From the outside of the gates of McCracken Field, people are walking by and hearing murmurs and laughter. The laughter comes from a group of MCHS students laughing and goofing around. Shortly after their coaches rally them up and start talking to them. The students seem happy and joyful to be where they are even after running 5 miles.

This season was similar for the MCHS Cross Country team. Some notable cross country wins this year were at the Fox Valley Conference Championships and at the IHSA Regionals. At the Fox Valley Conference Championships 3 people ended up earning medals, Jaxon Berry who came in 13th place, Myles Wagner who came in 10th place and Nate Martin who came in 5th place. At the IHSA Regionals the MCHS Cross Country team was able to send two individual sectional qualifiers, Nate Martin and Delaina Floden.

Cross country is a team sport of long distance running where all runners race the same distance, typically 3 miles in Illinois. At the end of the races the places of the top five runners from each team are added up, and the team with the lowest total score wins.

Although this season was similar in the running aspects, other things changed this year. The team seemed to be closer. The MCHS Cross Country team is different from other schools’ cross country teams. One notable difference is the bond that the boys team and the girls team have.

“Our team is different from other teams because our boys team and girls team are essentially one in the same,” Said Dean Roehrborn, Assistant Cross Country Coach and Social Science teacher at MCHS. “Most other schools in the state will have two seperate teams with different sets of coaches for boys and girls. Our school, on the other hand, does not follow this trend. Instead, our boys and girls are always working and training together. This has caused a much stronger bond between the boys and girls than other schools usually see,” Roehrborn said.

There are many factors that contribute to the strong bond the team shares. Each of these factors play a crucial role in creating a cohesive team that can work together effectively and support one another in achieving their goals.

“The team has a very close bond. There are many factors that contribute to this,” McHenry Middle School teacher and Cross Country Coach Kevin Horst said. “I think the biggest thing is that you have athletes from all grades, boys and girls, varsity and JV, working together with a common training program. The athletes also organize a lot of social gatherings outside of practice,” Horst Said.

Cross country is not only about running but also pushing themselves to their fullest potential. In cross country these students can create goals for themselves and hope to reach them. Not only are they creating goals for themselves, they are aiming to reach them with not only their teammates but their friends.

“I believe cross country is about challenging yourself and reaching new heights,” Roehrborn said. “Since we don’t cut or bench athletes, everyone gets the chance to compete in nearly every race throughout the season. This provides multiple opportunities for individuals to race not just against other schools, but against themselves. You don’t need to be the fastest on the team to experience personal growth and success,” Roehrborn said.

Back outside the gates of McCracken Field, coaches talk to them about the upcoming race and how they are doing, they huddle together like one big family. Little do the outsiders know, they really are.