MOWEAQUA, Ill. (WAND) — In cross country, everything counts.

From stretches to warm ups to time spent with your best buds in the frigid Halloween snow, each step matters.

There's no quit in Central A&M's team. Coach Tim Aberle says that's due to one runner in particular. This runner isn't the fastest guy or gal on the team — but he has the biggest heart and strongest drive of anyone in the area.

Cameron Miller is a runner.

"Cam embraces every difficulty," Aberle said. "He digs in, gives it his all and is absolutely relentless in trying to improve."

Aberle is a first year coach. Cam is a first year runner. But don't confuse a lack of experience with a lack of leadership.

"That intangible quality, that leadership, trickles down and influences the rest of the team as well," Aberle said.

"He's incredibly persistent in all of his pursuits because there's a lot of people who wouldn't have that kind of endurance," said senior girls team captain Aubrey Adrian.

Cam doesn't focus on his mile splits or his place — dead last at every meet this year. The senior runner focuses on the incredible progress he's made in just a few months — ten minutes shaved off of his three mile race time. He also focuses on the culture he's helped cultivate in his lone season in the sport.

"He never lets the challenges of the day get him down," Aberle said.

"Knowing that the team is here and that team chemistry, it really pushes me to make it to that finish line," Cam said.

Chemistry grows with hard work. Cam has that in spades. But his goofier side helps too.

"Cameron has multiple times collected as many acorns as he could find throughout practice and stuffed them in one of our teammates bookbags," said senior boys team captain Blake Schinzler with a smile.

Cam didn't find any acorns to prank his teammates on Thursday. But he found a team that loves him, regardless of his finish time.

"I guess in my past, when I was younger, I used to quit things a lot," he said. "I really wanted to stick with something and fight through it."

He may not race Saturday at Sectionals in Effingham, but ever the consummate teammate, Cam will be there to cheer on one of his fellow Raiders as he races against some of the area's best runners.

Once again proving teamwork — and grit — count.