Once again, the Wildcat runners are ready to go the distance.
The Oxford Cross Country teams are ready to hit the road and compete for their eighth league championship this year. With more than 40 kids total this year, Coach Ray Sutherland is pretty confident he has the talent to maintain the top position.
‘Our goal is the same every year, to get the best out of everybody,? he stated.
Leading the men this year will be returning seniors and captains German Guerrero and Kenny White. Rounding out the top runners for the boys are seniors Tyler West and Brad Heney, junior Adam Richmond, and sophomore Todd Davison.
‘Adam Richmond is probably our top runner right now,? said Sutherland. ‘He has really improved over the past summer.?
For the ladies, leading the team this year will be team captains Lauren Cribbs and Emily Shoup. Supporting their work is returning senior Sarah Lukas, sophomore Jacque Magdaleno and new runner Heather Nester, who moved to Oxford from Texas.
Sutherland said this year’s girls team is quite young, but he’s looking for some big things from them. Some of those he’s depending on for starters include Morghan Stefanskin, Ellen Darnall and Kathryn Burt. Sutherland added that he’s also expecting some good results from junior Shelly Musselman. Up-and-coming newcomers for the boys include Adam Heskitt and Matt Deighton.
The Wildcats first run is this Thursday in Rochester at Boomer Park. Sutherland expects the 12 team competition to be good for his runners.
‘It’s a nice test for our upper classmen and our young kids,? he stated. ‘We can see just what everyone can do.?
The team’s hardest competition this year will be West Bloomfield, who holds the lead both locally and in the state. Invitationals will be the hard as always, and since the team competes in a narrow divisional bracket, most of the kids will be running against the same competitors throughout the season into MHSAA competition.