In 2021, Coaches Guy Fowler and Vic Moreno mentored the Oakdale Mustang cross country program to new heights of success by winning the Valley Oak League and Sac-Joaquin Section championship in the boys’ division and earning the Valley Oak League championship and Sac-Joaquin Section runner-up in the girls’ division. The boys’ team went on to a fourth place finish in the California State Championships. What is so exciting about the 2022 team for Fowler and Moreno is that most of the male harriers who earned the aforementioned championships and state placement have returned and have been augmented by some new faces including an outstanding transfer.
With the potential for an absolutely amazing season before him, Fowler called on a highly successful and long-time cross country coach and personal friend to provide a motivational address to the team on Friday, Aug. 26. Coach Amador Ayon Fernandez, head coach of the storied McFarland Cougars, put the sport of cross country, the forthcoming season, and personal character in perspective for the team in an hour-long speech. The McFarland Cougars are the nine-time California state boys’ cross country champions and were featured in the 2015 Disney feature film McFarland USA, starring Kevin Costner as legendary coach Jim White. The highly motivational movie focuses on the 1987 McFarland team, which amazed the California cross country community by coming out of nowhere to win their first ever California state cross country championship. Ayon was a member of that storied team but was not portrayed in the movie.
“There were seven different scripts presented to the producers and I was portrayed in six of them,” said Ayon. “They chose the seventh script.”
Despite not being portrayed in the film, Ayon went on to earn a college degree and has been White’s successor as head coach since 1992.
Ayon characterized cross country in a tongue-in-cheek manner by telling the Mustang runners, “We are the sport that everybody else uses as punishment – you know, somebody messes up, the coach says ‘go run a lap.’ We do that for fun.”
Putting things into perspective, Ayon went on to say that running is like no other sport.
“It doesn’t matter how gifted you are. It’s all in your attitude. I don’t care so much about a person’s status. What I care about is what a kid is going to give you from the heart.”
Coach Ayon, whose teams at one point had won 25 section championships in a row, also told the students that his main emphasis is on academics – he has been a teacher at McFarland High School since he completed college.
With regard to running, Ayon said work ethic is everything.
“Anyone can run,” said the 52-year-old coach. “Success depends on your heart. If you put in the work, you can succeed.”
He also told the Mustang runners that each of them must “believe in yourself – believe in what you can do.”
Ayon punctuated his points with examples of former teammates, some portrayed in McFarland USA, and other runners he had coached who had believed in themselves, outworked other athletes, and had risen to the top despite not being the most talented members of their teams.
He challenged the runners, “Always run 50 meters past the finish line,” as a technique to be accelerating as a runner finishes a race to ensure success. But he went on to also tell the runners, “Don’t be afraid of failure. You may not win or even finish in the top ten, but if you do your best, you are still a winner.”
Following his motivational talk, Ayon ran with the girls’ and boys’ teams in a team fun run as the Mustangs prepare to defend their titles. The official season begins Thursday, Sept. 1, with the Jaguar Invitational sponsored by Kimball High School in Tracy.
When asked about the forthcoming season, Fowler stated: “Last year we kind of went unnoticed; but that will not be the case this year. We definitely have the talent on both teams to make a return trip to the California State Championships. Right now, it is all about preparing, staying healthy, and eating right, and if we can do that we will be there in the end. It’s going to be a fun year.”
The Mustang season will involve participation in a number of non-league invitational meets and three Valley Oak League meets. The California state meet is slated for Woodward Park in Fresno on Nov. 26.
