* The Division 1 Boys Race at the 2020 AIA State Championships.
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Red Mountain finished 4th at the 2020 AIA D1 State Championships. The team has six of its top seven returning from that squad and will look for a podium finish in 2021. The Mountain Lion's have the most returners of any D1 boys team based on state meet performance from any team inside the top five.
We caught up with Red Mountain head coach Steven Selby to get his thoughts on his team's potential to make the podium at this year's state meet and more.
The Quick Facts:
Finish At State in 2021:
Division 1 - Boys 4th
Top Retuenrres From Sate: 4 of 5 and 6 of 7 From State
4th at state - Noah Czajkowski - 12th Grade
12th - Elijah Davis - 12th
48th - Tyler Mathews -10th
50th - Greyson Akers - 12th
75th - Matthew Hamilton - 10th
* Elijah Davis (left), Garrett Palmer (center), and Noah Czajkowski (right) running at the 2020 AIA D1 State Meet. All three return to run for the Mountain Lions again in 2021.
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Q&A With Coach Selby
How long have you coached (overall/at your school)?
I started as an assistant at Mesa Mountain View back in 2006 and was there for two
years and 3 seasons. Went to head coach at Gilbert for 4 years and 7 seasons, and
I've been at Red Mountain since January of 2013. So, it's something like 14 years
overall and this is the 9th year at RM.
What does your team's meet schedule look like this year?
We decided to go Invites only this year. Chandler Invite, Fountain Hills, Twilight, Ray
Wherley, Chandler Relays, Mesa City meet, Sectionals, State. So, we have about
every third week off from racing.
What was one important moment over the summer with your team and why? (Camp/Preseason Meeting/Etc.)
We've long been believers in summer miles making our kids stronger, and we are
strongest when we are together. I wouldn't say that we had any one important moment
over the summer, except to say that it's always nice to see kids working together to get
stronger. We believe a strong base leads to a strong year.
What's the focus on training over the summer for the varsity squad?
What's the focus on training over the summer for the varsity squad?
Our focus has been steadily increasing mileage and developing a good base. For most
of the summer our focus is staying healthy and consistent, but we also try to do at least
one long run or a steady state, and a few easy days followed by strides for strength and
speed.
The team only graduated one senior and has the most guys coming back out of
any program in the top five from last year's state meet. Has that motivated the
guys heading into this season? If so how?
Losing the senior that we did is hard one to replace, and we had a handful of other
strong senior leaders that graduated that did more for our team than simply score
points. Our 2021 group was special and had to develop into leaders early on in their
careers; which meant every subsequent class never had to develop super-strong
leadership skills.
That's not to say that we don't have good leaders, we just have the
quiet leaders and not the outspoken. They're the kids that put their nose to the
grindstone and go to work for themselves in order to make the team better. Our kids
really are students of the game so they know right where they fit into their respective
city, sectional, and state seedings and they use that as motivation and inspiration.
What will it take from this team to earn a spot on the podium this year at state?
The big thing is to keep everyone healthy. Keep them healthy and free from injury. If
we can do that, we have a strong chance at finishing very well and even better than last
year. But before that, we need to turn our focus to the City meet against those other
tough Mesa schools and then fight through sectionals in order to earn a berth into the
State meet. Twice in the last 9 years, our boys team didn't qualify for the state meet, so
we always talk about not taking a berth into the state meet for granted. It's something
that is earned and is an honor.
Which athletes do you see as a probable five/top seven this season?
We have a very strong 1-2 punch with Noah and Eli leading the way. These two boys
are motivated and talented and have managed to stay healthy for most of their careers.
Outside of that, we should have another senior (Greyson Akers) or two that can help us,
a junior (Garrett Palmer) or two that have some potential as well as our 1:55 800m (as a
freshman) runner (Tyler Mathews), we get one back from baseball (Matt Hamilton), and
we will be very senior-heavy at the top of our emerging Varsity team. I don't like to have
to play next man up, but at points, in the season we may have to and we have guys
ready and willing to step up!
Which athletes have taken a bigger role in terms of veteran leadership?
Again, we are mostly an introverted team and don't have any of those over-the-top
zealous kids, but the nice thing is that basically any boy on our team can step up and
feel like they can contribute as a leader. We like to do an activity called "filling buckets"
and there isn't any one guy that contributes more than any other. Fortunately, we have
a few girls who have taken the reigns in terms of organizing team activities and have a
generally uplifting spirit.
How have they shown it/what will you expect from them in 2021?
Daily dedication to excellence. No whining, no complaining…just tough, daily,
excellence.
Who are some new faces who will make an impact in 2021? (i.e. freshmen, transfers, runners who've improved)
No transfers this year, and to be honest, our numbers are down, especially following an
Olympic year; but, like I said, we get sophomore Matt Hamilton back from baseball and
he's in good shape, and there is a senior named Kyron Smithson who has put in a ton
of work since his freshman year with us but had been unable to join our team his
sophomore and junior year. Our young ones are quite world-beaters yet, but they've
bought into what we do and they're working hard to get better every day!
Four to six weeks before the state championships, what's a staple workout that's readying this team for a potential postseason run?
One thing I've learned is that there is no magic workout that can make kids better.
There are certainly workouts that they think make them tremendously better, but for the
most part, it all goes back to consistency. About 4-6 weeks out we are really hammering
those tempo runs, long runs, and long intervals with short recovery.
What will success look like in 2021 for this team?
As long as we can stay healthy, finish the season, and do it with smiles and a good
attitude, we will be successful. Hard work breeds success and we have been putting in
plenty of hard work. At the end of the day, if we know we've done everything we
possibly can to be as good as we possibly can, we can call it good.
What's the biggest challenge facing this team this fall?
Like most programs, it's the COVID stuff. Between the protocol, the virus itself, and the
doubt it can sow, it all adds up. However, I'd say that we actually gained an advantage
during last year, so I hope we can keep that momentum rolling. The only thing that can
stop us at this point is ourselves.
How has the last 1.5 years affected the team with any covid/mask/ social distancing restrictions you may have faced?
When COVID first hit, it really affected those juniors and seniors that year. The seniors
lost their final track season, and the juniors almost felt hopeless. It took a while for them
to get back into it, but then we got to summer and we all got back together for a while
and we just had a renewed sense of purpose. Honestly, it was refreshing and helpful I'd
say. We had a few practices while actually wearing masks, but only until the AIA
officially said that the Spring sports wouldn't have to wear them during performances.
Outside of that, we did our best to follow all AIA and district COVID protocols. Locker
room restrictions were probably the most tedious, but it still wasn't too bad. Having kids
and teams staggered in races was interesting and wasn't my favorite idea, but I'm glad
we were able to compete!
Is there a quote or a saying, or a purpose your team lives by? What is it and why?
We've had a ton of different cheers and chants over the years, which has now evolved
into about a 40-second team cheer before a race. That being said, I'm a sucker for
motivational and inspirational sports movies so I've used quotes from Remember the
Titans, Coach Carter, Hoosiers, Joe Newton's Long Green Line, McFarland, etc. but the
one that has been my favorite isn't even from a sports movie. It's from the movie about
Queen and Freddie Mercury called "Bohemian Rhapsody". The is simple and goes,
"Good thoughts, good words, good deeds." I think it's perfect because it can apply to
everyday life as well as athletics.
What are the three big goals for this team in 2021?
Win our school's first city/region title, qualify for state, and take home some hardware.