F or Aaron Thomas, it’s a one for the thumb kind of fall. Oh, you better believe even saying that out loud in his presence would cause the longtime Gilbert boys cross country coach to turn crimson in the face, and there’s a better chance he’d stand and scream “I’M GOING TO DISNEY WORLD!” in a crowded gymna- sium than there would be of him ever mentioning the thumb pos- sibility. Fixating on past successes and talking about them just isn’t his style. Never has been, never will be. But it’s impossible to deny the potential for his program this fall. With four previous state championships under his belt, Thomas has the talent at his disposal to chase a fifth crown in 2024. A fifth championship ring. This one for the thumb, just in case you were confused earlier. He knows it. His athletes know it. The entire cross coun-
try community across the state knows it. So it may as well be acknowledged. “Obviously, (the goal) is to re- peat,” Thomas, who guided the Tigers to their fourth-ever state title a season ago, said. “The guys are going to say that and, realistically, that should be the goal when you bring five of seven guys back.” The hunter versus the hunted — there is a difference. At this time in 2023, Gilbert was the hunter, looking to chase down behemoth Pella, which entered the campaign as the clear fa- vorite to win a second consecu- tive 3A championship. As the season progressed though, Gil- bert showed it had the moxie and talent to stare down the Dutch. And when the state meet rolled around, well, it was a duel that will be talked about for years. Gilbert put two runners in the top 10, three in the top 12, and four in the top 15. Pella coun- tered with the individual gold
8 GAME ON | FALL 2024
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