PLAYOFF PROFILES : Setting Pace at Nordhoff

It could be the magic socks or the different uniforms to go with different stages of the season.

Or perhaps it’s the pool workouts in the final weeks of the season that do the trick.

Whatever the reasons, Nordhoff High cross-country Coach Ken Reeves has become a master at getting his runners to peak for championship meets.

The Ranger boys’ and girls’ teams won their second consecutive Division III titles in last week’s Southern Section championships at Mt. San Antonio College, and the boys are favored to win their third consecutive Division III title in today’s State championships at Woodward Park in Fresno.

Since 1990, the Nordhoff boys and girls have won a combined eight section and five state titles.

“I don’t have some magical formula,” said Reeves, who is in his 11th season. “I really think it’s a case where the kids have sold themselves on the program. I think they spend a lot of time telling themselves that they’re going to run well at the end of the season.”

The unassuming Reeves, who credits assistants Ted Cotti and Michelle Lewis with much of the team’s success, does several things to make postseason competition fun for his charges.

First, he and the team don funky socks from the Southern Section preliminaries on. Two years ago, they were Argyll. Last year, the boys wore Tasmanian devil socks with the girls decked out in Sonic The Hedgehog footwear. This year, the boys are hopping to it in Bugs Bunny socks with the girls sporting Mickey Mouse .

Next, Nordhoff has different uniforms for regular-season meets, section prelims, he section finals and State championships.

Finally, Reeves has the team spend two workouts a week training in the pool during the last three weeks of the season as an alternative to running.

He figures the pool workouts keep his charges from overtraining, the various uniforms signify the increasing importance of the meets and the socks help keep the team loose.

“We do want them to run well in the [section] and State finals,” Reeves said. “But we don’t want them to feel like it’s a life-or-death situation. After all, they’re only cross-country meets.”