Boys’ cross country brought home the victory by a two point difference.

The team won the Southwest Preparatory Conference (SPC) Saturday, Nov. 8. The race was held at St. Mark’s school.

“We got second place last year and the year before, which made this year so intense, and we had such a desire to win,” sophomore Jake Schick said.

SJS finished first, at 56 points. The John Cooper School placed second, finishing with 58 points, and St. Mark’s finished third, at 95 points. Senior captain Akshay Jaggi came in second overall and junior Joe Faraguna came in sixth overall.

“This team is special. With Coach Mercado and several other great coaches, we were able to have a good base. There was great leadership by our captains as well as the rest of the team,” Schick said.

Lead by Coach Richie Mercado, the team worked diligently all season, training whenever possible both individually and together.

The runners also won the B division of Friday Night Lights at The Woodlands, SPC South Zone in Austin and the St. Mark’s Invitational in Dallas. They placed 2nd at the Maverick Ramble.

The team has suffered from many injured players this season. Jaggi and senior Julian Henry recovered from summer injuries, while Schick had a hip injury.

“The race was an amazing experience, and I am so excited to go back next year,” freshman Ian Thakur said.

Even with setbacks, the players pushed hard for this win.

“We had a really strong team this year. In cross country it’s just that one race, and you’ve got to be ready for that one race,” Jaggi said.