‘Everybody works hard’: Camaraderie is key to Seabreeze cross country team’s success – Ormond Beach Observer

The Seabreeze High School cross country team spent summer running an average of 25-40 miles per week, including many runs over the Granada bridge and back. Off season is used as a time for the athletes to build a distance base. As the runners return to school, they are officially considered in season and will transition to shorter more difficult track workouts.

Don Staller has been head coach of the Sandcrabs’ boys cross country team for 54 years, and at 75, he is not slowing down. His love for the sport and rapport with the athletes has kept him motivated to continue.

“Cross country is the toughest sport to train for physically as well as mentally,” he said. “The runners are all in it together. That’s always been one of the hallmarks of the sport. Everybody works hard and they know it.”

The community of Ormond Beach continues to support the team’s goal-oriented approach to sports, education and life by perpetuating a generational interest in the sport. Alumni either return to help the program or promote the sport to their children, who in turn, do so for theirs.

One such alumnus is Staller’s assistant coach and Seabreeze math teacher, Todd Huckaby, who was the captain of the cross country team in 2008 and was also named most valuable player the same year. According to Daytonabeachcombers.com, he was a four-season varsity letterman and part of the state meet qualifying team.

“I think it’s really motivating when Coach Huckaby runs with us,” fourth-year runner Trent Fabulich said. “I took my time freshman year to work my way up doing 3 miles non-stop because coming into this, I had no experience. I’d say I’ve gotten a lot better. I was running 29s my freshman year. As of last year, I hit a record of 21:8.”

Cross country’s façade is that of an individual runner’s sport, but the intense nature of it seems to demand a sense of camaraderie in order for success to prevail. That is evident in the Sandcrabs’ desire to make it to the FHSAA cross country state championships in Tallahassee on Nov. 12, as a team.

Tyler Herndon made the switch to cross country because he appreciated the team oriented mindset. After training in Colorado for the summer, he and his brother Hayden recently returned to practice with their teammates at the high school track.

“The atmosphere competition-wise is what made me change,” he said. “It’s always about making each other better instead of degrading each other like in other sports. My goal is to get the whole team to states and breach 15 minutes. We are going to have a solid season this year.”

Fellow teammate Jacob Labonte, also changed sports but for medical reasons. After a lifetime of playing football, he tore his hamstring which took eight months to heal. He had always considered himself a naturally fast runner so he joined Seabreeze’s track team where he competed in the 400 and 800 meter events.

“I wanted to move up in distance so I started running cross country,” he said. “It paid off for track. I went from a six minute mile to a 4:55 and two minutes flat in my half-mile. For cross country, I want to break 17 minutes this season and for track, I want to run a 1:55 for my 800. I want to make it to states as a team. That would be really nice.”