After winning the Division I state championship in 2007, its first since 1988, the expectations for the Dana Hills boys cross country team could not have been higher this season.
With the core of their championship team returning, the prevailing thought was that the Dolphins would be the team to beat in the county and probably the state.
It was a situation Dolphins coach Tim Butler said his team could handle.
“We had a solid focus from the beginning,” Butler said. “In order to deflect any pressure we had, the team concentrated on their goals.”
That focus helped drive Butler and the Dolphins to one of the most dominant seasons in county history.
For his nurturing influence and steady leadership, Butler has been selected the Register’s 2008 Boys Cross Country Coach of the Year.
“Ultimately, I saw being in this position with this group as a gift,” Butler said. “The team gave the coaching staff so much pleasure by the way they performed and grew as young men this season.”
That growth was evident from the early stages of the season. In what would become a recurring theme, the Dolphins set a new course record at their own invitational in September, with five of their runners finishing in the top seven.
Their next dominant display came at the Orange County Championships, where they repeated as champions and finished with a team time of 1:15:32, setting a team record on the Irvine Regional modern course by more than a minute.
After winning the sweepstakes team competition at the Mt. SAC Invitational, the Dolphins set a Laguna Niguel Regional Park course record in winning the South Coast League title for the 18th time under Butler.
The Dolphins completed their CIF postseason goals by repeating as Southern Section champions and CIF Division I state champions.
Butler revealed that part of what made this season especially gratifying was the bond that developed.
“The kids accomplished the ultimate goal of my program, which is to give and receive love from each other,” he said. “The journey that the kids went through was difficult, but they did it together.”
