Making state-ments

The slogan on the back of a River Valley High cross country T-shirt says it all: "They who fall behind are left behind."

And for two of those athletes, leaving others in their dust is what they've been doing all season long.

After sweeping through Tri-County Conference competition and placing in the top 16 at the Sac-Joaquin Section Division II meet on Nov. 11, River Valley junior Swarnjit Boyal and sophomore Leanne Jarvis are headed for the biggest event of the season — the 2011 CIF Cross Country State Championships today at Woodward Park in Fresno.

The two Falcon runners will be joined by Faith Christian High junior Cody Meredith, who qualified for state for the second straight season by finishing third in the Division V meet.

All three runners made the trip to Fresno on Friday and are eager to run against the best California has to offer once the starting pistol fires.

"I wanted us to make it as a team, but I'm still glad I made it individually," said Boyal, who will compete against 225 other runners today. "I know I'm not the best, but I always try my best and I like the competition."

Boyal followed up an impressive sophomore season by going undefeated in TCC meets for the second consecutive year. He was named the conference MVP and finished 12th at the Division II meet to qualify for state. "In league, no one challenged him. No one stayed with him," River Valley coach Paul Odegard said. "He's a student of the sport and he does his homework. He goes online and checks other people's times so he knows his competitors really well."

During the summer, Boyal would run five days a week. On Mondays, Thursdays and Fridays he went on 8-mile runs, while the other two days he either worked out on the track, ran hills in the area or ran the stairs at Falcon Stadium.

All the hard work had paid off, as he was able to shave several seconds off his times this year with his best performance coming at the prestigious Stanford Invitational when he clocked in at 16 minutes, 7 seconds.

"I want to get my time under 16 minutes," he said. "And if I could get in the top 40 that would be great, too."

Boyal is the second Falcon to qualify for state, joining T.J. Wy who ran in 2007.

Joining him in Fresno will be Jarvis, a sophomore sensation who won each TCC race this fall by at least a minute and a half. The TCC girls MVP, Jarvis placed third at the D-II meet to book her ticket to Fresno.

"Making state was my goal, but I didn't know how farfetched it really was," Jarvis said. "California is so competitive, so it will be difficult to place. I'd like to break 19 minutes and that's my goal."

Jarvis has started her prep career off with a bang. During the track and field season as a freshman last spring, she dominated in the long-distance events and set school records in the 800, 1,600 and 3,200.

She is the first Falcon girl to reach the state meet, and while the times will be fast and the competitors will be tough in today's race, Jarvis wouldn't have it any other way.

"The competition drives me to be the best I can be," she said. "You always know there's someone better than you and that pushes me to do my best to become a better runner."

The two River Valley runners will be joined by several of their teammates, who will accompany their coach south to help cheer them on.

"I want them to see this meet," Odegard said. "It's a great event and all these kids have fantastic times."

Also making the trip to Fresno is Meredith, who is familiar with the event after qualifying for it last year.

"It helps that I know the course and stuff like that," he said. "I'm a little nervous and excited at the same time."

Meredith said his goal is to complete the 3.1-mile course in under 18 minutes. His best time this year is 18:22.

"He has natural talent and that makes all the difference," Faith Christian coach Pixie Baber said. "He works hard and he likes it, and that's important, too."

Meredith was the first Lions' male runner to qualify for state when he made it last year, Baber said. A female athlete from Faith Christian reached state four years ago.

The 3.1-mile course is made up of hard-packed dirt trails with some grass and asphalt mixed in. It has mild ups and downs over rolling hills with one steep short hill. The top three teams and 10 individuals in each race will receive awards in all five divisions for both boys and girls.

"It's going to be a great experience, so I just want to do my best," Jarvis said.