It is not easy for athletes to follow in the footsteps of a successful sibling. For Cory Breinholt,  he has experienced a double helping of that pie.

Breinholt,  a senior completing his fourth varsity season running cross country at Highland High, watched brothers Craig and Derek achieve at a high level in the sport. Craig, who ran from 2002-2004, was the individual state champ in 5A his senior year (2004). Derek  peaked at No. 3 in the state his senior season (2007) and  collected three top-10 finishes overall at state.

Their prowess in the sport has been a plus for Cory. Role models if you wiil. There to offer help from their experiences and at the same time not be overbearing. A healthy sibling rivalry.

"They gave me tips on different things to do in races, stuff like that," Breinholt said. "I  think my parents have been more on top of me to do well. They remind me to work to do what by brothers did."

Perhaps the biggest motivator for Cory in relation to his brothers lies simply in the competition.

"I definitely want to try and beat their times," Breinholt said.

Highland cross country coach Dave Montgomery, who has coached all three, is of the opinion Cory will end up the fastest.

"There are some differences, but I think Cory is a combination of the other two," Montgomery said. "Cory has that fierce competitor inside of him much liek Derek. Cory's times on th track are already at or better than his brothers. He should go past them in track this year."

Competing in cross country has been somewhat of a right of passage for all three, trading the pursuit of a soccer ball for the pursuit of a runner just ahead of them.

"I played soccer before I got to junior high," Cory said. "When Craig was a senior I was in seventh grade and I went to his meets. That got me started. All of us played soccer at first. Once we got to high school, cross country and running took over."

In Cory's Breinholt's career, he's made steady progress in the key barometer -- state meets. He finished 39th as a freshman, eighth as a sophomore and fifth last year as a junior. That leaves a little room for improvement in a few weeks when the state meet is run. But it will take more this year because the competition is heightened with the reduction in state title races.

Rather than competing against half the 5A qualifying schools in the state, Breinholt will have to wade through all 5A qualifying schools since there are no longer two 5A title races in cross country. Like most competitors, he looks forward to the bump in competition and wants badly to do a little better than he has at the past in his remaining meets -- the Doug Conley, Gilbert city meet, sectionals and then state.

"Craig told me he had it tougher because when he ran there was only one 5A," Cory Breinholt said. "But I think the competition overall is better now. There are more good runners. At least thet's the way I see it."

Breinholt's final shot at the Doug Conley is Saturday. His main competition at least among 5A runners Saturday is expected to come from Alhambra's Jorge Martinez and Brophy's Will Firth. They've clashed a couple times already this season, most recently last week at the Desert Twlilight Invitational.

Firth and Martinez bested Breinholt by a few seconds in that one. Earlier this year Breinholt edged Martinez at the Chandler Invitational. The next week Firth was four seconds better than Breinholt at the George Young Invitational.

The best finish in the Conley for Cory so far was 17th last year, his and everyone else's first shot at the new course for the Conley at Rolling Hills Golf Course. In recent years the meet was held at Kiwanis Park. Prior to last season Cory placed 80th as a freshman and 20th as a sophomore. Onward and upward has been his direction.

"The new (Conley) course was a lot tougher," Breinholt said. "Some of the top guys I'll be going against at state will be there. It's another chance to go up against them. I want to keep improving."