As Aydon Stefanopoulos was standing in the awards ceremony after placing fifth in the CIF State Cross Country Championship Division II boys race on Nov. 26, he nearly had to pinch himself to make sure he wasn’t dreaming.
That’s because standing alongside him were 1-2 finishers Lex and Leo Young, the Newbury Park High brothers who have developed a massive following on social media for their running exploits.
“It’s almost surreal because I’ve watched them on their Youtube channel,” said Stefanopoulos, a Los Gatos High sophomore who ran the 3.1-mile Woodward Park course in Fresno in a personal-record (PR) time of 15 minutes, 14.17 seconds, which equates to 4:54 mile pace. “They are my heroes and I’m standing next to them on the podium, so it’s amazing to see how far I’ve come. [To run that fast] is still unbelievable I did that.”
That would be an understatement. Stefanopoulos’ time was the 16th fastest among all five divisions—that’s out of a total of 900-plus runners—and the top mark by a runner from the Central Coast Section. The latter is particularly of note because two weeks earlier Stefanopoulos had the 12th best overall time in the CCS Championships.
But at State, he was the best of the CCS.
Stefanopoulos did it by dialing in his race strategy at Woodward Park, which he had run four times previously (twice for training runs and two times for races). Showing discipline and resisting the urge to start too fast, Stefanopoulos took off at a brisk but easily manageable pace from the gun.
At the one-mile mark, he was in 14th place, just where he wanted to be.
“That was the exact plan because I know from experience going out too hard on that course is not something you want to do,” he said. “I know I have the space to catch people and I trust my speed. I’m a 800-mile (1600 meter) guy, so I know I have that top-end speed and if it came down to a kick against anybody, I would have it. So the strategy was sit and kick, go slow, slowly build up and kick past anyone around me.”
At the 2.1-mile mark, Stefanopoulous had moved up to seventh place en route to a fifth-place finish. Stefanopoulos said he made his move around the 1.5-mile mark on the only notable big hill on the course, which brought him into the lead chase pack that trailed the Newbury Park trio of the Young brothers and Aaron Sahlman.
It’s every runner’s goal and dream to peak for the biggest race of the season, and Stefanopoulos did just that at State. Stefanopoulos ran at State last year for Mitty in the Division II race, finishing 22nd in 15:53. He chalked up his 31-second improvement in this year’s race to dialing everything in from his nutrition, fuel, sleep and most important, his body adjusting to the rigors of training.
“Going from middle school training to high school training, your body definitely takes some getting used to the step up,” he said. “Now my body has adjusted and is reacting well to the higher mileage, intervals, just more of everything.”
Stefanopoulos also credited his teammates and Los Gatos coach Paul Lawryk for aiding in his success. The Wildcats boys team qualified as a group, with Jack Fan (90th), Jensen Bidmead (104th), Ben Klarich, Keaton Wong, Noah Hale and Will Jenkins competing in a 202-runner field.
“The mentality of my team really helped me throughout the season,” Stefanopoulos said. “And coach Paul has learned how to deal with my hyperness in practice. I’ve definitely gotten close to him throughout the season and he’s a great coach.”
Los Gatos finished 15th out of 24 teams in the Division II field, several places above CCS teams St. Francis and Branham. On the girls side, Wildcats senior Sophie Tau finished 18th in 18:21.2 and sophomore Shea Elmore was 55th in 19:22.6.
Tau shaved 26 seconds off her time from the 2021 State Championships to cap a spectacular senior season which saw her establish PRs at every distance and course, including Clovis North Twilight, Lynbrook Center Meet, Crystal Springs, Baylands, De La Salle Nike Invitational and Woodward Park. Stefanopoulos’ season has been nothing short of memorable and he’s looking to get even faster in his junior and senior seasons. Whatever happens the rest of the way, he won’t soon forget this year’s State Championships and conversing with the top Newbury Park runners in the awards ceremony.
“These guys are celebrities to me and I’m shoulder to shoulder with them,” Stefanopoulos said. “As they called my name up to the podium and said ‘sophomore Aydon Stefanopoulos,’ Aaron Sahlman said, ‘You’re a sophomore?’ It made me feel fast and was a great experience.”
Up next for Stefanopoulos is the famed Champs Sports Cross Country (formerly Foot Locker) West Regionals on Dec. 3 at Mt. San Antonio College in Walnut. Even though Stefanopoulos has had a long season, he lives to race and Mt. Sac is an iconic course in high school and college running circles.
“My mentality is every shot not taken is a shot missed,” he said. “My legs still feel great right now so I think I can do alright. I’ve never raced the Mt. Sac course before and am looking forward to competing there.”
Sports editor Emanuel Lee can be reached at el**@we*****.com
