A little more on Jesuit's Connor Revord

In today's Times, we profiled Connor Revord, a cross country standout at Jesuit who is shooting for both an individual and state title at Saturday's Class 2A state meet in Dade City. Wanting to get some extra insight, I checked in with Revord's Jesuit teammate, Jordan Schilit. Here is some of what he had to say about Revord:

• "He just puts every ounce of energy into every race. He's truly a competitor."
• When the two were freshman (they're both now seniors), they barely knew each other, but Revord made an immediate impact in his first high school race -- the Red Mule 5K: "I remember that he came out of nowhere and did a 16:14."
• "He's had talent his whole life. He's had a top position (in running) his entire life."
• Of losing, for Revord that's "not an option."
• Having a runner of Revord's caliber on the squad has made the Tigers better -- and not just because of the points he accumulates. "There's a ripple effect." That's because everyone on the team tries their best at all times to keep up with him, he said.
• Revord has two top-10 finishes at state, but "I don't think we've seen his best yet. He keeps getting better."

--KEITH NIEBUHR