LYONS — Winners of the past three 2A state track and field championships, the Lyons boys team has built quite the dynasty over the past several seasons.
Each year the Lions graduate the type of top-end talent and depth that seems irreplaceable, and each year the Lions fill in with new faces on the podium. In 2013, the Lions scored 142.50 team points at state, the most of any boys team in recent memory, raising the question — how can they do it again?
The Lions think they can repeat, but not with surprise standouts. It is likely that brothers Marcel and Joel Such, proven commodities that can combine for huge team points, hold the key to keeping the Lions’ team title streak going.
“I think we graduated 21 seniors last year and now there are five of us,” Lions senior Marcel Such said. “We had a ton of people who could score easily. Half our team could have gone down or a bunch of us could have had an off day at state and we still could have won. But this year it will take all of us.”
It will be tougher this year since the Lions don’t have the otherworldly depth of the 2013 team. But the Lions do still have the most dominant distance team in the state, and they proved that at the cross country championships in the fall.
Combining with the Lions’ No. 1 runner and reigning 2A cross country champion, sophomore Paul Roberts, Marcel and Joel Such helped the Lions sweep the top three spots at the state cross country meet and win the team championship with a perfect score. Marcel Such took second and Joel Such took third.
“A perfect score at the state cross country meet, to the best of our knowledge no one has ever done that before,” Lions head coach Mark Roberts said. “They were a huge part of that. One of the things that they’ve brought into their running is that they approach it the same way they approach other things. If they’re going to do something, they’re going to do it well. So, they’ve always been ahead of the curve with work ethic and they’ve progressed every year.”
Growing up eight miles outside of Lyons, the Such brothers are both home-schooled and are avid ornithologists at the national level. They may be the second and third-best runners on the Lions team, but Roberts said either Marcel or Joel Such could be a No. 1 runner on nearly any other prep team in Colorado, and not just in 2A.
Marcel Such has already won an individual state title in the 3,200, edging teammate Paul Roberts for first place last season. Injuring his knee before the season, Marcel Such even had to take 8-10 weeks off and missed the first couple meets. Healthy and confident this season, he’s ready for his final shot at state and has embraced the higher expectations levied on him to help drive a team title defense.
“I just want to continue with the success I had in cross country, continue to improve and run faster than I did last year,” said Marcel Such, who has committed to run at Western State. “This year I haven’t had any real injuries and I’ve been able to get all my base work in so I’m happy with that. I thought I’d be a lot more apprehensive than I am but I’m just happy that I’m healthy and ready to race in the spring.”
After their performance in the fall, Paul Roberts, Marcel Such and Joel Such could be looking to finish 1-2-3 in either the 1,600 or the 3,200 in the spring. But they all said they are perhaps more excited about the Lions’ 3,200-meter relay potential with the addition of junior teammate Matt Dillon.
On paper, the Lions know they have what it takes to win their fourth straight boys team title. But they also know there is less room for error. If Joel Such, who is still just a sophomore, can keep progressing the way he has, they may widen the gap.
“I’ll definitely need to work on performing the best I can at state and do it for the team,” Joel Such said. “We all support everybody on the team and we’ll need to be at the top of our game at the end. Just knowing that all four of us are up there among the best in 2A and that we can compete with all the lead runners definitely gives me lots of confidence knowing that I’m actually that good.”
Winning five 4A titles from 2001 to 2005, the Mullen boys were the last team to win four in a row. The pressure is now on the Lions. But both Marcel and Joel Such, and coach Roberts, agreed that pressure simply adds excitement to the season.
They have plenty on their plates, but Marcel and Joel Such are making sure to take time to enjoy their final season running as teammates.
“It will be the last one with my brother, that’s probably the main thing,” Joel Such said. “We consider each other best friends and it’s really nice to have an older brother pulling you along. I’ll definitely miss him once he’s gone.”
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