Breathless and sweaty, the cross country boys finish up their workout and head to the field house to change. For most of them, heading home to relax is the only thing on their minds. For junior Ernesto Rios, work and homework still need to be tended to.

“I love cross country; it helps me when I deal with stress from work and school,” Rios said. “In order to make it to cross country and to work on time I was in JV so I could run early in the day, but not even an hour later I would be making food for customers.”

Being a hard worker doesn’t mean Rios doesn’t have time for his friends.

“Ernesto has this way of always trying to help us,” junior Yomele Almeida. “He doesn’t necessarily give the best advice, but I know that he means the best.”

School work and staying on top of his classes is a priority for Rios.

“Our eighth period class is very easy, and if you wanted you could have free time,” sophomore Joel Avalos said. “Once we’re done with your class work, though, all he does is work for another class.”

Rios’s friends and family notice how hard he works

“I worry about him sometimes from how stressed he is always,” Rios’s mom Martha Rios said. “There have been many time when I call his friend to get his mind off things.“

Rios also competes in track.

“Man, we have so much fun during track season, and Ernesto is the one that brings fun to it,” junior Jose Sanchez said. “One time he started yelling and saying funny stuff just trying to get me to keep going in my race.”

Although running is not a favorite for many, Rios’s passion for running is huge.

“Being in cross country taught me a lot, which made me love it even more,” Rios said. “Forget the miles; remember the glory.”