As they head toward the end of the season, the Marshfield Boys Cross Country team remains in the race to qualify for state. With just five more meets to go, the team is ranked sixth in the state in 4A, competing with 28 other high school teams. 

Alex Garcia-Silver, the only senior on the team, has proven to be quite the asset. During the recent Prefontaine invite, in which the team placed third, Garcia-Silver managed to have the fastest time of 14 minutes and 45 seconds. Over the years he has participated, he has broken many records within the Coos Bay running community.  He also holds Oregon’s fastest time in the 3000 meter race with a time of 8:49. His plans for this year include making it to the state championship, similar to last year, and going to nationals. 

“We are definitely stronger this year compared to last year,” said Garcia-Silver. “We have Elijah Cellura, he’s a year older and he’s a lot stronger and faster.” 

Marshfield Cross Country also got a new sophomore transfer student from Arizona, Bodey Lutes, who has been a great addition to the team. He has a solid history of running the 5k and placing well.

“He’s really fast,” said Garcia-Silver, “With those two guys and me fronting the pack it’s a pretty strong team.” 

Because of his many years of experience, a lot of the runners look to head coach Steve Delgado for the answers. They count on him to make it to state, their biggest goal for this year. Garcia-Silver, however, finds it important to remind his teammates that it’s not all about winning. 

“Running with friends, pushing each other to the limits, makes running a whole lot more fun,” Garcia-Silver said. “Competing and being able to see improvement makes Cross Country worth it.”