True, at a cursory glance freshman Mitchell Pratt may seem like any other ninth grader—awkward, young, and still a little goofy-looking as teenagers go. In fact, at a cursory glance the undiscerning may even dismiss him as safe. However, make no mistake—his appearances belie the truth: that he is a vicious, fast runner.
For one, he’s medaled in every single race he’s run so far, a feat often unreachable for most freshmen. Just this past weekend on Oct. 24 at the Mt. Sac Invitational, considered the largest cross country meet in the nation, he nabbed the much-coveted second place with an unheard of three-mile time of 17:01.
However, these numbers do an injustice, as most statistics do, because they gloss over the work and heart that goes into running. Other statements, such as that he is currently the fastest freshman on the Arcadia cross country team, are similarly meaningless out of context.
Assistant coach Alex Fan, who’s seen and coached a great many decorated runners, admitted, “To be honest with you, the first thing I noticed about him was his ridiculous running form. He is definitely not one of the smoothest runners out there,” however, he added, “I think he is so successful because of the sheer will he possesses and high pain tolerance. I didn’t quite know how good he would get but the first time I ran with him I told him those two qualities could take him a long way in cross country.”
Mitchell himself unknowingly revealed those same two qualities when he reflected, “What XC really comes down to is one question: How much do you want it?” When asked what motivated him to participate in such a grueling and gut-busting sport, in which the rewards come far and in-between, his response was simple but emphatic: the promise of growth and victory. He responded, “If our team’s finest aren’t better every year, then what are we really worth? I’m aiming to beat the Arcadia freshman record, Renaud Poizat’s 15:52. That was four years ago, so I feel the need to break the standstill.”
But Mitchell isn’t the only one with high expectations—his peers, as well as his superiors in age and experience, hold him in high esteem. Senior Patrick Wrobel expressed disbelief and respect when he said, “I would have never thought from a first impression that he was capable of running a 17:01 at Mt. Sac Invite. He can only get better.”
And, as everyone familiar with him is quick to emphasize, Mitchell has a great personality and sense of humor. According to coach  Fan, “every day with Mitchell Pratt is an experience. The kid is a goofball with a great attitude.” Or as senior Gabriel Weil put it, “I love that kid!”

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It seems the theme of this year’s varsity football team is redemption. Though its campaign has been riddled with iniquities and plagued by misfortune, the Apache football team has managed in a number of brief, glorious moments to transcend their losses. With a now 1-5 overall record with one tie, and with the last win four games ago, perhaps the most pressing question is “Can they pick themselves up again?”
It’s true the season began with a 13-27 loss against Monrovia and a heart-rending 0-40 against St. Francis, but the team has remained stalwart. In fact, each member has become even more committed to his teammates, as demonstrated by senior Philip He, who said, “the aspirations I have for myself is to help the team achieve more wins and get into the playoffs...For the underclassmen I want to help them gain experience and become better as players on the field and as strong individuals off the field.”
In fact, it is that camaraderie and sense of obligation to fellow teammates that binds the team together as a single cohesive unit. Senior Garrett Tuck explained that “our greatest strength is our team chemistry. We’re close and that helps us a lot.” However, he also admitted that the team’s greatest “weakness is that we are inexperienced and don’t have much depth.” He then went on to cite the lack of school interest and participation in football as a possible explanation for the team’s current depth, adding that “our school has 4,000 people and only 30 are on the varsity team.”
And so armed with the lessons they gained from the previous two games, the Apaches faced off against the long-time rival Temple City on Sept. 25. Having taken the stinging hits two weeks before with St. Francis and the week before that with Monrovia, the team was eager to redeem itself and crush the next challenger. And that their opponent was Temple City, historically known to hate on us Arcadians, only made their blood boil hotter. Thus, it came as no surprise that Arcadians and Temple City-ers alike were outraged when the match ended in a 28-28 tie.
Though football games these days almost never end in ties, this particular one did due to the whims of a small, select group of men: the referees. The men refused to umpire an overtime period, insisting that they were paid only to preside over the few hours or so allotted for the game—but no more. According to coach Dimalante, “They just told me it wasn’t a league game and we weren’t going to do overtime. They just decided that they weren’t…In the end they said, ‘If you guys want to play, go ahead and play. We’re leaving.’”
And because of how competitive and valiant the game was, with both teams trading leads numerous times throughout the evening, it would be insufficient to say that people were disappointed. The ensuing firestorm stretched into the following weeks. What began as an immediate, visceral reaction of booing and hissing on the part of that night’s spectators soon took another shape in the next day’s deluge of phone calls to the San Gabriel Valley Football Officials Association’s offices. The search for who was to be held accountable was on, ending only when a special meeting convened to discuss the outcome of the game. There the referees acknowledged that what they did was wrong and not by the rulebook, beginning the long process of rectification.
Then on Oct. 1, the team finally got the win they deserved. The Apaches dynamited the Glendale Nitros with a final score of 34-16. According to Philip’s observations, the team beat Glendale primarily because of “our offensive line being able to block for Rodney and Everett all game long while protecting Myles our quarterback.”
However, on Oct. 9 the Apaches lost to Pasadena a narrow 14 to 19. Though the team’s defense did well, the offense just could not capitalize on all the opportunities it was presented. Phillip lamented, “We were upset by Pasadena since we have not lost to them in 12 or 13 years.”
Game play improved slightly a week later with Muir, but not enough to knock off a win. “The team played really well. We were driving on them the whole time but had too many turnovers,” as Garrett admitted. And the week after that, the team came short 35-25 at the Homecoming game with Burroughs.
However, the season has yet to end, and the Apaches remain ever vigilant. The raw materials for a team are all there—devoted team, strong individuals—but the finished product is still a work in progress.

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