The Long Green Line

Coach Joe Newton has used the sport of cross country running to teach simple but important lessons to high school boys for the last 50 years. “Always do your best,” “be on time,” and “it’s nice to be great but far greater to be nice” are mantras which have turned the Boy’s Cross Country Team at the public York High School in Elmhurst Illinois into the most winning high school team in any sport in America. Along with mastery of their sport, Newton turns his boys into men who carry his teaching and his love for each of them with them throughout their lives. THE LONG GREEN LINE documents the York Duke’s 2005 Cross Country season as the runners seek their record 25th state title in 50 years. In Cross Country, only the top 5 athletes per team score points and only 7 are included in competition. The York team has 221 athletes participating under the tutelage of Coach Newton.