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Faith, Focus, Fight and Finish - The Clarkston GA boys XC team Part I - Mary Albl

Published by
DyeStat.com   Aug 20th 2015, 4:04pm
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Faith, Focus, Fight, and Finish

 

A new series following the Clarkston GA boys XC team

 

Editor's Note: DyesStat contributor Mary Albl will be following the Clarkston High boys cross country team (Clarkston, Ga.) this entire season, giving an in-depth look at the program, the individuals on the team, and sharing their stories. 

 

By Mary Albl for DyeStat

 

Coach Wesley Etienne got his first glimpse of this year’s cross country team on Aug. 1 and numbers were a little lower than expected on the heels of last fall’s Class 5A state championship. 

 

“School starts next week, so hopefully numbers come up,” the head coach said. “There are some new kids that want to come out.”

 

It’s been a full year since the boys from Clarkston High School began their historic run at the program’s first state championship. Despite the lack of new sign-ups, enthusiam for running is still at an all-time high here.

 

The high school in Clarkston, a small city of 8,000 northeast of Atlanta, serves a diverse student population that hails from more than 50 nations around the globe. The cross country team made headlines last fall for its diverse nature and its ability to defy the odds on the cross country trails with limited resources and funds. 

 

Etienne said the squad is primarily comprised of refugees -- from Ethiopia, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Somalia, and elsewhere. 

 

The families come to Clarkston looking for a second chance and an opportunity at a better life.  

 

“We have a nice melting pot here,” Etienne said.

 

Without name-brand running shoes or flashy new jerseys, the team relied on its talent and heart to produce a championship season in 2014. 

 

Clarkston’s motto is, “Faith, Focus, Fight and Finish.”

 

“We had to fight for everything we earned, while our faith kept us focused on finishing,” Etienne explained. 

 

Last fall, the Angoras edged out 2013 champs, Flowery Branch, by seven points for the state crown. 

 

Clarkston was tabbed as the underdog story of the season. 

 

“It is special to see that community and that school have something to be proud of and to rally around,” Flowery Branch coach Jimmy Sorrells said. “Very much like the movie ‘McFarland,’ you see a community where there seemed there was nothing athletically the school could rally around. Here in the state of Georgia, the rallying sport is generally football. But to see cross country become the focal point of such comradery and support for that school, couldn't think of anything more awesome.”

 

Now, the Angoras will begin this fall as the returning 5A state champions; a title they have never had before. 

 

Over the next couple of months, DyeStat's series on Clarkston will shed some light on this modern day version of the McFarland story. We'll introduce you to:

 

- Suheib Mohamed is entering his third year on the team. He is a junior from Somalia. His older brother Anas ran on the 2014 state title team and graduated in the spring. Mohamed’s aunt and father worked and saved money so that the two brothers come to the United States. 

 

- Bineyam Tumbo is a junior from Hosaena, Ethiopia who split his classroom time between high school and Georgia Perimeter College as a dual-enrollment student. He is an avid soccer player. His older brother Leiso, graduated in 2014 from Clarkston. Their mom is still lives in Ethiopia. 

 

- Daadri Shee, from Somalia, is a high-achieving 15-year old. Coach Etienne met him for the first time last January. This will be his first year on the Clarkton cross country team. Due to an abundance of advanced placement credits, Shee is a senior, the only one on the team (so far). He is also one of the smartest kids in school. 

 

- Coach Etienne, the backbone of the program, identifies with the diversity of his runners. Etienne’s parents are from Haiti and he grew up in New York City and later Florida. He came to Clarkston because he saw a challenge and he has helped morph the cross country program into a family. He’s convinced the students that by channeling their energy into running there are potential opportunities -- including education -- to ignite and accelerate their American Dreams. 

 

One championship didn't change the situation at Clarkston. There are only three returning varsity runners. And training in the offseason is often harder for these student-athletes because of jobs and other family obligations. 

 

 “I’ll say, make sure you go for a run, get some miles in. But they are providing for their families (with jobs),” Etienne said. “I know their main focus is their family, and there is nothing wrong with that.”

 

 It will be a young team this fall. But the message of what has gotten Clarkston to this point is still the same as it was in 2012 when Etienne first took the helm. 

 

 “We can be as good as we were last year or better,” he said. 

 

 Clarkston will open up the season on Aug. 25.



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