Seth Totten hates pink.The ribbon that holds his state medal is pink.

What bothers him is that there is a different color that holds the medal for first place.

That's the ribbon he wants.

Totten hates the predictions.

Pundits said his Golden Valley boys cross country team wouldn't amount to much this season.

So those predictions are posted on his bedroom door along with other published articles of doubt.

All that negativity is joined with positivity.

There are goals, quotes and words of motivation also posted on that door.

Totten, a junior runner at Golden Valley, sees all of this every day.

He collects these materials like kindling, hoping to one day set them ablaze.

That conflagration is reserved for Fresno in late 2009.

It was on a cool Nov. 29 at Fresno's Woodward Park, when Totten slipped out of the gate at the CIF State Division III Cross Country Championships.

A tad over 15 minutes later, Totten completed the three-mile loop and crossed the finish line, just four spots from the top.

His Grizzlies cross country team would finish 11th in the race.

Totten was overjoyed to finish fifth in the Division III race at a time of 15 minutes, 25 seconds.

From where he came, he had to be.

The year before, Totten finished 16th - in the Foothill League that is.

In 2008, Totten finished second at 15:21, just milliseconds behind Saugus' Brandon Jauregui at the Foothill League Finals Nov. 6.

At the CIF-Southern Section Cross Country Prelims on Nov. 15, Totten finished his heat in third place.

Then he finished sixth a week later at the Southern Section Division III finals.

Totten just didn't turn it on late.

He was consistent throughout the running season.

On Oct. 25, he won the Division II race at the 61st annual Reebok Mt. SAC Cross Country Invitational at Mt. San Antonio College in Walnut. He came in at 15:12.

All of these marks make him the clear choice for the 2008 All-Santa Clarita Valley Cross Country Boys Runner of the Year.

Totten becomes the first Golden Valley High athlete to be awarded an All-SCV Player of the Year award.

Now he has one more thing to add to the fire.

Can he repeat in 2009?

As motivated as he is, don't doubt him.