For the first time ever, the Taylorsville boys cross country team is a state champion. 

The Warriors captured the Class 5A title by winning the state meet, held Oct. 29 at Sugar House Park in Salt Lake City. Taylorsville scored 66 points, 14 better than Viewmont’s 80. (In cross country, lower scores are better.) Taylorsville was well ahead of the next-highest team in Region 4, West Jordan, which had 319 points. 

Individually, junior Edward Stout came in second with a time of 15:34.71. His twin brother, Elliot, was 27th, running the 3-mile course in 16:12.17. Senior Cole Jameson was sixth, finishing with a strong time of 15:40.57, while fellow seniors Kai Makowski and Jonah Andrews were 14th and 17th, respectively. Makowski’s time was 15:50.62; Andrews ran the course in 15:54.93. 

The championship meant a lot more to the Warriors than it might for other schools. 

Not only was this the first title for Taylorsville cross country, but it was the first state championship the school has enjoyed since the softball team won it all in 2007. However, head coach Guy Mackay said his athletes recognized this championship as one that extends beyond the team itself. 

“This group, they think about what a title means to the team, the school, the community and the entire west side,” he said. “Some people don’t understand what a big deal it was.”

Indeed, Mackay pointed out that no west-side school (those currently in Region 4: Taylorsville, Cyprus, Granger, Hunter, Kearns) had ever won a cross country state championship. The Warriors’ accomplishments defied Utah high school athletics history. 

Mackay had nothing but praise for his hard-working, dedicated athletes, who gave it their all the entire season. 

“These kids are special,” he said. “This is a group that has been running varsity for four years. We’ve been preparing this group for this moment. It’s been on their minds for a couple of years.”

Though the title may be a surprise to some people, the success and momentum have been building. The boys team was fourth in state last year and eighth in 2022. In 2021, the team was a distant 17th. 

“We feel like we have it going in the right direction,” Mackay said. 

Coming into the season, Mackay said the team didn’t even see itself as a state contender. That all changed three races into the season. Up until that point, the Warriors had been contending with injuries. The team hadn’t been fully healthy. But by meet No. 3, the Warriors did well enough, even without some of their top runners, that the athletes started to believe they could be one of the top squads in 5A. 

“The kids plugged in the time of where we would have been normally if our big guns had been able to race, and they realized, ‘We’re good; we can compete!’” Mackay said. “They made the goal to win the state championship.”

Cross country requires not only skill but endurance and mental strength. Mackay said a big key to outlasting the other teams at state and winning the top prize was the athletes’ mindset. 

“They believed they could win,” he said. “I wanted to get the idea across that if you work hard, there are no limits to what you can accomplish. The kids believed it. They’re such good kids. They’re some of the best kids in the school. They just get it.”

Mackay said the runners pushed themselves all season to be their best.

“The kids didn’t want to let each other down,” he said. “They didn’t want to be the one that kept the team from not winning.”

Taylorsville still struggled with depth compared to other top teams in the state. Still, the Warriors’ numbers were more than other west-side teams. Mackay loses three top performers, Jameson, Makowski and Andrews, but welcomes back the Stout twins. Edward Stout will have his eye on an individual championship after his runner-up finish this season. The first-place finisher from the 2024 meet was a senior, so Edward Stout could be the favorite in 2025. 

To build off this enormous accomplishment of winning state, Mackay hopes to grow the team and generate more excitement around the program. 

“The key will be more numbers,” he said. “Our success will get more people excited.” 

Mackay acknowledges that cross country isn’t as glamorous as other sports such as football, basketball and baseball. However, he hopes bringing home a championship trophy will go a long way in helping to recruit new team members. Mackay said he works hard with junior high schools and even pitches joining the cross country team to other athletes at Taylorsville. 

“This whole year, we’ve tried to create enthusiasm within the school,” he said. 

To bolster this enthusiasm, Mackay has prominently pointed out that the Warriors are ranked No. 24 in the nation. 

As a precursor to winning the 5A crown, earlier this season Taylorsville also won the prestigious Border Wars meet, which consists of teams from throughout the Intermountain West. Mackay said it was the first meet the school had ever won. The Warriors also took second at the renowned Bob Firman Classic in Boise, Idaho, a meet that attracts top cross country squads from around the West. 

At Taylorsville, Mackay is hoping to develop not only good cross country runners but good people. He believes what the athletes learn in the sport can prepare them for the rest of their lives. 

“No one’s going to make money running, but these kids can learn life lessons,” he said.