BLECKLEY COUNTY, Ga. — Winning isn't easy, but it's become tradition in Bleckley County - especially in cross country.
The Royals painted the podiums purple and gold when both their boys and girls programs were crowned the GHSA 1-A Division 1 State Champions, but's no secret who helped blaze the trail for this generation of success.
"Coach Cranford," said seniors Caleb Darsey and junior Ella Gibbs.
Saturday was the first team state title for Bleckley's boys cross country since 2016. That was also the last time the girls and boys won together until this past weekend.
"We're really more than teammates," Darsey said. "We're more like brothers - more like a brotherhood type thing - so it was really personal when we all won."
The girls cross country squad was also named state champs for the third time in a row.
"It was a great feeling to get to walk up there with the boys and then get to walk up there with the girls ... That was quite an honor," Gibbs said.
The girls were led by Gibbs, took home the individual state title for the third time. She says she couldn't believe her team got the three-peat.
"I definitely shed a tear for sure. It's just really emotional to have a great group of girls and you get to accomplish something so big which is really really rare in high school sports," Gibbs.
State titles aren't easy to come by, but it's become routine for this program. Coach Cranford has led Bleckley cross country for 36 years.
They always made it to the state championship starting line, but it took more than two decades for one of his teams to cross the finish line first.
"I got to the point where I didn't think it would ever happen and I was okay with that too. That was fine," Cranford said. "I feel like I was doing what God called me to do right here in Bleckley County, and if we won one great, and if we didn't - but we've won ten titles in the past nine years, so it's been a really fun ride."
This is the first time the Royals ran away with everything. Gibbs said it just feels like one big reward.
"We all push each other at practice so it's really not two separate teams," she said. "It's really a combined team thing, so it was really cool to see both of us win."
To help build long-term success on the trail, Cranford also focuses on the next group of runners warming up in the wings.
"When they're in middle school they practice with the high school and so they see those kids that are older than them and say, 'Hey one day I want to be like Caleb, I want to be like Ella,' so they see people with them everyday that's doing the same thing they're doing and thinking, 'One day that could be me,'" Cranford said.
Trophies, medals, and state titles will all come and go, but Cranford said it's about how you get there that matters.
"If you don't have the pursuit then the greatness is never going to happen so you got to have both of those to make that journey complete," Cranford said.