There's quality and quantity when it comes to boys' cross country this season in the Bloomington area, including a team with legitimate state title hopes.
Bloomington North, South, Eastern Greene and Lighthouse Christian will head to the Bedford North Lawrence Sectional while Edgewood heads to Brown County and they will meet up at the Evansville Regional. Owen Valley is in the Terre Haute Sectional that feeds into the Brownsburg Regional.
So let's take a look at the lineups for all six area teams:
Bloomington North: No. 1 in the state
A couple of websites, including inccstats.com, lists the Cougars as No. 1 in the state heading into this season. So yeah, no pressure there for an outstanding group of returning runners in senior Jack Holden (15:50 best time) and juniors Caelan D'Onofrio (15:40), Jacob Mitchell (15:18), Caleb Winders (15:39) and Jake Gentry (16:49), then toss in senior Caleb Webb (15:48 to win the Mid-Summer 5K), who had to sit out a year to become eligible this season.
"We do have great potential," coach Charlie Warthan said. "If all the puzzle pieces fit together it should be an enjoyable season. But potential is only potential until you realize it. Last year, we kind of fell apart due to sickness and injury at the end, so you can't take it for granted."
Holden suffered a growth plate injury at a national track meet, and the date of his return is up in the air, so having Webb back is a big boost giving North at least five sub-16 capable runners.
"He looks real strong," Warthan said. "He was strong last year but it's tough to maintain a high level when you're running JV races and there's really no competition to push him to be his best. So practice was the challenge, but it's not the same. He'll get a true chance to show what he's made of and he's excited about the season. He can definitely make a difference."
Mitchell and D'Onofrio, who had a breakout sophomore season in track indoors and out, are in the lead pack. Winders, a mid-distance specialist, will likely be up there by the end of the season as he was last year. Providing more depth are senior Nathan Campbell and sophomore Jackson Walker to go along with Gentry, who are all running well. Senior Verl Burton, sophomore Lucas Sinn-Trulock, juniors Noah Somes and Thomas Keith and Shep Jackson, the top freshman, are also potential varsity runners. "They could all put themselves in the mix," Warthan said.
Bloomington South: Rebuilding year
The Panthers lost the bulk of the varsity lineup to graduation (four) and another who did not return, leaving senior Marshall Caldwell and sophomore Luke Reinhart to lead the way. The roster numbers 38 and several younger athletes are coming off strong track seasons in the 1,600, where 14 broke five minutes. "This year's team is probably the most unknown team," coach Larry Williams said. "There is very little varsity experience."
So there is a big group of newcomers to keep an eye on, especially with the underclassmen. Juniors Abe Brown and Alex Morgan and sophomores Weston Matthews, Garrett Pitkin, Matthew Zinkan, James Rice, Jack Taylor, and Isaiah Dilger lead the way. Some freshmen are also in the mix with soccer player Kyler Pitkin, Daniel Damico, Isaak Fogleman and Zach Roberts who led Jackson Creek's club team to a top-five finish at the Nike Midwest Meet. The senior class also includes Matt Stein, Roman Ross, Vasidy Bender and David Jackson, who have made steady improvement.
"The team had a solid summer and camp, and early 3k time trials and tempo work has shown positive results as we head into the official season," Williams said. "It will be a team that is ready for racing, but will need races to not become more fit, but how to race as a team, and what their strengths and weaknesses are. They are working hard, pulling together as a supporting group, and have great goals for themselves as a team."
Edgewood: Ready for that next step
The Mustangs have a strong group of five back that should put them in contention for a top-five finish at regional to end their team state drought. Senior Zane Meyer made it as an individual last year and just missed out on a medal and he'd like to have some company this time around. Senior Jackson Klinger, who just missed a state berth, isn't far behind but Meyer is looking strong after posting a 14:47 on Illinois' speedy three-mile state cross country course in Peoria. Also back are seniors Tucker McCarty, Landen Beauchamp and Carson Sigman, along with sophomore Davin Norris. Senior Cohen Bell will also push for a varsity spot.
"We're probably the fifth best returning team, so our focus is a little different now," coach Zach Evans said. "We're in better position but we're only five kids deep, so if someone has an off-day, it changes things.
"Zane looks really good. That time was three seconds faster than Will Conway (last year's state runner-up) ran last year. And Jackson's not that far off in training. Tucker, Landen and Carson are looking better and ahead of where they were last year. If we can get three guys under 17 to go with two potential all-staters, we can be a top-15 team. So I'm definitely excited for where we are."
Eastern Greene: Big pack back
The T-Birds were slated to return six of their top seven runners from a team that took sixth at sectional but managed to qualify five individuals for regional with top-40 finishes. That pack would include seniors Jade Dawes and Roman Valentine (who split time with the new soccer team last year) and sophomores Coby Sykes and Dillan Williams who all earned regional runs along with junior Kasch Cullison.
Owen Valley: 2 seniors up top
Two of last year's top three runners return in seniors John Sorenson and Kaden Shaw, who will lead a group of seven for coach Chad Smith. Also returning are sophomores Jake Cunningham and Konner Collier, but only Collier ran at sectional with Sorenson and Shaw. Newcomers are sophomore LJ Jenkins and freshmen Evan Murray and Liam Hogan, OV's top middle-school runner last year, join the roster.
Lighthouse Christian
Senior Keaton Jones was the only team member when practice began for coach David Schaaf, who hoped to have an expanded roster by the season opener.
This article originally appeared on The Herald-Times: Bloomington area boys cross country previews: Runners to watch in 2024
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