CC boys team picture
FREMONT – Sometimes, when a team graduates its seniors, as much as the loss of their performance hurts, the loss of the intangibles they bring can be an even bigger blow to a team.
As the Fremont Ross cross country teams enter the 2017 season, figuring out how to replace four seniors from a season ago, from both running and leadership standpoints, will be Job 1 for the Little Giants.
“Last year I told the kids it was one of the most fun years we’ve ever had,” coach John Elder said. “It was drama-free. The kids all got along, ran hard, they had fun. We had four seniors who made it a lot of fun and now they’re gone.”
The boys’ team enters the season trying to replace their Nos. 3 and 4 runners from a year ago, Owen Starkweather and Riley Edmunds, while the girls will be without four-time regional qualifier Kimmy Hetrick and Morgan Hawk.
When Elder looks at the rosters of his team he sees plenty of potential in his runners, but filling the void of leadership may not be so easy.
McKela Elder, girls cross country
“(Returning senior) Matt (Kuyken) is the most likely but, after that, I’m not sure we have the leadership to step up and make it fun like it was,” Elder said.
Part of the problem is how young the running Little Giants will be this season.
Also see: CC runner Matt Kuyken putting in the miles to reach goals
The girls team has only a couple seniors, no juniors and will be leaning on sophomores and freshmen to be their top performers.
As a freshman a year ago, McKela Elder (no relation to John Elder) became the first Ross girls runner to qualify for the state meet in over a decade. She will be looked upon to be the team’s top performer but doing so without Hetrick’s guidance will be a challenge.
“She became good because of Kimmy, Now she’s doing it by herself,” John Elder said. “She knew she could do well if she ran with Kimmy. Now she has to (pace) herself. I think she can do it, but she just has to do it. She has to get confidence in her ability.”
John Elder expects fellow sophomores Alexis Prenzlin and Kayla Glotzbecher to push McKela Elder and place high in meets. Finding a fourth runner, however, will have to come from “a whole handful of freshmen that came out this year,” Elder said.
Despite the youth, Elder believes Ross’ girls can get to the regional meet, so long as they run like they’re on varsity, not junior high.
“When girls are in junior high in cross country they tend to run together in a race so, if the girl you’re friends with has a bad day, you run with her, instead of saying, ‘I feel great, you’re on your own,’” Elder said. “You don’t have to keep her company and be nice. If we can get past that, if we can get five girls in the 22 (minutes), we can sneak in.”
The boys’ team returns its top two runners from a season ago in Kuyken and sophomore Ethan McClory. Kuyken ran at the state meet a year ago after finishing second in the TRAC meet. McClory finished sixth in the TRAC but missed out on a trip to state.
“We call him our Energizer Bunny,” Elder said of McClory. “He could have gone to state last year but I think he got intimidated at the end, just didn’t have a good day.”
While the top two runners return, rounding out the scoring will have to come from a combination of Jayden Scott, Even Starkweather and Zach Edmunds.
Kuyken, however, likes what he’s seen from the Little Giants younger runners and believes they have the tools to help the team be competitive.
“Keaton Jordan is a junior this year, last year he got hurt in the beginning of the year, he came back at the end of the year and he was pretty decent,” Kuyken said. “If he stays healthy, I think he’ll be pretty good. Brayden Darr, he’s a freshman but he’s doing good.”
The cross country season begins Aug. 26 when Ross hosts the Norm Bray Invitational at 9 am at Walsh Park.