It’s apparently impossible to count out the Arcadia High School cross country team.

It could have been easy to do so. The program faced tremendous turmoil when popular coach James O’Brien was fired just before the start of summer training camp at Mammoth Lakes. Arcadia then finished second to Warren in last week’s CIF-Southern Section Division 1 championship at Mt. SAC.

Saturday morning, the Apaches answered their naysayers by winning their second consecutive CIF State championship and third Division I title in four years at Fresno’s Woodward Park.

“We just get in the zone and we know when it’s time to race,” said senior Estevan De La Rosa, who finished second. “It’s an Arcadia thing. The day before the race, we’re so focused that we don’t even talk to each other sometimes.