It was a dreary day on Wednesday, October 19 in Penns Valley, but for many it was a big day. It was time to run for a personal and team Mountain League Championship for the boys cross country team.

The event was a long, grueling race back and forth between the in-school rivalry of star runners junior Alex Crist and senior Chase Ebeling, which ended with Alex topping Chase, finishing 1-2 and leading the boys team to a Mountain League Championship. 

The in-school rivalry was noted by both Chase and Alex.  

“I think the rivalry is well-needed for both of us. I’ve had several seasons without anyone to push me throughout the season, so I really need that guy right behind me to keep pushing me forward,” Chase said.

Both teammates are competitive, so they are always trying to push one another.

“We give each other different tips, strategies, and knowledge to help one another become a better runner. And making him better makes me better, and vice-versa,” Chase said.

Alex also views the rivalry as the key to his success. 

 “We both don’t want to lose to each other in a competitive way. Wanting to be the number one guy pushes us to run faster. We wouldn’t run as fast as we do without pushing each other and in the end we respect each other. It’s a good rivalry,” Alex said. 

The race is noted as one of the toughest races for many in their career, as it is some of the toughest competition and one of the hardest places to race. Chase felt challenged both mentally and physically.  

“It was extremely cold and windy and rainy during that meet, so to put up a great performance with all of that going on really made it difficult. I took the meet seriously, but made some poor decisions before the race, so I did not do as well as I should have. Losing to Crist was extremely rough for me and watching him pull away from me really drained me mentally,” Chase said.

Bellefonte football player junior Grady Garrison also was a part of the championship winning cross country team. 

  “I wanted to do cross country because I realized I had a passion for running and I wasn’t half bad at it. Doing two sports at once gets hard to maintain with school, but it pays off in the long run, knowing I achieved more, and knowing the faster I go, the faster I’m done helps me get through meets,” Grady said.  

The team would go on to place second in the district meet, only losing by a total of eight points with Chase placing third, Alex in sixth, junior Alex Mansfield in seventh, and junior Caleb Vinnedge in tenth place. 

Chase Ebeling, Alex Crist, and Alex Mansfield would also go to compete in the State Championship on Saturday, November 5. Chase was the highest placed team member and earned the ranking of twenty-eighth place.