The Freshmen Headlining the Future of Watauga XC: Jonah Pearson and Sean Rea

Sean Rea (left) and Jonah Pearson (right) compete at the Friday Night Lights Invitational in their 8th-grade season. The venue for this meet, Ivey Redmon Sports Complex, is also the venue for the NCHSAA 6A state meet. Photo Credits: Jonah Pearson 

Isaac James, Staff Writer for The Powderhorn

The transition from middle to high school isn’t easy. When transitioning from middle school athletics to high school athletics, the difference in competition can be overwhelming. For middle school standouts, the pressure to succeed at the next level can be difficult, but freshmen Jonah Pearson and Sean Rea took their momentum from middle school and ran with it, fast. The two have been running together for years, and in any race they were in, you could be sure to see them up at the front working as a unit. Now that they’re in high school, the two have started strong, running for the Watauga Men’s XC team at one of the highest levels: the state meet. 

“Since in middle school we went to states every year, I almost felt like I was guaranteed to go,” said Sean Rea. “When I got closer to the end of the season, I kind of realized that I might not actually go because I was around 9th or 8th on the team. I was like, okay, this might be a little different from middle school.” 

Luckily for Rea, he did end up running at states alongside his middle school running partner, Jonah Pearson. The two put on strong performances at states, with Pearson and Rea finishing 39th and 49th, respectively. Having had this opportunity as freshmen, the duo learned what to expect at championship races.

“In middle school, we didn’t really do much at states. It was kind of like we just went, ran, and left,” said Jonah Pearson. “But in high school, things feel more exciting. You can point [notable] people out in races. Seeing the girls win was really awesome too.” 

The difference in competition wasn’t the only thing the pair had to get used to. The number one way to get faster is to run more, and for talented middle schoolers used to running 3 or 4 days a week, weekly mileage can more than double. 

“The difference in intensity was insane,” said Pearson. “The shift from 15-mile weeks to 30 or 40-mile weeks was huge. With high school, you also do stuff outside of running, too, like weight training.” 

After such a strong first season, there’s no doubt that plenty of eyes will be on Pearson and Rea to be a big part of the team’s future. The two of them know their potential and are excited to see how they can progress over the coming years. 

“I want to get more into training over the summer,” said Rea. “I didn’t hit as many long runs this year as I could have. If I can lock in and run a little more, I think I can improve a lot.”

Rea and Pearson aren’t the only people who show plenty of promise for the future. Their fellow freshman Parker Williams was just 1 spot off from running alongside them at states. This year’s XC season was Williams’s first, and the way he progressed throughout the season shows a lot of potential for success on the team. 

“Next year on varsity we’re gonna lose Zeke [Walker], Levi [Anderson], Elliott [Taft], and Calvin [Zwetsloot], but I think we can still be really strong,” said Rea. “I think if we can focus more on consistency in our times, we can improve a lot.”

With 3 more years of high school cross country left, Pearson and Rea show no signs of stopping anytime soon. As they continue to gain valuable experience, the two are likely to keep climbing up the ranks of North Carolina’s top runners. 

“I’m really looking forward to running with these boys and this team over the next couple years,” said Pearson. “I’m excited to see where our track season this year will take us”.