Kevin Joerger Apparently the housing crunch isn't all gloom and doom. At least that's the way the Thousand Oaks High boys' cross country team sees it.

During the summer, the TOHS boys' squad nearly lost one of its finest runners, junior Kevin Joerger, whose dad, Scott, was looking to relocate closer to Los Angeles, where he'd recently started a new job.

"We were all a bit scared he was going to be gone," said senior Sean Gildea, the Lancers' No. 1 runner. "We were going to have a really good team, and this was disappointing news."

Caught in a stale housing market, Scott Joerger opted to stay in Thousand Oaks and commute to work instead.

"I was able to adjust my hours to make it work," Scott Joerger said.

Naturally, head coach Shawn Morris was delighted to discover TOHS would have all five of its top runners—seniors Asher Lober, Andrew Snyder and Donald Morrow, in addition to Gildea and Joerger—returning for a highly anticipated campaign.

"I'm like, 'Wow, this is good. We're getting all of our guys back,'" the coach said.

IRIS SMOOT/Acorn Newspapers ON THE RISE—Thousand Oaks High's Kevin Joerger finished third overall at the Pepperdine Invitational in leading TOHS to victory. The early returns have been fantastic for the Lancers, 7-0 in Marmonte League competition and slotted No. 2 in the latest www.dyestatcal.com CIFSouthern Section Division II Cross Country Team Rankings.

Sixteen-year-old Joerger has played a significant role in the Lancers' bolt toward the top of the polls and, more importantly, the league standings, where TOHS is finally poised to unseat Royal from the throne after eight consecutive Marmonte championships for the Highlanders.

"The biggest thing for (Joerger) is he has an amazing work ethic," Morris said. "He has the essentials to be a very, very good distance runner.

"I remember when I first met him last year—my first year here, his sophomore year—I had to hold him back in a lot of workouts. He wanted to do more. He wanted to run more. And that's where I knew that if I could keep him healthy, he would put in 100 percent during every workout and run it the way I wanted him to."

Joerger is extremely dedicated to his school, his sport and his church.

He takes five classes at Thousand Oaks, including AP English, chemistry and calculus.

After school, the team runs an average of eight miles during each practice. Homework is an afterdark chore, and Joerger attends Lighthouse Church in Newbury Park two times a week. In the spring, Joerger runs the mile and 3,200 for the TOHS track team.

"Sometimes it's difficult to stay motivated, especially when we run twice a day; that's when it's tough to get up in the morning," Joerger said.

"I don't do much physical activity aside from running. Everything else is kind of resting and building up for the next workout."

Joerger, whose younger sister, Melanie, is a freshman runner at TOHS, has been at his best during the season's biggest meets.

When Thousand Oaks won the Pepperdine Invitational a few weeks back, Joerger posted the team's fastest mark and finished third overall with a 15:33. His 15:41 at last weekend's Clovis Invitational was good for second on the squad behind Gildea.

"Joerger steps up during meets; that's one thing I love about him," Morris said. "When other guys don't have a great race, he steps up and goes right to the lead, no questions asked."

The junior's next goal is to crack 15:20, and he'll have several chances to do so in the near future. TOHS runs at the Mt. SAC Relays on Friday. The Ventura County Championships are Oct. 31 at Lake Castillas in Ojai. Marmonte League Finals take place Nov. 6 at Agoura High.

"Besides getting 15:20, I haven't thought about (personal goals) that much," Joerger said. "We're really focused on team goals right now. That's what's most important."