Although his prep career is over, Joseph Arriaga’s running days are most certainly not.

The St. Bernard senior signed a cross country scholarship with Wallace State earlier this spring and will join the Lions later this year to begin a new chapter in his young life.

Arriaga competed in 11 meets during the 2020 season, winning one individual crown (Athens Bible Invitational) and placing inside the top five in eight other competitions.

His consistency throughout the season helped the Saints earn nine team titles, including the 3A, Section 4 Meet and 3A State Meet — where he was an All-State selection — championships.

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Athlete Speak: “Coach (William) Calvert, Coach Katie (Clemmons), and I are very excited about my decision on continuing my running career at Wallace State. It’s close to home, and I know Coach (Stan) Narewski and Coach (Tony) Crider are going to train me well. I will most definitely miss the friends I made at St. Bernard. I know I couldn’t have made it this far without the help of my coaches and seniors Francisco Tona, Nikolas Borths, Eli Loyd, and David DeJesus. I learned that having friends and family that support you no matter what you do is an absolute blessing. They’ve all helped me become a better athlete and a better person. I truly could not have done any of this without their support.” — St. Bernard’s Joseph Arriaga 

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Coach Speak: “First of all, Joseph is an outstanding young man of impeccable character. He is also an excellent student and great teammate. Joseph is a two-time All-State runner and a big reason we were 3A state champions in 2020. He has been a joy to coach. I am very excited for Joseph to have an opportunity to run at the collegiate level. I believe he will flourish under the tutelage of Coach Stan Narewski and Coach Tony Crider and be an instant contributor to the Wallace State program. I look forward to watching him compete for the Lions.” — St. Bernard’s William Calvert