The old adage ‘there is strength in numbers? rings true for this year’s cross-country team, which has a combined total of 73 runners between the boys and girls teams.
‘This is the biggest cross-country team we’ve ever had,? said Assistant Coach Kieve Johnson.
‘Out of that strength, comes depth,? added Head Coach Matt Johnson. ‘Out of that depth, they start to push each other in their practices.?
While he’s not entirely sure what to expect overall, on the girls side, he believes they have the ability to be regional champs.
For top runners on the girls? side, Matt is looking to junior Heather Czarnecki and sophomore Ashley Vican.
‘Both of those girls have had excellent years as underclassmen both in track and cross country. Everyday, they come out here to push each other,? he added. ‘Often times they choose to run with the boys to train because they can get pushed a little bit harder.?
Rounding out the top five runners are seniors Hannah Long, Cristiana Bruce and Reilly Squarcia.
‘Those three girls are always steady and right there in the pack,? Matt said.
He also noted sophomores Micah Dymond and Leah Vandecar were ‘right on the edge? last year of being varsity athletes and he believes they’re going to step up this year and fill in some of those varsity holes.
‘It’s a mental decision of who’s going to compete where and who is going to be the toughest one,? he said.
Another tough young runner he said is Bridget Cusick.
‘She’s only a sophomore, but she’ll press right into those top five without even a problem,? he said. ‘She could even be number two if she decided to be.?
After graduating a really good boys? team last year, Matt says his top four on the boys side should be ‘solid and fill in the gaps of (who) graduated.? For his top four runners he is looking at seniors Gabe Hogan and Brad Vandecar and sophomores Dominic Bruce and Zach Smith
‘Last year, we graduated boys that are considerable athletes. Not just in their physical ability, but (their) mental ability to compete,? Matt said. ‘That’s a hard thing to train into an athlete. That’s a choice, a desire to be mentally tougher than your neighboring competitor. We’re excited to see what (this group of boys) choose to do.?
As for who will battle for that fifth spot, he sees Riley Feeney, Dominic Riley and David Staser as the main competition.
‘Who’s going to step up and fill the gap and break that gap down is the struggle,? he said. ‘That’s the fun thing about cross-country. Your line-up isn’t like your five guys on the basketball court. Your stopwatch proves what you can do and the stopwatch doesn’t lie.?
As far as meets go, Matt said they try and ‘compete through the entirety of the season, not just for a particular meet.?
‘Our goal is always to be one of the top two in the regional (competition), so we can compete as a team in the state finals,? he added. ‘Obviously my goal as a coach is to prepare our kids through(out) the season. So, we don’t necessarily just look at league competitions to win a league competition, but we look at how each meet builds and develops an athlete (for) the end of the season.?
Matt said to accomplish that goal they train in three different phases throughout the season. They start with stamina, transition to strength and finish with speed.
‘Now that we’ve coached in Oxford long enough, other teams, they know what to expect,? he noted. ‘Just because we’re third or fourth at league competition as a whole, it’s anybody’s game when it comes down to regionals.?
An additional strength to the team, Kieve added, is their ‘teamwork.?
‘The way they are encouraging each other as a team whether they’re the fastest runner or the slowest runner. I think that’s why we’ve grown (in numbers),? she said. ‘We see running as a sport you can do the rest of your life (and we have) those kids who may never be the fastest (runners), but are apart of a team and they’re feeling like they’re part of a team. To me, that’s more important.?
Matt agreed.
‘I’ve never heard any of them being critical to a teammate that is not of the same gift and ability they are,? he said. ‘That’s more inviting for kids to come out and be a part of it. It’s not about winning as much as it is about personal growth.?
Part of that personal growth means showing up everyday and pursuing ‘excellence.?
‘To practice with excellence, to be the best sons and daughters at home with excellence, so that the parents understand and see the discipline that they’re receiving out here carries through the classroom (and) into their home,? Matt added. ‘My goal out of that is the team gets better.?
While Matt and Kieve emphasize personal growth in their teams, that doesn’t mean they don’t have some winning expectations.
‘Our goal as coaches is that we always aim to be regional champs. That bar might be high as you look at your (team’s) gifts and skill-sets year to year, but that’s always our bar that we aim at and these kids feel the intensity,? he said. ‘As the season rolls, our coaching intensity rolls with it and gets increased and the expectation lands on our captains to carry through that increase (in) intensity.?
Both the boys? and girls? teams will run Wed. Sept. 9 at the OAA Jamboree, which will be held at Bloomer Park in Rochester Hills. The race starts at 4:30 p.m.