The goal of every high school athlete is to finish their season with a state championship. Regardless if it’s a match, a game or a race, winning at the highest level creates memories that will last forever.
Competition is always the greatest when you reach the end as every team and individual has done the work and is equally qualified to win. Most of the time, it comes down to who has the best day and just who wants it more.
Dustin Carpenter has been the cross country and track coach at Signal Mountain for the past eight years and his teams have won more state titles than most.
His girls will be shooting for their fifth straight state cross country title on Friday while the boys will be looking for their fourth in a row.
We all know that cross country is a tough sport. There isn’t any glory when you train by yourself in the heat of summer while your friends are lounging at the pool. And we all know that the most talented individuals don’t always win as even the best can have a bad race.
But the Eagles have had another spectatular season and they’re ready to challenge for another title on Friday afternoon at Sanders Ferry Park in Hendersonville.
“We’ve stepped up our game in recent years, but these kids choose to rise to that level and compete for the top prize,” Carpenter said Tuesday afternoon before his team went out on a short run.
“There’s no backing down with anyone on either team. We know that we’ll have two tight races on Friday where three teams have a good shot at winning, but we’re fired up and ready.
“We have a great group of kids who make my job easy. They are certainly excited about Friday’s race and winning a state title is just a reward for all the hard work they’ve put in. Pressure to repeat just comes with the territory, but this is a really resilient group. Most have been there and done that. They know what it takes to win it all.
“We’ve developed the idea of pack running in recent years and that will be a key on Friday. I just hope our third, fourth and fifth runners can stay as close to the front at possible, but we’re familiar with the course and have had great success there.
“It’s a challenging course in places and we’ve worked on downhill running. But I feel good about these kids as they’re peaking at the right time. We have a lot of fun most of the time, but they will be serious when we get off the bus on Friday.
“It’s all about being confident and believing in each other. That’s a huge piece of the puzzle. We have the last two races of the day, so the waiting will be the hardest part,” the coach added.
Kelsey Thompson is a junior and the leader for the girls. She was state runner-up last fall and running really strong right now as evidenced by her Region title last week at Woodland Park where she posted a personal best of 19:16 for the 5K distance.
“I’m looking forward to us doing well, but we should see the results of our hard work on Friday, the 17-year-old Thompson said Tuesday.
“We just want to keep the streak going. The hay’s in the barn and now we get to enjoy the fruits of our hard work,” she added.
Charlotte Harrison is the only senior in the top seven while Maxine Richards is the youngest as an eighth grader. Lisa Lin is a sophomore while Ada Boyd, Hannah Laramore and Aubrey Lynch are all freshmen.
“I’m just going to push my hardest. We’ve put in the work and I’m a lot less stressed than last year,” said the 14-year-old Boyd.
“Our plan is to run together the whole way like we did at region, but we’re going to have a lot of fun with hopes of winning another state title,” she smiled.
This is the first year for Richards to run for the Lady Eagles as she was on the middle school team at Baylor last year. She’s big into mountain bike racing and competes on a national level, so she knows just a little bit about tough competition.
“There’s really no reason to be nervous as we’ve done the necessary training. The race on Friday will be the easy part. It’s all about who wants it the most and I’m confident that we’ll all be ready,” she said.
Sophomore Joshua Pote is the leader for the guys. He was third at state last fall and finished second at region, so he’s anxious and ready to go.
“I feel like I have a chance to do well as I just hope to finish in the top five,” he suggested.
“My plan is to go out and stay with the lead pack, finish hard and see what happens. Winning a state championship is an amazing feeling as it takes a lot of hard work. But we’re ready to put it all on the line and give it all we’ve got,” Pote said.
Kaid Boehm and Noah Shriner are the only two seniors in the top seven while Carter Collins and Jack Gibby are both juniors. DiAngelo Sisto is a sophomore while Tynan Borders is a freshman who has really come on strong in recent weeks.
“This is my fourth year to run cross country and we really want to three-peat,” said Shriner, who finished fourth at 120 pounds in the state wrestling tournament back in February.
“I’m trying to eat smart and I didn’t even eat any Halloween candy. I just need to run the best I can and to have no regrets as it’s my last race,” he said with a serious tone.
“This is the last one,” Boehm said matter of factly.
“My goal is to not think about it too much, but I just want to stay with the front pack. I want to be consistent through two miles before finishing the last mile strong. We’ve all worked really hard since June, so we just need to make sure we’re all together,” he added.
All of those tough mile repeats are over. The uphill sprints are now a thing of the past. All of the “homework” has been done and the best is yet to come.
Both of these teams have experienced life at the top in cross country. And now they just want to win it one more time.
(email John Hunt at nomarathonmoose@gmail.com)