Oliver Horton was feeling nostalgic heading into his final cross country season. 

The Coronado senior has been coached by Lisa Rainsberger for the past 10 years, and this fall marks their final season together. During the first week of practice this fall, he sent his long-time coach a photo of him as kid in a Kokopelli run club uniform, where he got his start. 

“He was 8 years old in tears, and I was crouching down beside him trying to comfort him,” Rainsberger, founder of Kokopelli, said. “He was crying because he got beat.”

Several years later, Horton is the one being hunted. Last season, he won his first 4A boys’ state cross country title with an all-class state meet record to help Coronado to its first team title since 2012 and second in program history. 

Horton aims to end his prep campaign with back-to-back cross country titles, but after losing three of last year’s varsity runners, the boys’ team has set a different goal for itself: make each individual better.

“Last year we made it a goal to win state, but this year, our goal is to make each individual a little better version of themselves and not focus on the outcome,” Rainsberger said. “If we can make each other faster, the whole team thrives.” 

This year’s squad is without Xavier Campos, John Stanczak and Isaac Sanchez, all of whom placed in the top 25 at Norris-Penrose Event Center. Rainsberger, who is in her sixth season coaching the Cougars, is excited about rebuilding the boys’ team with several new runners joining the returners. 

“Once you build a program it attracts kids,” Rainsberger said. “Sometimes you get kids that show up unexpectedly and it elevates the program and makes it fun and hopeful.”

Horton, a North Carolina commit, hopes to once again be a leader for the growing team by helping his teammates reach their potential. After a foot injury at the end of the spring track season, Horton plans to have a slower start to the season to be better prepared for a long racing calendar into December. 

The state champion plans on being a national contender at Nike Cross Nationals (NXN), where he placed 14th. On Aug. 4, he announced an NIL deal with Nike and visited the brand’s headquarters this summer. 

However, it will be a bit lonely without his long-time friend and running partner Campos, who placed third at last year’s state cross country meet and is now running for the NAU cross country team. The two have ran together since their early Kokopelli years. 

“I’m excited for him, but it will be different,” Horton said. “It’s a bigger team than last year so hopefully can have people level up throughout the year. If we our best foot forward, we have a small chance to qualify for NXN.”

Besides training and being a leader, Horton is enjoying his time with Rainsberger as much as he can. Next year will look different for both, but neither are thinking about that just yet. 

“Oliver is like my son,” Rainsberger said. “Lots of fond memories over the years and I adore his whole family. It’s been a remarkable journey. It’s rewarding and heartwarming. I invest in these kids and miss all of them, but I will definitely miss Oliver.”