At this point, coach Evon Chavez hopes that her distance runners’ times continue to get faster while the rest of the next four weeks goes slower.

While Chavez is technically the Peoria High girls team coach and Doug Beaumont is the boys team coach. But in practice, she is the distance running coach for both teams while Beaumont works mostly with sprinters and jumpers.

Led by seniors Lahad Adehim and Bak Reyak, the Panthers are poised to repeat as Division III 4x800-meter relay champions and Adehim or Reyak has a good shot at winning the individual 800-meter crown. But Chavez is not looking forward to May 5, as well as graduation later that month, for reasons that go beyond the track.

"These are my boys. I’ve known Lahad since he was a freshman, I begged Bak to come out his freshman year. He didn’t. I’ve had them for a long time and I love these two," Chavez said. "It makes me sad to talk about because I might have to say goodbye after this year. It’s not even about them being good. (Bak) is funny and (Lahad) (can be down on training) but he will do what he has to do. They’re fun and they bring different dynamics to the team. I just want them to finish out so they can look back and think that it was fun."

Reyak’s older brother, Maibor, was the only graduate from last year’s team. Already, returnees Adehim, Reyak and Kody Romero — plus sophomore Jonathan Loya — have posted a time better than any of their 2017 races.

The relay’s 8:17.70 in winning the Gaucho meet March 9 gave them the fifth fastest result of any team in the state. All four teams ahead of them are Division I schools with nearly double the enrollment of Peoria.

Tucson Salpointe Catholic is second in Division III, more than two seconds behind.

"Bak has dropped five seconds off his time already, and that was from the end of the season last year. And Lahad is two seconds faster than he was at this time last year," Chavez said. "They’ve worked harder this year. This one (Adehim) hates doing long runs but he still knows that it helps. So he makes a face and does them. With (Reyak) I don’t know if it’s because his brother isn’t here, but he’s got this confidence he never had before. He is the anchor this year because he has that fight in him."

Adehim said the GCC meet was the team’s best thus far. Flagstaff finished second and Verrado placed third.

On March 30 without Loya, the Panthers narrowly edged larger neighborhood rival Centennial to win their own Peoria Invite.

"The competition still is strong. But we are just as fast as last year," Reyak said.

Adehim has already lowered his personal best from 2017, and his 1:57.69 is the top time thus far in Division III. Reyak is closing fast though, as his top time of 1:59.79 is third in Division III and in another realm from his best 2017 time of 2:05.15.

Reyak said his goal is to finish the season with a time in the 1:55 range or lower.

Adehim, meanwhile, is getting up to speed after finishing the Panthers basketball season. He does not run cross country, and only begrudgingly considers himself a distance runner.

He is working on program that inclused 800, 4x800 and 4x400. This can be a heavy load, his coach said, because Adehim cramps easily.

"He did it two weeks ago. He was exhausted and said, "‘I can’t do it.’ We said, ‘Youre doing it.’ And he did it — he ran a 50 (seconds in the 4x400) and 2 minutes (in the 4X800). Giving him that base can be hard because he didn’t come off cross country, like Bak did."

Since he still approaches the distance almost like a sprinter, Adehim likes to chase people down as the third runner in the relay. Reyak handles the anchor leg. Reyak will join his older brother next year, running cross country and track for Paradise Valley Community College.

Adehim said he wants to break the school record in the 800. He has a basketball schaolarship to attend GCC next year, and will run track too, in the hopes of gaining another partial scholarship.

"I’m more comfortable. It’s fun now. Last year I hated it," Adehim said.

"But he likes to win," Chavez said in response.