Due to intense summer training, the cross country season is off to an excellent start. To build upon all that hard work, the team has had the honor of adding Bill Reeves as one of four assistant coaches, all of whom will be helping head coach Rob Lander.

Reeves has been coaching cross country for 24 years at various schools. He coached at Glendora High School for seven years, leading the boys to their first Baseline League title. He coached South Hills for ten years on and off, leading both the boys and girls in 1999 to win the CIF Southern Section Championship. Both teams also received the individual CIF Southern Section Champions, only the third time in California history that four titles had been won by the same team on the same day.

“Coach Reeves is a talented coach; he knows what he is doing,” senior captain Daniel Ross said. “The fact that he enforces all of Rob’s rules helps the team stay focused and prepared to win every race.”

As a result of his accomplishments, Reeves was named California Cross Country Coach of the Year in 1999. He then coached the Azusa Pacific University team from 2000 to 2005, going on to earn the Golden State Athletic Conference Coach of The Year Award for men’s and women’s cross country a total of seven times. With over 100 athletes making up the CHS cross country team, Reeves and the other coaches are now able to distribute their time more equally to the various sections of the team.

“With such a big team, the more coaches the better. Although Coach Reeves may be strict, we all know in the end he is just looking out for the team,” junior Adam Johnson said.

With a new coach and new rules, the team sets their sights on California State Championships. Each day, as both the boys and girls teams come closer to their goal of making it to state, they hope Reeves can help them take the extra steps needed to go all the way. With five coaches, 114 athletes, and five teams, the CHS cross country team is more than ready to take on any of the competitors.