This is the time of year in cross country running where the tough get going and the best are crowned champions.

Both apply to the Parkland boys cross country team, who utilized their training, intelligence and desire to earn District 11 Class 3A Championship gold last Tuesday at Blue Mountain Ski Resort in Lower Towamensing Township in Carbon County.

The Trojans won the championship in a thriller over second-place Southern Lehigh by one point, 84-to-85. The win qualified Parkland for state competition, scheduled for Nov. 7 in Hershey.

“This is my first District 11 title as a head coach,” said Parkland head coach Stephen Ott. “One that I will never forget and one that our boys will always remember. With that said though, I reminded them right after getting their medals that we are on to the next race. In life, we can only go forward, so it is on to the state race.”

One trait that has defined Parkland cross country during Ott’s tenure is that his teams are prepared. While this sounds simple, it takes a lot of work, preparation and determination to make it reality.

“My goal is to make sure our student-athletes are ready to compete on race day,” the coach said. “They know that the postseason is time to turn up the heat.”

The thermostat went to 100 thanks to senior Ben Esquieres, who paced the scarlet and gray in 18:39, good overall for eighth place. Teammate Paul Abeln, a freshman, finished next for the Trojans and earned 11th place. Eight seconds behind Abeln at 18:56 was senior Josh Beltrame, giving him the 12th place finish.

“Ben led them under control,” the coach said. “Paul and Josh finished strong, just outside the top 10 to keep us in the hunt.”

It was a team effort that pushed the boys over the top. Sophomore Brady Hoffman and junior Cameron Price finished in 19:17 and 19:18 respectively for 26th and 27th overall places. Brian Warren, a sophomore, sealed the deal with his 29th place finish in 19:24.40.

“Brady, Cameron and Brian finished with a flurry to catapult us to victory,” Ott said.

This year’s season, of course, was unlike any other. But Ott is a steady skipper who runs the ship steady whether the wind is at his back or not. Winning is an attitude his runners develop when no one else is watching.

“We knew that the Blue Mountain Ski Resort course would be challenging, but training at Parkland is not simple,” Ott said. “We have a hard course, and I know that helped prepare us.”

Providing his student-athletes a tough course on which to train is half the coaching battle, but not all of it. Ott and assistant coaches Doug Finley, Christie, Schlaner and Lexie Dongvort stress the importance of diet, hydration, rest and life balance to his runners, over and over.

“We want them to know that we believe in them and they are capable of success,” Ott said.

Last Tuesday, the Parkland boys cross country runner rewarded themselves and their coaches for that faith by becoming champions.