The Story Of The Running Recruiter

By NICK YAMASHITA

The Progress

The Moapa Valley High School Cross Country Teams took the Nevada 3A Regionals Titles for the 2nd year in a row on April 10. Unfortunately, this year there will be no state competition this year.

But a big part of the Pirate teams’ success this year has come from MVHS senior Preston Humes.

Not surprisingly, Humes finished first this year in the regional championship with a time of 16:35.5. He has been running these meets since he was in middle school.

“I started running when I was young,” Humes said. I joined the cross country team as a Freshman.”
But his personal performance hasn’t been Humes’ only contribution to the team. He has done a lot more to ensure the team’s success.

“I saw there was a need for new talent so I started recruiting friends and other students to join the team,” said Humes.

One of the first friends he recruited was Max Shambaugh, who started helping him persuade other people to run.

“Some were playing other sports during the fall and switched over and joined us,” Humes said.

By his junior year, the Pirate cross country teams had become the dominant team in Nevada, winning almost every race.
“I was happy to see the teams become so strong and talented,” said Humes.

Since he was a young boy, Humes’ running idol was former MVHS running champion and record holder, Josh Thompson. Thompson currently runs professionally under sponsorship by Nike and is training to make the US Olympic Team this summer.

It was this last year, when Humes was actually able to rise above his idol. Humes broke a school record on Mar. 27 in a Pahrump, NV meet. It was a record which was held by Thompson. Humes held off all contenders of the race by a very large margin winning with a new record time of 16:13.4. The old record was 16:27.

While the pandemic was going on, Humes had run during club season an unofficial 15:36 for the 5K (3.1 miles). He had also previously broken the record while running at Faith Lutheran earlier in the season, but then he got the news afterward that the course was 0.1 miles short so the record-breaking run was ruled invalid.

“It was pretty tough!” he said. “But I bounced back and knew I would get that record.”

When the record was finally obtained, Humes couldn’t be more proud of himself. “It feels amazing!” he said. “It took me four years. Big for me, but it is important to be humble. I really couldn’t have done it without all of my teammates and coaches.”

When asked about his record, whether it will be broken or not, Humes replied, “I actually want my record broken. I want kids to be competitive and know they can do anything I can do.”

Humes is disappointed that there was no state competition this year. But he realizes he has no time to wade into disappointment.
“I have options ahead of me,” he said.

Humes looks forward to serving a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to Cincinnati, OH, after graduation. After that, he has made a verbal commitment to run at Southern Virginia University in Buena Vista, Virginia. That was the only college willing to hold a scholarship for him while he is on a mission.

“I am sure more options will be available after I return from my mission as well,” stated Humes.
Humes is the son of Stuart and Heather Humes, both graduates of MVHS. Heather Humes is also the MVHS Girl’s Cross Country Coach alongside Gary Watkins, coach of the boy’s team.

“I got to give thanks to God, and then my parents for supporting me,” Preston said. “My team for being a huge part of the success. Josh Thompson for motivating me, and my sister Emma who pushed me to be better.”

Now that Humes leaves MVHS, the cross country team members look to each other to recruit new talent and enshrine the competitive spirit of the running recruiter, Preston Humes, to continue the winning ways of the Pirates Cross Country.