The Dartmouth High School cross country teams started the season with a goal, but not one that’s scored in many other sports.

This season, both teams are “young,” said Head Coach Hilary Sousa. “We’re trying to rebuild.”

Sousa, who has been coaching cross country at Dartmouth High School since 1997, coaches both the boy’s and girl’s teams.

The number of runners on the girl’s team is currently “a little low” and the boy’s team has some runners dealing with injuries, she said.

The goal for this season, Sousa added, is to make the girl’s team stronger and prepare the runners for the postseason when the top seven runners will compete at the division level.

The athletes currently run in dual meets and in Saturday invitationals.

On Wednesday, Sept. 11, the boy’s and girl’s cross country teams competed against Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School.

The meet was the second of the season, and already athletes are seeing improvements in their times.

Mason Orlacchil, 15, joined the team this year for his health.

“I wanted to build habits for the future,” he said.

Orlacchil’s goal for the season is to run a sub-20 minute 5k. His current personal best is 21:54, which he ran at the meet on Wednesday.

Alex Xue, 14, is also new to the sport.

“It’s definitely not a normal sport,” Alex Xue, 14, said. “It takes a lot of mental power to keep going.

Cross country practices only began in mid-August, but Xue and Orlacchil said they already feel the importance of a strong, tight-knit group.

“[The athletes] have to work together in the race,” Head Coach Hilary Sousa said. “Normally, we want them working in packs and groups because that will lead them to be more successful mentally.”

Orlacchil, who said he found the coaches “really supportive,” agreed.

“There’s a sense of community,” he said. “People like to form certain friend groups and stay together while they’re running to encourage each other.”

Xue, who said he’s gotten much faster since the beginning of the season, also agreed.

“You’re relying on your teammates to keep you going and you keep with them so you’re all getting great times,” Xue added.

These groups are beneficial because they help with race strategy, Sousa said.

“[The athletes] become a great group of friends and work together and push each other,” she said. “It’s like a family — the kids really work well together throughout the whole season.”