by: Arnav Singhal

Sports Editor

On the trail and the track or in the classroom, wherever sophomore Kevin Sacco ventures, he makes sure to leave a lasting impact.

Sacco started this academic school year strong. Currently, he is taking a diverse range of classes, including Chemistry, AP European History, Honors English, Algebra 2 Accelerated, Spanish 2, and Orchestra. Midway through his sophomore year, Sacco now has enough experience in his first Advanced Placement (AP) class, and, for him, there is a vast difference in effort from a grade level class. While Sacco excels in every aspect of school, he particularly enjoys his AP European History class with Tom Hughes. Sacco credits his academic success to Mr. Hughes, enthusing, “He’s just an amazing teacher, and he makes class really fun.”

While his academics remain outstanding, it is in his athletics where Sacco truly shines. At Los Gatos High School, Sacco has been running for the LGHS Boys’ Varsity Cross Country team and Boys’ Varsity Track & Field team. He has succeeded in both the past few years, where he has had the honor of competing at the Nike Outdoor Nationals, Stanford Invitational, and the New Balance Indoor Nationals. He attributed his triumphs and motivation to his father and track coach, stating, “I got into it because my dad. He used to run in college, and so he was the track coach and cross country coach at the middle school. And so I did it, and I just stuck with it.” Now, as the cross country season comes to an end, he moves on, motivated for his off-season training with the ambitious goal of running a sub-4:30 mile.

Sacco’s athletic endeavors extend beyond running, as he loves to surf as well. Over the summers, when track and cross country aren’t in season, Sacco works as a counselor at the Club Ed Surf Camp at Marisa Beach in Monterey Bay. His love of surfing began through his time as a camper at Club Ed years ago. He recalled, “I went to the camp as a camper, like a summer camp. I was very interested in it, and eventually managed to get a job there.” 

As Sacco’s running career takes off, when asked about his future, he expressed a desire to continue his career throughout high school and possibly on the college level. Sacco is now taking on more of a teaching role in track, cross country, and surfing, and he is on his way to becoming the mentor his dad was. As Sacco steps into his fourth semester in high school, he shared his best tip for both running and life more generally:“You won’t regret trying too hard. Like you won’t regret putting in the work.” Clearly, Sacco takes his own advice by continuing to put in the work to reach his goals in track and school.