Sara Morefield, a Tulsa-bound senior at Lucas Lovejoy High in Texas and a returning Nike Cross Nationals qualifier, joins DyeStat editor Erik Boal to discuss the Leopards returning to the Chile Pepper Cross Country Festival to compete Sept. 30 at the 5-kilometer University of Arkansas course in Fayetteville in pursuit of back-to-back "El Caliente" girls team titles. Lucas Lovejoy prevailed against Southlake Carroll of Texas by a 67-75 margin to secure the "El Caliente" championship last year at Chile Pepper, with Morefield finishing 10th in 17:50.1 and the Leopards placing all five scorers in the top 25. She reflects on how significant that Chile Pepper performance was for Lucas Lovejoy on the way to the Leopards repeating as UIL Class 5A state champions and advancing to NXN for the first time in program history. Morefield revisits Lucas Lovejoy edging the Dragons by a 49-51 margin Aug. 26 in their first meeting this season at Bob Jones Park, and how much respect the Leopards have for Southlake Carroll. She examines Lucas Lovejoy winning Sept. 23 at the Oklahoma State Cowboy Jamboree with 33 points and all five athletes placing in the top 11, and how valuable the preparation was to run on the challenging course in Stillwater ahead of racing at Chile Pepper. Morefield explains how significant the contributions have been this season of sophomores Bridget Bernal, Sofia Dominguez and Jocelyn Chapman, joining standout 10th-grader Camryn Benson, in helping the Leopards build off the success of last year's 14th-place finish at NXN in Oregon. She also analyzes how much Lucas Lovejoy and head coach Carly Littlefield learned last season during such a long postseason schedule about not only remaining physically sharp and prepared, but also remaining mentally tough and emotionally balanced, especially throughout UIL district, region and state competition. Morefield shares how her improvement in the 2,000-meter steeplechase has helped her become a more well-rounded athlete and her aspirations to eclipse the 7-minute barrier and challenge the Texas state record in the spring. She also speaks about her decision to attend Tulsa and reunite next year with older sister Amy Morefield, and her excitement to join the program, as well as the opportunity to learn from coaches Steve Gulley and Taylor Gulley.

WATCH LIVE WEBCAST SEPT. 29-30 OF CHILE PEPPER CROSS COUNTRY FESTIVAL ON RUNNERSPACE