Summer is coming to a close, school’s starting and that also means the start of fall, which kicks off the start of fall sports. While everyone is hyping themselves up about going to the upcoming football games, our cross-country team is and has been working harder than ever. With time trials just wrapping up and the heat suddenly arriving, the team is still managing to work extremely hard and do what most people would think is crazy. After a hard summer of work, the expectations are high.

“I believe we can make it to state as a team on the girls and boys side because of the strong incoming class and the experience the upperclassmen have,” senior Ian Wiscombe said.

It’s hard to compare this year’s team to one from a few years ago, but with the amount of talent coming from underclassmen it’ll be exciting to see how the team ends up. Sophomore Bill Patterson had one of the fastest times this school has seen from a freshman last season and the team this year has gained even more talent.

“With the strong group of young kids we have, I’m excited to watch them develop as runners and help the team reach their potential,” coach Jeff Onnen said.

The team is looking to bounce back from a disappointing end to a streak of both girls and boys teams qualifying for the state meet, but that isn’t the only goal for the season.

“It’s more about how close the team finishes the season up to their potential that defines success,” Onnen said.

Winning is not measured when the team doesn’t achieve the highest success, but what’s measured is what each individual brings to table.

“As a coach you always want your team[s] to make it to the state competition, but it’s more about how close the team finishes the season up to their potential that defines success.” -coach Jeff Onnen