Leaders of the Pack

The throng of runners crowd the starting line. They've trained in early mornings and late afternoons of Oklahoma's sizzling summer. It's called a fall sport, but cross country season ends as fall begins, so these athletes not only endure, but excel in the heat. Those who emerge victorious at the state championship meet on November 1 will be the leaders of the pack. Area runners who finished well last season include state champs Andrea Lewis of Bishop Kelley and Steven Baker of Union, and all-staters Whitney Brannan of Victory Christian and Austin Christian of Kellyville.

BK senior Lewis is no stranger to gold medal performances as she has won multiple state tennis titles. Last year was her first year to run cross country but she didn't look like a rookie. She was running to train for tennis and also to join her older sister, Abby, on the squad. The team finished third in 4A and look to return to the medal stand in 2008 after their runner-up performance in 2006. Coach Terry Stupp said of Lewis, "She's such a tremendous athlete and competitor. She had always played volleyball and tennis and decided to run cross country. I'm sure she surprised a lot of people and even herself, but it's in her nature to try to get better and to win." Stupp said a supporting cast surrounds Lewis. "Our team goal is to finish well enough to make it to the podium and from there anything can happen. Emily Headrick (junior) finished in the top 15 the last two years so she'll also be someone to watch."

Brannan, a junior at Victory Christian, ended the season with a third place finish in 3A. She and Jay's Talissa Budder and Lauren Wilson were the top runners in their class from the eastern side of the state. She was Victory's top performer and will look for a stronger showing from other members of her squad to help the team improve from a fourteenth place finish overall.

Christian, a senior from Kellyville, may be one of the favorites for the state title in class 3A. The senior finished most meets in the top five and placed sixth at state. He ran his personal best at that meet (17:01.22) - more amazing due to the fact that he suffered a broken rib on Thursday prior to Saturday's meet. Coach Joe Ballard says of Christian, "He's the type of kid who wants to do everything. He starts for me in basketball, runs 8-10 miles each day on his own, always answers 'yes sir' or 'no sir.' He's the kind of kid that you have the opportunity to coach once in your career." Kellyville also returns senior Cody Davis who ran in the state meet and sophomore state qualifiers from the girls team, Jordan Tankersly and Mandy Simek.

Other area teams are weighing the losses to graduation and the addition of newcomers to the development of underclassmen to see who comes out on top. In 5A boys, Union won the title last year with an incredibly low score of 39 which outdistanced Jenks in second place with 105 points and Broken Arrow in fourth with 109. (In cross country, like in golf, low scores are best as team points are based on the position of your top five runners). Other top finishes included Bishop Kelley 4th in 4A, Jay 3rd in 3A boys and Union and Jenks 3rd and 4th respectively in 5A, and Kelley and Jay 3rd in 4A and 3A girls.

Jenks boys coach Bryan Yockers expects the competition to be tight among BA, Jenks and Union again and notes that Owasso traditionally finishes well. "Coach Stanton (Union) did a phenomenal job last year and they'll still be tough. Of course the western side of the state has strong contenders, so it will be an interesting season." Yockers looks for seniors Dylan Moon and Daniel Rock to combine with junior Stuart Jackson and sophomore Seth Ford as well as other talented underclassmen to help them have a shot at the title.

The favorite for the 5A boy's trophy would have to be Union. They return seniors Steven Baker who was last year's champ as well as his brother Alex who finished 17th and Taylor Monaghan who finished third. Senior Alex Webb is also a returning varsity runner. Head coach Mike Stanton is excited with what he has coming back from both his boys and his girls squads.

On the girl's side, Union graduated 2-time state champ Sara Vaughn, but returns sophomore Sara Daggett who placed 12th in cross country but won the 2-mile title in track. Daggett will be joined by seniors Hannah Hensel and Kelsey Godfrey, junior Katy Cotton and sophomore Erin Kirby as well as others who will be battling for a varsity slot as one of the team's top seven runners.

Jenks returns five of its top seven and coach Maria Fernandez expects depth to be the strength of her squad. "We won't have a star this year, but we have the potential to put our 5th girl in the top 25. That will be our focus." Jenks' experience will rest on seniors Amy McCarthy (7th at state), Rachel Feist and Anna Rutherford and juniors Jaquelynn Skocik and Miranda Zoller.

Two key meets will provide a glimpse at how the state meet might shake out. Look at results from the Cowboy Jamboree at OSU on October 4 and the pre-state meet in Edmond the following week to follow your favorite runner or team. HSSTM says good luck to all the athletes who pound the pavement and put in the miles in hopes of becoming - the leader of the pack.