietert said. "How they adapt and push through things. With the firepower we have this year, I think we can do something great.”