Joey Serrano is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover Peoria High School for AZPreps365.com

Peoria’s cross country team is in the middle of a unique and otherwise difficult season. The Panthers are balancing the uncertainty of COVID-19 along with an inexperienced and smaller team. They take shots of honey sticks before every race and the unique aura around them provides for an interesting season.

Given the seriousness and unknowns of the pandemic, Peoria has struggled getting athletes to join the team. The Panthers lost half their team from a season ago and have struggled in different competitions. Given all of this change and hardship that is thrown their way, the Panthers have made the most of their season and they are optimistic about their future.

COVID-19 has made this season difficult for Peoria, as new guidelines and regulations have been put into place, but also some races and events have been canceled the night before the race, which makes this season mentally challenging.

Kyle Vonnahme, an 18-year-old senior, feels the pressure of COVID-19 as it’s his last year to prove himself to colleges, and races getting canceled doesn’t help. With sectionals on Nov. 4 and the state championship on Nov. 14, Peoria looks to make the most of the remainder of the season. 

“It’s tough preparing for races and getting mentally ready, then we get a call the night before saying the race is canceled,” Vonnahme said.

Fewer runners mean fewer wins. Peoria has yet to place in any race or event because the Panthers simply do not have enough runners to get points for the team. Cross country events are point based. It doesn’t matter if you have runners who place first or second, when you have a team of seven. You need a big team to gather points to place high. These challenging obstacles don’t stop Peoria’s top two runners from giving their all.

“Connor (Pate) and I have medaled before, but people like Flagstaff and Sunrise Mountain have 20 kids on their team so even if none of them medal but get 20 points, they will still beat us,” Vonnahme said. 

Despite the hurdles, 15-year-old sophomore runner Connor Pate is happy with his times and looks to improve as the season ends nears.

“My season is going great, I am happy with my times and I know that I am capable of better times and I am working my hardest to break 17 (minutes) before state,” he said. 

Even though the team is small, the Panthers are very tight knit and close. They have pregame rituals and prayers before every race and even the freshman get involved, no matter how strange they might think it is.

“Every time before a race, we get honey sticks from Sprouts and we just down it,” said Vonnahme. "It's like a shot of honey and gives us a sugar rush before the race.”

“Before every race we have a minute to pray and give God our blessings and to keep us safe,” Pate said.

The freshmen, said Vonnahme, were initially reluctant to embrace the team’s rituals. “They just questioned everything,” he said, “and were like, ‘Why you would do that?’”

With an inexperienced team, the freshmen need guidance and help conducting  themselves during training and practice. They even need help with various drills as everything is so new to them. The older players have taken on the role as a second coach, and have even sacrificed their own personal goals to help the freshman. They realize that these freshmen are the future and want them to continue the legacy and success that Peoria is used to.

“I literally spent the whole practice one time going over their form and going through drills and explaining the science behind running,” Vonnahme said.

He even is willing to sacrifice his personal goals and practice to make sure that the freshman can improve and be better for years to come.

“I find myself explaining things and explaining why we do things,” he said. 

Vonnahme likes the way the team is improving and believes this year is a learning curve for everyone.

“I spent practice working on forms,” he said, “and it got better and better each practice and I see a lot of improvement.”

Coach Jim Kenyon is doing the best that he can by making the most of the season as he guides his young and inexperienced team through the difficulties COVID-19 has brought. He is hopeful that the season will finishon a high note and that his top runners thrive.

“The biggest difference is all of the safety protocols that we have had to put in place, but the philosophy is the same just with fewer athletes,” Kenyon said.

Kenyon is in a new situation this season that he is not used to, but understands that this season is not like others.

“It will be the first time that we will not go to state in a long time, because some of my athletes from last year have chosen not to come back to school and chose not to participate in sports and choose to stay home and be safe,” said Kenyon.