When the Flowery Branch cross country teams travelled to Carrollton for the state championships on Nov. 5, winning was a possibility, but it wasn’t an expectation.

The boys entered the meet ranked third in the state; the girls were lower at No. 9.

Falcons coach Jimmy Sorrells advised his team, as he always does, to give it 100 percent, do their best and not worry about the final result.

But when the dust settled, their best exceeded anything they could have hoped for.

The girls took second at the meet, well above their ranking. Not to be outdone, the boys took home the Class AAAA state championship.

“They told me they did their best,” Sorrells recalled with a laugh. “If you’re one of the teams expected to win, the feeling is satisfaction. But for us, we just wanted to do our best, so we didn’t make (winning) an expectation. It was overwhelming to see all that hard work they put in come to fruition.”

It was hard work by the athletes, but, according to junior runner Megan Kirk, Sorrells’ coaching played a major role in getting them to that plateau.

Kirk said that, unlike many coaches, Sorrells makes it a point to take part in the training he puts his athletes through.

“He’s so great at motivating us,” Kirk said. “Most coaches tell people to go run, but he’s out there with us, pushing us. It’s not an easy sport, and it takes a lot of endurance, so his motivation plays a huge role.”

For Sorrells’ efforts, he has been selected as the Times Cross Country Coach of the Year.

Sorrells attributed his success in coaching to a few specific things.

For one, he said he helps make cross country a priority for his runners. In order to succeed in the sport, it’s necessary to be committed to training.

“Work is a matter of consistency,” he said. “One of the things I do that may be unique to our program is that we always practice in the morning. I think it’s a tremendous compliment to the kids that they make running a priority to start the day. They know how important it is.”

He’s also always learning, something he said is required of coaches and athletes if they want success.

“I know I don’t know everything,” he said. “There’s a lot more I can learn, and I want to do that to try and improve my program.”

And, perhaps most importantly, he tries to develop a strong rapport between everyone on the team.

Cross country is a sport that, from the outside, appears to focus more on the individual, but Sorrells said a strong team atmosphere is key in achieving success.

“Believe it or not, that’s priority one,” he said. “It’s not the running; it’s the team building. Runners rely so much on their coaches and each other, and I think that transferred to our success at state.”

Kirk said that helped her personally throughout the season.

“It’s hard to force yourself to run,” she said. “It’s important to have others that can push you to keep going.”

Sorrells will soon have to look ahead and begin trying to replace the four graduating seniors from his boys team. But for now, he’d like to focus on what his teams were able to accomplish this season.

“It’s kind of like a fairy tale,” he said. “You try to focus on doing the right things, and good things will happen. It’s one of those memories I’ll keep with me for a long time.”