Think about a few of the top high school athletics teams in the nation: IMG Academy, Bishop Gorman in New Mexico, Long Beach Poly, and more. It is unlikely for a small school like Southern Lehigh to have a top athletic program that joins these ranks; however, the boys’ cross country team has found unprecedented levels of success despite lacking the facilities and resources of the aforementioned high school dynasties. While the Spartans may not have the riches, these young men have chemistry.

Over the course of the 2016 season, the seven boys on the Southern Lehigh varsity cross country team reached previously unmatched heights, including an undefeated regular season, a Colonial League title, and a second place District XI finish, placing ahead of other traditional cross country powerhouses such as Easton and Stroudsburg, and falling only behind the juggernaut of Lehigh Valley athletics that is Parkland High School by just 11 points. From there the team took on the pride of Pennsylvania scholastic running in the state championship meet at Hershey Park. In the “sweetest place on earth,” every member of the varsity team finished in the top 57 percent, despite being one of the smaller schools in Pennsylvania’s largest class for cross country.

“I think the majority of us, especially me, were not necessarily pleased with our performance at states,” junior Thomas Matsamura said. “But the experience overall was incredible. Even though it was the end of the season, it was a great time to bond with teammates.”

It was that very same bond that had helped to carry the Spartans through a historic season in Southern Lehigh athletics.

Riding a wave of success from the 2015 season that ended with a sixth place finish in the district championship meet, the Spartans had their sights set on the road to Hershey.

“We certainly thought that it was achievable,” Matsamura said, “but I don’t think we realized how much of a solid chance we had until a little later on into the regular meet season.”

Southern Lehigh did not let this opportunity to achieve the insurmountable be left to chance. The varsity team reciprocated a bond among each of the members of the squad that extended from practice, into meets, and finally into wins. During practices teammates worked together during long runs and workouts to try and find the best strategy to fit individual running styles. Like cogs in a gear, this team figured out how they all fit together to get the machine to drive forward.

“Because of our bond we’re able to better work as a team during races,” Matsamura said. “We’ll have strategies during races about who’s gonna take the lead, who’s gonna try and push the pace, things like that.”

However, every bond has its breaking point. At the end of a race, when it’s neck and neck and strategy goes out the window, the race becomes a brutal dog fight between two of the same teammates. That’s when tensions flare the highest. But on this team, the loser of a race by a half-step will earnestly congratulate his teammate-turned-opponent.

“During the regular season we know that we’re gonna win every meet because we just have the higher caliber of runners,” senior Stephen Gray said. “So, there’s not really tension when you beat someone like that it’s just that you’re happy that you all contributed and are able to do that with each other.”

But considering that chemistry is a bond, it needs a glue to hold everything together to keep from collapsing. For the Spartan boys’ cross country team, the adhesive comes in the form of Stephen Gray. The senior leader of this team has been on the varsity squad for all four years of his high school career. Through the highs and the lows, he has stuck with it and, in the process, earned the respect of his teammates.

“He’s a natural leader,” junior Colin Cramer said. “In a workout he’s always the one in front and he sets the pace for all of us. He knows what to do and we follow him.”

Fortunately for Southern Lehigh High School, this team should be no one-year wonder. While led by a handful of seniors, some of the most effective runners on this squad are underclassmen. Among that list is Cramer, who was named as an honorable mention on the Morning Call All-Area Cross Country Team. Joining Cramer as a senior on next year’s team will be Matsumura, who was also named to the All-Area team and set a record time on Southern Lehigh’s home course this fall with a time of 16:31. Junior Raahi Klar-Chaudhuri will be returning after a successful start to his career with his fellow classmates in 2015 when he placed fourth in the Colonial League Championship race.

“Some of them made a big step up from last year,” Gray said. “Next year, it’s [going to] be harder. They’re  going to need a lot of people to step up because we’re losing a few seniors. It’s going to be interesting…seeing how they do.”

While record books can fade and deteriorate over time, the bond formed between this team cannot. Like a book, you can ruin the words by drenching them in water and soiling the ink, but the binding that holds everything together will remain intact. From pre-season workouts, to an undefeated regular season, to a berth in the state championship race, a connection was formed between these seven runners that will always be remembered.

“I’d like to beat Parkland in districts,” Cramer said about his goals for next year. “We were so close. And I know we’re going to lose some people, but we’re also going to all get better and gain some people. In the end I know we can get it done.”