By Teddy Rydquist
Leader Staff Writer
Cross country is a sport like no other.
A five-kilometer, or slightly above 3.1-mile, race through winding terrain and fall conditions in the state of Michigan, the sport is scored as a team sport, while also presenting the ultimate individual test of mental and physical endurance for young men and women.
Normally, the Oxford Wildcats and their fellow Oakland Activities Association (OAA) Red Division stablemates compete in “Jamborees,” three, six-team meets which serve as a measuring stick as the team progresses throughout the season.
This fall, however, because of concerns over the coronavirus (COVID-19), the OAA made the decision to have their member schools compete in dual meets, meaning just one other school serves as the competition on a given day.
Oxford’s Norm Petersimes, who serves as the head coach for both the boys’ and girls’ cross country teams and doubles as a track and field assistant coach in the spring, is fine with this format for 2020, but hopes the league returns to the Jamboree setup next fall.
Housing the Birmingham Seaholm Maples, Lake Orion Dragons, and Rochester Adams Highlanders, consistently some of the best teams in the county, the OAA Red ranks among the state’s most competitive divisions.
Despite this tough slate of opponents, the Wildcats are off to a 2-2 start, as of September 27, boasting victories over the rival Dragons and the White Division’s Stoney Creek Cougars, while falling to Rochester Adams and Seaholm.
“What I like about our girls’ team is they’re a pack, our top-seven-or-eight,” shared Petersimes, who is in his fifth year at the helm of the program.
“And that’s great for later in the season. If you can keep moving that whole pack up, that’s how we beat Stoney Creek is by packing up. They went first, third, and sixth on us, but we had all the rest of the spots.”
Petersimes’ pack features a nice mix of freshmen and upperclasswomen, with three ninth-graders, Braydee Elling, Natalie Bales, and Paige Rushlow, posting times in the team’s top-ten, along with a trio of seniors, Lauren Schiller, Ellie DiMalanta, and Emma Long.
“Braydee Elling, she kind of came out of nowhere, she’s way up near the front,” Petersimes said of the girls who have caught his eye with their performance.
“Against Adams, she was like our fifth or sixth runner, but she’s been first or second all the other times. Lauren Schiller, of course, she’s kind of like our leader.
“I would say a couple of other freshmen, like Natalie Bales and Paige Rushlow, have been nice surprises, too.”
Oxford’s home course is slightly shy of 5,000 meters, measuring in at about 4,907, but the times the Wildcats have posted at home are still impressive. Schiller leads the way with a 19:39.5, followed by Elling’s 19:53.7 and junior Jessa Chapin’s 20:02.
Chapin, along with classmate Ella P’Simer, have established themselves as quiet leaders and with another year of eligibility in 2021, project to contribute as two of Petersimes’ top runners once again next fall.
“They’re always consistent, those two,” Petersimes pointed out regarding the eleventh-grade duo.
“P’Simer, she’s one of our quiet leaders on the team, no doubt, the kids follow what she does. Jessa, they’re both kind of quiet, but they’re leaders at the same time, if that makes sense.
“The girls know, one meet Ella (P’Simer) might be first, one meet Lauren (Schiller) might be first, one meet Braydee (Elling) might be first. With a girls’ team, that can become an issue and it hasn’t. It seems to be OK for us so far, and it has to be if we’re going to be successful.”
The Wildcats hosted the Troy Colts on Tuesday, September 29, and will battle the Clarkston Wolves on Thursday, October 8 in their final tune-up before the Oakland County Championships at Kensington Metropark in Milford on Saturday, October 10.
“Troy’s tough, man,” the coach said. “Troy is one of the tougher teams in our league and after that, that’s probably going to set our county lineup because our dual meet against Clarkston is the day before the boys’ county meet, so, both teams are just going to run their JV (junior varsity) that day and hold out our top-seven.”
The Oakland County Championships will be utilizing a different format this year, as well. The boys will compete on Friday, October 9, split into waves, with schools, based on their seeding, running at 11 a.m. and 1, 3, and 5 p.m.
The following day, the girls will do the same, with 9 and 11 a.m. and 1 and 3 p.m. serving as the time slots.
In their final dual meet, Oxford will host the Lapeer Lightning in a pre-regional race on Wednesday, October 14.
Typically, the Wildcats compete in regionals at Goodells Park in Algonac, but this year, their region, classified as Region 7, will compete much closer to home at Clintonwood Park in Clarkston on Friday, October 30.
A total of 16 schools make up Region 7, including Clarkston, Lake Orion, the Milford Mavericks, Rochester Adams, and the White Lake Lakeland Eagles.