Depth will be the watchword for both the boys and girls cross-country squads at Lake Orion High School this fall.
With nearly 80 runners on the two squads, a school record, boys coach Stan Ford and girls coach Debi Sherman have plenty of options to choose from as they look to replace some key runners from a year ago.
‘Depth-wise, I think we’re stronger,? Sherman said of her squad, captained by seniors Johanna Brandt and Renae Reilly, as well as junior Allie Hock.
Hock (19:53.2) paced the team with a 3rd place finish at the Adams Invite two weeks ago. The team was fourth overall.
The squad added an eighth place finish last weekend at the West Bloomfield Invitational at Kensington Metropark.
Sherman said sophomore Samantha Kaufman, senior Kaitlin Denton and junior twins Jessica and Katie Dorse will also factor heavily in the team’s success.
The coach also praised her newcomers.
‘The incoming freshmen seem stronger than in years past,? she said.
Sherman said a new format for the OAA I, in which there are two league Jamborees and one league meet (eliminating dual meets) could be beneficial for the team.
‘We tend to do better at the big meets, so that might help,? she said.
For the boys, Ford will have the difficult task of replacing two all-state runners.
Senior captains Max Hock, Tim Houston, Randy Szuch, and Jim Whitesel will lead the way with help from junior Kyle Lawton and sophomores Doug Mack and Ryan Ziolko. Lawton (17:24.6) finished a team-best sixth at the Adams Invite, where the team placed second.
The team had a sixth place showing at Kensington over the weekend.
In addition to the above returnees Ford also praised the practice work put in by freshmen Sean Bone, Nathan Ziolko and Devan Meadows, and sophomores Matt Barber and Ian and Zach Prochaska.
‘I have a lot of young talent and I’d like to get them that experience at the state level,? Ford said, stating his goal is to get out of the regional.
‘We might get beat up a little early in the year,? he added, ‘but we’ll be stronger toward the end of the season and that’s what we want.?
The team was hard at work well before school started, with runs twice a week over the summer.
‘We’ve had some real good turnouts for those,? Ford said of the special sessions.
He added that the captains even set an additional practice schedule.
‘For a young group they’ve been really dedicated.?