A cold palm cradles the grip of the starter pistol. On the scratch line, Matteo Mazzie tenses his muscles, allowing hot blood to flow through his body. As he shuts his eyes, he visualizes his future across the finish line. His calm demeanor acts as a facade to his pulsating eagerness, and when his eyes open, he can already see the end. As the gun fires and the empty shell falls to the ground, the look in his face says it all. Nobody else knows it, but he has already won. Throughout the season, senior Matteo Mazzie has stayed determined and disciplined, displaying a knack for improvement after every practice. His determination remains unmatched, and he has fittingly developed into a leader on the team.
During the 77th Annual Mt. Sac Invitational on Oct. 24, Mazzie greatly aided the team in securing the 6th spot out of 24 teams in the Varsity Boys Division 5 rankings. He led Poly in the 1 and 2 mile runs and was second for the team in the 3 mile run. For the 1 mile race, he ranked 26th out of 128 runners, 32nd out of 120 runners in the 2 mile race, and 39th out of 120 runners in the 3 mile race.
Out of all of Mazzie’s virtues, the greatest one seems to be the persistence he carries with him. Junior Caiden Kennedy reflected, “He runs the most mileage out of anyone, he never complains and he puts his head down and gets the work done in preparation for our races.”
At practices, his mental fortitude allows him to achieve his full potential where it matters most on the course. “He comes to practice with a resilient mindset, contributing to his overall diligence that I hope to achieve one day,” shared Freshman Jimmy Fu.
After being injured for his entire freshman season, Mazzie transitioned into his sophomore year season attempting to stabilize himself stating, “To address that [his injury], I did lots of strength work between freshmen and sophomore year to prevent me from getting injured anymore.” His relentless drive to better himself serves as a model for his fellow teammates, inspiring them to persevere through the seemingly insurmountable challenges.
In addition to his tenacity, his teammates view him as a very likeable person who attempts to benefit the team rather than just himself. As the boys team captain, his teammates share their praise for him. “I honestly did not know Matteo in the very beginning, but he has been very welcoming, especially since I am a freshman doing cross country for the first time,” said Fu.
Although the boys cross country season has come to an end, Mazzie hopes to join the Poly track team in the spring to continue his running journey in hopes to leave the team in the best shape possible for years to come. As Mazzie nears the finish line to his last year at Poly, there’s no doubt he will continue to achieve success wherever his future lies.
