GREENWOOD, Ark. — Darby Jr. High student Cesar Olvera, 14, took first place in the Junior High Boys Large Schools Division at the 11th Annual "Thrill of the Hill" Cross Country Invitational Meet this week.
On Thursday (Oct. 8), the ninth-grader ran a 2-mile race in Greenwood on a course that his coach, Emilee Moss, says is one of the most difficult courses to run in the state.
"He was in 6th place most of the race and at the halfway mark he made a big move and moved up 4th. He made an amazing finish and he never looked back," said Coach Moss.
Cesar's time for the 2-mile race was 11:25.3, beating the second-place winner by almost 12 seconds.
"It was a pretty challenging course, I feel proud and accomplished because it took a lot of effort and practice. I practiced every day and I thank Coach Moss, Coach Lewis, and my family for supporting me. I'm glad I succeeded." said Olvera.
Coach Moss says Cesar always works hard on and off-season and has continued to work very hard leading up to this week.
