Shota Yabuuchi had executed the game plan to a tee at the Arizona Interscholastic Association Division 4 Cross Country State Championships on Nov. 13. He’d kept up with the top group for the first mile of the race at Cave Creek Golf Course, which was a tad over 3 miles long. In the second, he cut it loose.
As the others dropped back, Yabuuchi vaulted forward, utilizing the adrenaline rush he got from each runner he passed.
In the final 100 meters, Yabuuchi was feeling what the average person feels after running 3 miles at top-speed: Fatigue and pain. The previous 4,900 meters came down to a sprint for second place between the Sedona Red Rock senior and Michael Slivers of Ganado, who’d beaten Yabuuchi soundly just 11 days prior at the AIA Sectional state qualifier.
Yabuuchi doesn’t classify himself as a “kicker,” a runner with an extraordinary sprinting ability at the end of races, but this day he had it. He just needed a little help from his friends.
“I honestly want to thank all the coaches and my teammates for just standing near the finish line telling me to just ‘go go go, the second-place guy is dying Shota, you gotta kick right now,’ and they’re pushing me forward,” Yabuuchi said. “It gave me extra energy to kick at the end.”
The extra boost from his teammates and coaches enabled Yabuuchi to edge Slivers out for second place at the state championship by three seconds with his time of 16 minutes and 31 seconds. Veritas Prep senior Jon Barney took home the state title with his mark of 16:20.
“I was surprised that he did as well as he did,” Sedona head coach Marty Meyer said. “It’s nice to see him progress from last season and then this season being second at state was a huge accomplishment. I don’t want to say I wasn’t surprised, but I could tell early in the year that he was going to be a contender for sure.”
Cross country is a sport as mental as it is physical. Three miles of running at high speeds isn’t a pleasant feeling. Pushing through the pain is the name of the game, and confidence is key. Yabuuchi struggles with the mental aspect of the sport, he says, despite his extraordinary career at Sedona. That’s why the push from his team helped catapult him to the high placement in his final cross country race as a Scorpion.
“When I run, I tend to think more negatively when I’m not doing well,” Yabuuchi said. “I tend to give up easily. But hearing coaches and my teammates telling me I got this, dig in, push harder, you can pass the second-place guy or something, it gives me extra energy to push at the end.”
Yabuuchi’s second-place state finish comes after his state-championship performance in the 3200 meters in track season last spring. As a junior, Yabuuchi’s 9:43 time in the 3200 earned him a state title. But it’s no surprise to Meyer that he managed to improve in his senior year.
“Shota is the most dedicated student-athlete I have ever coached,” Meyer said. “In the 2020 season he was in the 18s and 17 [minute range], and then at State he broke 17:00 and ran 16:44. He ran a whole minute faster than most of his other races. But then this year, he started the year right around 17:50 and then just started dropping from there. Second meet, he ran 15:50 and it was just like holy cow this is going to be his season to do it.”
Right after the state meet on Nov. 13, Yabuuchi was ready to get back to work. Meyer says Yabuuchi asked for just one week off of training instead of two following the cross country season, saying he wants to get back to work on defending his 3200 meter state title.
“I’m an easy guy to get nervous,” Yabuuchi said. “But especially since I won the 3200 meters last track season, maybe that made me more nervous in my mind, since I won state last year, now I need to place top because I was the state champ. Which I don’t have to think that way, but I kind of do and that makes me more nervous.”
Yabuuchi’s nerves come as a motivator. But one thing is still clear: No matter how anxious he is on the starting line, he’s going to be one of the first to cross the finish line.
