Soaring start: Horizon Hawks boys cross country team wins three straight to begin 2024 season

Following a historic finish to the 2023 season for the Horizon High boys cross country team — the Hawks finished 16th at the FHSAA Class 3A state championship meet, and now-junior Jacob Finch set a new school record — it was hard to imagine that the 2024 version of the Hawks could have done anything to sneak up on its competition.

Still, even after Horizon made the jump to Class 4A, the Hawks managed to start the 2024 season in surprising fashion.

To get ready for the regular season, Horizon participated in the second annual FCA XC Preseason Invitational at Southern Hill Farms. With three top-seven finishers and each member of its scoring five finishing inside the top 18, the Hawks won the meet by 18 points. 

At the second warm-up event — the Ocoee High School XC Invitational — without freshman sensation Maleik Lewis, the Hawks won again, narrowly topping Windermere High by three points. 

And at its third and most recent event, Saturday, Sept. 7, the 49th Mount Dora Cross Country Invitational, the Hawks won its third consecutive meet in dominant fashion. Each of their scoring five finished in the top 11, with Lewis and Finch leading the entire pack with a one-two finish. Horizon beat second-place Tavares High by 62 points. 

No secret to Hawks’ flying start

Cross country isn’t a sport where strategy or gimmicks take precedence over old-fashioned hard work and dedication.

“I’d say it just comes down to their consistency in training and conditioning over the summer and, most of all, how they’ve grown when it comes to the mental aspect of our program,” Horizon coach Anthony Barnes said of his team’s secret to this stellar start. “They’re believing in our process that focuses on the idea that our growth, as a team and individually, builds upon what we did previously.”

Barnes’ process says the more work you put in today, the better you’ll be tomorrow. His runners are starting to see that progress and credit the team’s hot start to what their coach is implementing in training. 

“A lot has to do with our training; it’s easy to see how it’s helped us improve our speed, endurance and mentality,” Hawks senior runner Girmay Buck said. “What coach Barnes has developed in training is really versatile and his program allows us to gain confidence because his consistency allows us to see our progress.”

Buck points to the two-mile repeat workout every Monday as an example of Barnes’ program that’s helped him develop.

“We do it every Monday, and as we’ve gone through last season and this offseason, we’ve seen our times getting faster and faster,” Buck said. “So, much of long-distance running is mental. So for us to see each Monday that the training we do the other days is producing results and that we are improving, it really helps us grow mentally. It gives us confidence because that progression is right there in front of you every Monday.” 

Fun running

Beyond the training methods Barnes employs, the energy and chemistry the boys have among one another is what Finch points to as one of the biggest reasons for the team’s early success. 

“Pretty much all summer, we all just really bonded,” Finch said. “After we would have practice most every day in the mornings, we would also spend time with (one another) — whether it be going to Chick-fil-A for lunch or going over to (one another’s houses), we’ve all developed great relationships outside of cross country. … Because of that, when we’re running together, we’re able to push (one another) at practice and try to get the most out of (one another). Running with your teammate, to me, is a lot more helpful than running against an opponent, because when they’re next to you they can motivate you and give you encouragement. That to me is really helpful. Ultimately, they know what you’re capable of exactly because they’ve been through what you’ve been through.”

Lewis has taken advantage of the older runners’ willingness to push one another to improve.

“As a team, (we) do a really good job of all helping push (one another) to make sure we can better our times,” he said. “When it comes to learning from guys like Jacob or Girmay, I’m just trying to stay with them to make sure that I see what they’re doing to prepare, what they’re doing in practice so that I can learn more to improve with them.”

The combination of the Hawks’ mental development and team chemistry is something Barnes thinks will bode well for the group as the season progresses.

“This is the most important thing: They want to win state,” Barnes said. “That’s the goal they’ve put onto themselves, and Jacob, in particular … wants really to lead the team to that. My experience tells me it doesn’t really matter what I as the coach want for them. What matters is what they really want to accomplish, coaches can only do so much. We can’t run the race for the kids.

“This past race at Mount Dora is the perfect example of what I want from them,” he said. “They embraced the moment; they embraced the tough and hilly course. What I’m trying to get them to realize is that we’re not running eight laps around a track. Every race is its own individual race, and you have to run the race on that course and embrace it. This group of boys have really taken that to heart, and us finishing with five guys in the top 11 in Mount Dora is an example of that.”