acgcThe ACGC boys cross country team is coming off its best finish of the season, claiming the top spot in their home tournament Thursday. Three Charger runners placed in the top ten to lead the gold and black to the front of the pack. In addition to 2017 Class 1A All-State runner Noah Nelsen and classmate Clay Billheimer, a junior is stepping up his game. Ben Young was the second of three top-ten finishers wearing the Charger colors on Thursday, crossing the line in 7th place.

Nelsen has certainly noticed Young’s improvement as the season has progressed. “He’s been running well this whole season. It’s just finally paying off for him. We did a run where you get faster over time. He was really making me work because I kept looking back and he would just constantly be there about a block, block and a half behind and I just had to keep moving.”

Head coach Colin Shawgo echoes Nelsen’s comments. “I knew Ben was going to have a good year. I didn’t expect it to really show up this meet, just because throughout the progress, he has been getting better every day (and) every meet, but he really blew it out of the water. I wasn’t expecting this for another couple weeks. So that’s awesome and hopefully that bodes well for the future.”

Next up for the Chargers is the West Central Valley Invitational at the 5×80 Golf Course and Country Club in Menlo. First race is set for 4:30pm on Thursday.