Unproven before the start of last, season, Kokomo returned nearly its entire boys cross country lineup in 2005.
The Kats went on to capture the North Central Conference title with an eight-point victory over Huntington North, then finished second to Oak Hill at the Marion Sectional.
"That was a shock," said coach Ricke Stucker. "Nobody picked us to Win conference. It was an upset and shouldn't have happened, but it did and we'll take it."
Fast forward to 2006 and Kokomo again returns its top six runners, including all-conferene~ and all-sectional runners Ryan Perry and Brandon Sheline. Stucker doesn't expect anyone to look past the' Wildkats this season.
"We have a bull's-eye on our backs and everybody's going to be shooting for us," Stucker said. "But we are also pretty confident in our ability. Every time we go out we think that we're going to be competitive. There won't be any mental letdown."
Health could be a major concern for the Kats.
Sheline, a junior who, was fourth overall last season at the NCC meet and seventh at sectional, missed all of the spring track season with Osgood-Schlatter Syndrome, a disorder of the knees.
"It's taken him a while to get back but he's got a great attitude," said Stucker. "We think he'll be OK in September."
Perry also has been stricken, in his case with shin splints and stress fractures associated with improperly fit shoes. He, too, is expected to recover fully before season's end.
"It's going to take us awhile [to round into shape] but we've got a nice group," Stucker said. "Our pack ought to be pretty good."
"We don't have that No. 1 guy that's going to go out and [win] every 'time. Sometimes you need that, but we hope our pack will get us by."
The rest of the returnees indude senior Tony Robinette, who was all-sectional in 2005, junior Cameron Cunningham, who was all-conference, junior Mason McGovern and sophomore Ian Holtson.
Junior Devin White should fill the slot vacated by the graduated Matt Robertson, and freshman Vince Calabro could also make the top seven runner.
"I don't think [Calabro] is going to break in there for a while, but by the end of the season, if he listens and stays healthy, he'll be in that pack," said Stucker."
The Golden Eagles were the class of the Marion Sectional last year but toss three seniors from their top five finishers. Stucker expects Kokomo to challenge for this year's title.
"Oak Hill is still going to be strong," he said. "They have a couple freshmen that aren't going to hurt them, and Marion is going to be a little bit better.
"It's really going to be good, and we hope to be in there in the top three."
The following are capsules of the remaining Howard County teams, minus Taylor which is not fielding a squad this fall.
The Comets' fortunes may hinge on how well their young runners mesh with veterans from a team that lost only one senior. Coach Brandon Mink welcomes back three athletes with sectional experience and another, Kedric Athan, who ran throughout the program until last season. Mink says running beyond the Marion Sectional is not out of reach.
"I don't look for a lot right off the bat," Mink said. "We'll be much more competitive toward the end of the season when some of the younger guys are getting used to things. Hopefully we'll get the whole team on to regional. It's definitely a goal for us."
Senior Drew Parton is the top returnee. He was Eastern's No. 2 man with a 20th-place finish at Marion a year ago. He and Athan are the two seniors on the squad.
"[Drew] should be our No. 1 man," said Mink. "Last year he came on strong at the end. Hopefully we'lt get him over the hump and on to regionalt'
Sophomores Steven Boomershine and Cody Young are the other lettermen on the team, which has no juniors.
Two freshmen with plenty of junior high experience, Brett Buckmaster and Hansen Martin, are expected to have an impact after they make the transition to high school.
Two first-time runners, sophomore Zach Henning and freshman David Pollard, will also compete for a spot on the varsity.
"We're kind of inexperienced in a lot of ways, but I think we've got some talented younger guys," Mink said. "It may be'a while before we see the fruits of their labor. I look forward to that."
The Purple Tigers begin 2006 without longtime 'coach Peter Schroer, who has given way to new coach Dave Stevens.
Stevens, a 1975 graduate, actually coached the Northwestern cross country team in 1981 before Schroer took over. Stevens assisted Schroer with the track team. this spring.
"I told Pete I'd help out as an assistant in cross country this fall and one thing led to another," Stevens said. "It wasn't No. 1 on my list but I can do this. My goal is to stick around for awhile.
"I'm looking to taking the kids this year and working with them. They've been a great group so far, which is exactly what I expected."
Stevens possesses perhaps the most potent 1-2 combination in the county with Matt Ullmer and Kory Kennedy.
Ullmer, a senior, is the defending Mid-Indiana Conference champ and advanced to the semistate last season.
Kennedy, a sophomore, was eighth at the MIC and ninth at sectional.
"I really wouldn't be surprised if we don't 1-2 punch some people with Matt first and Kory second," Stevens said. "Or on any given day they could change places.
"Matt is taking a leadership role with Kory. I hear Matt off in the distance many times, 'C'mon, Kory,' or 'We're going now, Kory.' It takes a special senior to want to sacrifice a little bit of his time and ability to make sure the sophomore comes along with him. That will be something special to watch."
Senior Jesse Banson is the other returnee. He ran No. 5 for the team at sectional a year ago. Stevens says Bauson's value goes beyond his placing.
"Jesse will be a leader," said Stevens. "He's a hard worker, a straight-up honest kid, and he is going to be solid."
If the Tigers want to run regional again as a team, it's going to take some help from a group of newcomers.
The list includes junior Joe Williams, a transfer from Maconaquah, and senior |osh Galloway, who joins cross country as a sprinter in track, plus junior Tory Bousum and sophomore Steve Vas, whom Stevens said "might be the most courageous athlete I've ever coached."
"With our thin ranks, health is going to be an issue," Stevens said. "We're looking forward to [the coming season]. The kids have really responded to an adverse situation."
The Panthers had their string of consecutive regional appearances snapped in 2005, finishing one spot out of the money in sixth place.
Whether or not Western can rectify that situation this season is up in the air.
"We were very disappointed [to finish sixth]," said coach Dana Neer. "That did not sit well at all with our guys. Our team time was better, on average, than the regular season. We just didn't run welI enough."
Two of the Panthers' top seven runners, Shawn Parkins and Eric Walsh, have graduated and two others are not back with the team. A great deal of responsibility will fall on senior co-captain Luke Minor, who was 24th at Marion a year ago.
"He has done a great job and put in the mileage this year," Neer said of Minor. "He's ready to go and lead us."
Talented wrestler D.J. Shepherd was in the top seven last season and he returns. He and Minor are joined by fellow seniors Sam Horoho, Todd Dodge, Luke Swigart, Josh Sheets, Nick Lenahan and Corey Hendershot.
Junior Alex Sigler is the other returnee from the varsity. He was Western's top quarter-miler this year.
Other juniors include Marc McDermott, Shea Degraffenreid, Rick Price, Michael,Ladd and Alex Miller.
"We have returned all but one of our juniors and seniors," said Neer. "It's nice to have that consistency."
Neer says Sophomore Zac Martinez has the potential to be at the top of the lineup after dedi, cating himself in the offseason, and classmate Cory Scott, if not for an injury, could have been in the top five last year.
The freshman class, which Neer says could be one of his best ever, includes junior high standouts Austin Young and Kody Harman, as well as Marko Gruber, Annina Gruber's brother.
"We'll probably have just one senior in our top seven," Neer estimated, "and then we'll probably have two juniors, two sophomores, and two freshmen."