With almost all of its eighth-place squad from 2007 returning this fall, the boys? cross country squad from Lake Orion has its sights set on even more.
‘They’re a talented core and they’ve got a lot of potential,? said Coach Stan Ford of his top seven runners on a squad of 54.
The group is led by Ryan Ziolko, a two-time All-State runner, who returns as a senior.
Ziolko (16:07) beat the field by 20 seconds last week at the first OAA Red Jamboree, held at Bloomer Park.
The Dragons won the event with 40 points, 23 clear of second-place Rochester Adams. Ziolko was joined in the top 10 by Sean Bone (third-16:27), Nathan Ziolko (fifth-16:44) and Doug Mack (seventh-16:50).
Bone, a junior, is perhaps the team’s most improved runner.
‘He’s a smart racer,? Ford said. ‘He’s got the right combination of competitiveness and hard work.?
In addition to Bone, Mack and the Ziolko brothers, twins Ian and Zach Prochaska return to the varsity squad.
The only newcomer to the top seven is Jeremiah Hargett, who missed the Jamboree with a hamstring injury (and was replaced by Jeff Slavick).
Hargett, a first-year cross country runner as a senior, steps into the place of the graduated Kyle Lawson.
‘He ran the mile in track and did very well, so it was easy to talk him into cross country,? Ford said.
The team had five runners under 17 minutes at the Adams Invite earlier this season, and placed third two weeks ago at the West Bloomfield Invitational, won by Ann Arbor Pioneer.
Ford would like to see the team finish at or above the school’s best ever state finals showing, which was fifth in 2005.
‘We just want to run at our potential at the end of the year,? he said. ‘A lot of what we do now is to get us ready for the end of the year. We’re very capable of it.?
One key is overcoming some injuries.
‘You get excited because you run well and then you end up doing more than you should,? Ford said of the recent ailments. ‘If we’re injury-free, everything else will take care of itself.?
The team of 54 is among the largest Ford has had this late into the season. He credited the team’s open door policy with bringing in the numbers and their off-season dedication with the early success.
‘As a group, they put in some nice training with each other,? he said. ‘We knew they’d do well because of it.?
The coach added that numbers were strong in the freshman class, a key to lasting success.
‘There are a couple of them in every grade that have prepared well,? he said.
The Dragons, who are the defending Oakland County champions, would like to add another OAA title to their resume, too: they’d like to take this one outright. Lahser edged them in the final league meet last year to earn a split.
‘It’s in the back of our minds,? Ford said. ‘We don’t want to let that happen again.?