* The Brophy College Prep guys after their 2020 AIA Division 1 Boys State title.
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We caught up with Brophy College Prep head coach Oscar Borboa to ask him some questions about his team's summer training, some impact athletes for the 2021 cross country season, and more.
Coach Borboa is going into his seventh season coaching at Brophy College Prep and last year coached the team to their first state title since 2003. The Broncos beat second-place Desert Vista High School by 10 points to earn the D1 state title.
Read what Coach Boroba had to say about his team's training and mindset heading into the 2021 XC season and stay tuned in the coming weeks for more Q&As from the state's top coaches and programs.
The Quick Facts:
Finish At State in 2021:
Division 1 - Boys 1st
Top Retuenrres From Sate: 1 of 5 and 3 of 7 From State
17th at State -- Brody Haar -- 12th Grade
58th -- Kaden Stillwagon -- 12th
90th -- Daniel Chavez -- 12th
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Q&A With Coach Borboa
How long have you coached (overall/at your school)?
This is my 7th fall coaching cross country, but will only be my 5th as head coach. All 7 seasons have been here at Brophy.
What does your team's meet schedule look like this year?
It's relatively standard as far as most years go, the biggest exception being we will be racing at Woodbridge for the first time in Brophy's history. After everything we've all been going through the last 18 months, we thought it would be worthwhile to try another premiere California meet considering how much fun we had at Mt. SAC in 2019.
What's the focus on training over the summer for the varsity squad?
In terms of actual training, we certainly enjoy so-called strength-based work like tempo sessions, hills, and back-ended long runs. But the emphasis is still on doing whatever it takes to train and remain healthy, so we can and do adjust as necessary. Beyond that, we also need to work on our service-oriented mindset. Serving our community, our families, and this team.
The team lost four of the top five from last year's state meet, including state champ Xander Black. What does the rebuilding process look like to help you stay on top?
Last year was last year. This is a totally different group. We have to pick each other up every morning we get together, and see how good we can all be as a collective. Not everyone understands right away that you become better when you focus on helping others. New guys need to step up, veterans need to show real leadership, and we all better be accountable to one another because nothing is more exciting than accomplishing your goals with a group of friends.
Which athletes do you see as a probable five/top seven this season? 
Brody Haar, Kaden Stillwagon, and Daniel Chavez trained this summer as if returning to the top-7 was not a guarantee for them, so we're proud of them for that kind of concentrated effort.
Who are some new faces who will make an impact in 2021? (i.e. freshmen, transfers, runners who've improved)
We never try and count on a frosh, A because it's pretty hard to make our November 7 but B because learning to be a new member of the Brophy community takes precedence during the fall semester. But we have a few seniors who are motivated to help lift this team-up, and are hungry to race at levels they haven't been at before so that's cool.
Four to six weeks before the state championships, what's a staple workout that's readying this team for a potential postseason run?
We truthfully don't have a "homerun" workout that we run X amount of days before state as a gauge of our readiness. Ideally we try and assess where we're at as a group and maybe look for a window to complement the work we've been doing that's already been beneficial up to that point. It could be a slight adjustment to one of our track sessions, a hill day, a trail run, or a canal run. Sometimes less is more. But healthy consistency is always king.
What will success look like in 2021 for this team?
On the course, it will be successful if we can fulfill the potential we have in terms of team racing by the end of the season. Off the course, we still need to grow as teammates to our younger Broncos - all of us can stll be better in terms of how we positively impact those around us.
What's the biggest challenge facing this team this fall?
What's the biggest challenge facing this team this fall?I'm not saying this to be coy - I mean it honestly. But our biggest challenge is definitely ourselves. Team should be everything to us.
How has the last 1.5 years affected the team with any covid/mask/social distancing restrictions you may have faced?
Not that we ever want to deal with a global pandemic again, but in many regards this whole experience has brought us closer and revealed what can truly be accomplished when we work in cooperation and brotherhood. There were many times when the best thing about my day (other than time with my wife) was simply being around the cross country team and just enjoying the shade of an easy run along the Bridal Path. We didn't see masking or distancing or any of that as crazy negative - if anything they helped allow us to compete last year but more importantly our community believes in their efficacy for the overall common good.
Is there a quote or a saying, or a purpose your team lives by? What is it and why?
Ha! I guess we don't really have a singular mantra for the XC team. But at Brophy (and other Jesuit schools) we do pay credence to the acronym AMDG. Ask a Brophy student what it means next time you're at a meet - or you can just Google it too.