A Team Without Borders

Originally published on MileSplit.com on September 28, 2017.

—

You must know first that Juan Gonzalez is proud of Eagle Pass, Texas. He accepts everything about this place, an American border town on the other side of Piedras Negras, Mexico.

The good, the bad, the everything. Gonzalez will stand by it. Like a wall.

When acts of violence or crime happen here or across the border — events used to paint bleak pictures about regions like this, or about the perceived threats to American culture — sometimes there’s no control over what others will say. Sometimes those voices drive all the way up to Washington, DC.

But there’s no changing Gonzalez’s mind, because that’s not his reality. The 44-year-old is a married father of two boys, a science teacher to many at the local high school, and a respected coach to one of the best cross country teams in the state.

Gonzalez has created one of the best programs in Texas over the last 11 years, helping the Eagles reach the University Interscholastic League cross country championships in six of the past seven years, in the state’s highest public school classification, often leading his athletes to gain full scholarships to colleges of their choice. He keeps these successes close, pinning every college jersey he receives from a graduate inside…