The Shadow
After a successful Cross Country season last year that resulted in a boys state championship, Head Coach, Jeremy Bartley and his Mountaineers team are primed and ready for even more success this season.
To recap the Mountaineers last season, it all starts at the top with what was mentioned above, the first ever state championship in the then 38-years of Alleghany High School after the cross country boys team won states which were led by an individual performance from now graduate, Erik Honaker.
Prior to winning the state championship, the Mountaineers boys team won their second consecutive Class 2, Region C title after having had won a tiebreaker with Radford.
Meanwhile the girls cross country track team had a successful season as well.
The girls team finished 18 points behind Radford in the regionals, which was good enough for runner-up and then finished as a runner-up in the Class 2 state championships.
This season, the team is without a few key pieces to the team last year; Erik & Mason Honaker, Andrew Peck, Abby Martin, and Darcy Ross who have all graduated.
However, the team brings back many from last years team including for the girls team Alivia Hoover Cassie Evans, Lucy Nicely, Macyn Cash (whom was only a freshman last year), and Gracie Barron.
For the boys, they bring back several runners ready to fill the void the Honaker brothers left, including seniors Baron Leitch, Levi Counts, Gabe Miller, and Randal Deschler.
The team is full of stars ready to lead the Mountaineers to new heights for the boys and girls teams.
About what we can look forward to this season from the Mountaineers, “Our teams are coming off of the most successful season we have had and they are very motivated to continue the trend. I have never seen the girls train as hard as they are currently training. The boy’s team is looking forward to the target they now wear and are wanting to defend” said Coach Bartley.
With the success for the girls team last season, they enter this season ranked first in the Class 2A, according to Milestat.com while the boys have a pre-season rank of third.
“I believe we will be higher than that” said Coach Bartley on the boys pre-season ranking and where they will finish.
The Mountaineers kickoff their season on Thursday with a scrimmage at Lord Botetourt.
