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Branford’s Justin Hernandez is the LCR’s Boys Runner of the Year. (COURTESY)
BRANFORD — Justin Hernandez brought a different mindset with him to Branford this fall.
A senior, Hernandez was determined to capitalize on his final opportunity to make his mark and leave a legacy as a Buccaneer.
An All-Area performer last year in both cross country and track and field, Hernandez had his sights set even bigger. He wanted to break the school record in the 5K: a 16:58.66 mark set by Juan Resendiz in 2019.
He didn’t quite get there — thanks in part to a hamstring injury late in the season — but Hernandez did become the Lake City Reporter’s Boys Runner of the Year.
“I knew that this year was going to be my last year for cross country, so I just pushed myself to the limit and not hold anything back this year because it may be my last,” he said of what changed from his junior year. “Just leave everything on the courses.”
There was no better example than at the Region 1-2A meet, even though Hernandez finished just 49th in 19:29.9, two and a half minutes behind that goal he was striving for.
Still, in preparation for that meet, Hernandez was training by himself on a long run when he suddenly felt a terrible pain in his hamstring.
He couldn’t run. He could barely walk, having to call a friend to come pick him up.
“I was surprised I was even able to run at the regionals race because it was still in so much pain,” Hernandez said. “Right before the race, when I was warming up, it felt terrible.
“I just pushed through the pain during the race and toward the end it just got too bad for me to push it to the limit.”
Michelle Richards, Branford’s cross country coach, said the injury prevented Hernandez from advancing to state. She also said it kept him from tracking down Resendiz’s school-record time.
“He got close,” she said. “He was steady on track to make it there because we hadn’t even gotten into the bulk of our workout.”
For Hernandez, it was a painful ending to an otherwise breakthrough season. He ran a season-best time of 17:33.40 to win the Suwannee County Invitational — more than a minute quicker than his best time from 2020. He also placed in the top 10 at the Bradford County Invitational and just missed out on a top 10 finish at the District 3-1A Meet, placing 11th.
“That was a bad time for me,” he said of the injury. “That really hurt me mentally.”
But it doesn’t overshadow the work Hernandez had already put in and the results that came out of that effort.
Richards said Hernandez is constantly messaging her, asking what is planned for the next workout or when can he get back into the weight room.
“He’s just that kid that’s always, always working,” she said, adding it has continued since cross country season has ended in preparation for track.
But that work ethic went to another level this year. Hernandez said it became almost a daily thing for him, to want to get back into the weight room, onto the track for speed work or out for a long run.
“This is my first year of actually training every day,” he said, crediting that for the improved results. “Me putting in the work. I took it serious this year.”
ALL-AREA TEAM
Justin Hernandez
Branford, senior
The LCR’s Boys Runner of the Year shined late in the season, winning the Suwannee County Invitational with a season-best time of 17:33.40. Hernandez then placed 11th at the District 1-2A Meet (18:12.80) to qualify for regionals, where he placed 49th in Region 1-2A. He also posted another top-10 finish at the Bradford County Invitational, placing seventh.
Paul Gunter
Suwannee, sophomore
Ran a season-best 18:07.30 at the Region 1-2A Meet to place 39th, helping the Bulldogs qualify for state as a team. He placed a team-best 13th in District 1-2A (18:34.52) and also had top-five finishes at the Suwannee County Invitational (third) and Bradford Invitational (fifth).
Jesse Cushman
Suwannee, senior
Led the Bulldogs at the Region 1-2A Meet, running a season-best 17:35.80 to place 26th as the team qualified for state. That came after an 18th-place finish in District 1-2A (19:08.87) following a regular-season where he posted top-10 finishes at the Suwannee County Invitational (eighth) and Bradford Invitational (10th).
Joel De La Cruz
Suwannee, sophomore
Ran a season-best 18:21.80 at the Region 1-2A Meet to help the Bulldogs reach state. That came after placing 25th in District 1-2A (19:34.40).
Brig Scott
Suwannee, freshman
Came on strong at the end of the season, running a season-best 19:20.09 to place 22nd at the District 1-2A Meet. He went on to finish 82nd in Region 1-2A (19:47.80) to get the Bulldogs to state.
Rhett Feagle
Columbia, junior
Ran a season-best 18:37.10 to place sixth at the Suwannee County Invitational. Finished the season with a 57th-place finish at the District 2-3A Meet (18:55.00) as the Tigers’ top runner.
Peighton Simard
Fort White, senior
Finished off his season with a best time of 18:41.00 to place 31st at the District 2-2A Meet. Had a season-best finish of 22nd at the Dueling Summits.
Brian Bullock
Coach of the Year, Suwannee
One year after leading the Bulldogs to their first district title in program history, Bullock saw his team make more history in 2021. The Bulldogs placed fourth at the district meet to qualify for regionals, where they posted times just fast enough to finish eighth to qualify for state as a team for the first time ever. They finished just four points ahead of Wolfson for the final state bid in their region. His team also won the Suwannee County Invitational during the regular season.