Cross Country Kick Starts at Apalachee

On your marks, get set, go! That’s what our Warrior Cross Country runners heard for the first time this school year at the Apalachee Invitational. The Warriors XC team kicked off the season with a solid performance all around.
​by Jack Peterson and Sean Clift

The girls' Warrior Cross Country team returns after a state championship appearance last year. When asked about her expectations for the girls this year, Coach Peterson stated, “...I think we will not only make it to state but place at state. We have competitors this year, so we have to keep practicing.” Coach Peterson includes some insight into how their practice is organized, “Some days we have long runs, and then we will do ladders. Coach Trammel is great at making ladders for us. We do mile repeats on Wednesdays, and we also run hills. It’s pretty grueling, but they are athletes.” The girls placed 11th overall out of 18, with multiple runners setting a new personal records.

One of the girls who set a new PR, Madison Myers (11), gave her input on how she prepared for this race. “I don’t really do much differently, but I make sure to stretch and drink lots of water.” When asked about her expectations for the girls this year, Madison said, “I think they will do pretty good. They did pretty good in their first race; I am really proud of all of them and what they’ve done so far.”

The boys’ Cross Country team is looking not only to repeat their performance last year, but advance even further. When asked about what she expects from the boys this year, Coach Peterson said, “Last year the boys made it to sectionals, but we didn’t make it to state. I think this year we can definitely make it. We have 31 on the team this year, last year we had 22, 23.” Many boys placed new records this past race at Apalachee and hope to earn more as the season progresses.

Ace Smith (10), one of the multiple boys who decreased their time, told VIRIDIAN how he prepared for this race to PR. “I ran over the summer; other than that, I am just working harder in practice. I also make sure I drink a lot of water.” When asked how he predicts this boy’s season will go, he said, “I’ve seen my teammates putting in more work, so I think we are all getting better.”

The Warriors Cross Country team looks ahead to their next race at East Jackson High School on August 23rd.