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SEPT 25TH 2026
"GO BOOK IT"
"GO BOOK IT"
Preparing for the unknown.
The Breakers were ready for whatever unfolded Friday at the second MTJAL league meet. We went in knowing that the success from last week might have been a temporary result, given that some teams ran at below full strength. Amplifying the uncertainty was the fact that for many of our Breakers, this would be their first time on Carmel's course. With so much newness hanging thick in the air the week leading up to the showdown, the Breakers were focused on three things: full effort practices, embracing the One Wave mentality, and, hang with me for a minute, the all powerful Japanese U-turn.
Keeping the target on our backs.
After the celebration and excitement of last week's four division win had faded, and the reality of a week's worth of practice was staring down at this team, only two paths lay before them. "How hard do you want to work to keep the target on your backs?" I posed this question to the Breakers at Monday's practice, two days removed from the race, with two different workouts planned based on their answer. One workout would test just how comfortable with being uncomfortable this team really was. The other workout, well, it doesn't even matter what it was. This team, without blinking, chose the hard workout.
What is "One Wave" anyway?
Making his debut on the Varsity Boys team was 7th grader Hunter Pritchard. Hunter passed the mile mark, halfway through the race, about five or six seconds behind 8th grader Noah Travaille. At the turn, I did what every coach does: screamed encouragement and instructions. I told Hunter to latch on to Noah and follow him to the finish. Nothing new or exciting there. But it was what I learned after the race that gave me goosebumps.
Hunter vid.mp4Noah & Hunter at the turn
Hunter caught up to Noah with a little more than half a mile left and latched on. They ran together to the top of the last hill, when Hunter started pulling ahead. He realized it, and looked back to find Noah. He knew he needed to stay together. Noah makes eye contact with Hunter and says "you're faster than me, go book it." Hunter pulled away down the hill and ran a remarkable race, passing five runners on his way to the finish. As a coach, the actions of these two athletes epitomize the very reason I love coaching. The willingness of Hunter to follow instructions blindly and stay with his teammate. And Noah sacrificing the chance to hold on, instead knowing that what mattered most for the team in that moment was to let him go.
I stole "One Wave" from Coach Josh Jorn over at PGHS Lacrosse, because there is no better way to shrink an entire team mentality into just two words. Think of it as our version of the "Believe" sign from Ted Lasso. The meaning can shift, change, and adapt to the moment. It comes from stripping away the idea that you race alone, and believing your actions influence and create new opportunities for others. It shows up when practice shifts to laughter when focus is needed, and someone steps up to push the team back. It walks that slender line between slowing down to pull a teammate along, and knowing when to speed up and leave that teammate behind. One Wave is a lot like the wind. You may not see it, but when you feel it, it is unavoidably present.
Doubling Down
In every way possible, the Breakers challenged the idea that their first four division win was a fluke. After the gun fired on all three races and the last runner crossed the finish, the Breakers erased any doubt that they are the team to beat, capturing first in all four divisions once again.
Girls Varsity, led by Ellie Findlay 1st, Payton Migdal 3rd, Baylee Shadwell 4th, Isla Dempsey 9th, Charlotte Lorch 11th, Pamela Cruz 13th and Mia Papadakis 14th, scored 28 points to Carmel's 35 and Buena Vista's 69.
Boys Varsity, led by Ben Hatfield 2nd, Marcus Whitson 3rd, Josiah Traback 5th, Noel Strom 6th, Callum Gamble 7th, Hunter Pritchard 15th and Noah Travaille 22nd, scored 23 points to Carmel's 51 and Palma's 71.
Girls JV, led by Tavi Varajic 1st, Esther Sutherland 3rd, Luna Herdy 5th, Ellie Salameh 6th, Jessica Hattori 9th, Monica Mohlenhoff 10th and Aubrey Menke 11th, scored 24 points to Los Arboles' 33.
Boys JV, led by Edden Helfont 3rd, Oliver Fletcher 4th, Ellis Li 5th, Grayson Rimer 6th, Benjamin Roth 7th, Wiley Randall 10th and Gabriel Soto 11th, scored 25 points to Carmel's 49 and Palma's 61.
As a coach who believes in lucky streaks, curses, and yips, I am reluctant to say it but somehow feel I must. Could we run the table? A question that most certainly will be on the minds of all our Breakers.
Charlotte & Isla running side by side
u turn.mp4Hunter, Ellis, & Grayson flawless U-turn
The debut of the U-turn
In 2023 a Japanese marathoner introduced the world to the U-turn, a technique used to change directions around a sharp turn. Carmel's home course has just such a turn at the end of the race as runners hit the track for the last 200 meters. Being that it is both a fun move to perform and gives the athletes something else to focus on beyond the hard labors of practice, we laid out our own sharp turn and let the kids have some time perfecting it. With the team confident in the execution, we unleashed the team to perform the turn, and perform they did. I can't say for certain that it helped, but I can say that it looked freaking cool. Expect to see an even more polished version next week when we hit the course again at Carmel.
What lies ahead for this team?
No one knows. Do we continue to see PRs and team success at every level? I know the desire is there, and this team will continue to choose the hard path forward over any easy option. Whether that translates into success and victory will depend on whether or not this team continues to believe in One Wave.
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