Perez and Gonzalez heading to state meet

Eric Perez and Julian Gonzalez continue to push each other every step of the way. 

The two Victor Valley College cross country runners are off to Fresno Saturday for the CCCAA State Championships at Woodward Park. 

The two earned their trip to the state meet representing their college and team with strong finishes at the SoCal Regional. 

Perez finished in 54th place with a time of 21 minutes, 31.8 seconds and Gonzalez finished in 105th place with a time of 22:50.7. 

"My goal is to try to finish the season healthy," said Perez, who is a kinesiology major. "I feel like I am in a good position. I am blessed to be able to go." 

Gonzalez is also a kinesiology major and said he will enjoy the challenge that lies before him. 

"My goal is to try my hardest no matter what the circumstance I am in," he said.  

Victor Valley has a very small team this year with three racers, but that does not mean they are not competitive. Since there are no opportunities for team success, the pair works on pushing each other. 

While it has been a great season for the pair of runners, coach Oscar Lemus hopes their success can help grow the team for next year. 

"It's difficult when you are running with so few people. It's more on the individual," he said. "They have worked well together.  Eric has been very good about trying to help Julian." 

Lemus said while both have trained a lot of miles this fall; they are both ready for the race. Physically, Perez and Gonzalez should do well on the course. 

"We are going to run the course (Friday) so they know it completely. At this point it's all mental and confidence," he added. "This course is very nice. The first 150-meters is all on grass. It's a super nice course. It's very open and wide." 

The State Championships are hosted by Clovis College. The men's 4.0-mile race will begin at 11 a.m.