PRESCOTT — ’Twas the night before race day and all through the Prescott commons were dozens of runners stirring, stretching and listening. In recent years, Prescott has had some of its fastest runners and strongest teams, which has led to some great results, including the girls team making State in 2024 for the first time in school history.

These fast runners are not growing on trees; the success stems from the preparation, and the preparation stems from the culture.

“It’s like a family in certain aspects,” senior Kyra Dix said. “We all get along pretty well.”

So, what does the preparation look like? Most days, the Cardinals warm up before heading out onto the practice course. Friday in particular was a special day, as it was the day before half the team would hit the road for a massive meet called the Roy Griak Invitational hosted by the University of Minnesota, and the other half of the team would take a trip to Osceola to compete against some familiar foes.

The afternoon of practice featured a lot of rain, so the Cardinals warmed up by stretching and running the halls of the high school. Then, special guest Amber Van Loon imparted some wisdom onto the team. Van Loon, a 2026 Prescott graduate, is the third fastest Prescott girls cross country runner in school history. She has since made the jump to collegiate running, competing in cross country and track and field at Northern Michigan. Van Loon was actually in town because her college team was also competing at the Roy Griak Invitational. She used her time speaking to the team to share what life as a collegiate runner has been like thus far as well as to debrief the team about her experiences running at both the Griak and in Osceola, so they know what to expect when the race begins.

“I’m proud I was able to run in college. That’s something not a lot of people get to do, so I’m glad that I had that opportunity,” Van Loon said.

Van Loon currently cannot compete due to a knee injury, but has stayed in contact with Prescott Head Coach Tim Philips, known as Coach Boom to the student athletes, about her progression back into competition form.

“I miss the team, just coming back here. I love my team now, don’t get me wrong, but I also just miss the people here,” Van Loon said.

When Van Loon was finished answering questions, the team braved the rain for a quick run, practicing each of their racing gears before returning to the commons. Normally, the team would run further, but race day eve is the day for a lighter run.

Once the whole team returned from the run, they gathered to cool down and stretch. Before parting ways for a good night’s rest, they heard words of wisdom special guest Van Loon.

“Focus on the little things that you think may not be important. They are, like stretching, taking care of yourself,” Van Loon said. “You have to have a passion. You have to want to do it or you’re not going to get better.”

Over the years, the runners learn what goes into decreasing their times on race day. They learn to practice with intent, and they learn to treat their bodies the right way all season long.

“I’ve tried to learn how to sleep better. Learning that two nights before, not just the night of, is important for sleep. Just push yourself harder every single day in practice because you know it’s going to pay off,” Dix said. “Keep the easy days easy, because if you don’t do that, your body is not going to be able to recover.”

Senior Andrew Henrich emphasized the importance of taking practice seriously. He said a runner can only improve by pushing themselves and finding a new upper limit each time they take the course.

“You’ll get better if you do the work,” Henrich said.

Cross country is an interesting sport, because while runners are racing against their own times, they are ultimately fighting for the team placement as well.

“It makes you push yourself two times as hard, because obviously you want to push yourself so you’re better than the last time that you did it, but you also want to push for your team,” Dix said.

One of Dix’s favorite parts of the sport is finishing the race and waiting at the finish line to cheer on the rest of her team. Dix is not a bad person to take advice from, as she is the fastest runner the Prescott girls team has ever seen, and she seems to find a new personal best time each time she races, now standing at 18:19 for a 5k. Dix was a teammate of Van Loon during the 2024 State run, and qualified for State individually in 2025.

This particular rendition of the Cardinals has a variety of upper and underclassmen. Dix said the senior girls write cards to the rest of the girls to encourage them before the meets.

“With past teams, we’ve all worked well together. Everybody encourages each other. We try to keep that going,” Henrich said. “We all push each other, and we all keep each other in check.

“It’s really nice because you get to talk to new people that you normally never talk to,” Henrich said of the range of grade levels on the team.