BOYS XC: Howard County season preview

Kokomo Tribune Aug 16, 2017

Western's boys cross country team has a new look following the graduation losses of Logansport Sectional winner Josh Everetts and two other members of its postseason lineup.

The 2016 Panthers finished second in the Hoosier Conference meet, second in the sectional and sixth in the Culver Academies Regional. Logansport edged Western by one point for the regional's No. 5 spot and final ticket to the NewPrairieSemistate.

"We have 13 runners this fall — three seniors, two juniors, two sophomores and five freshmen," coach Gary Jewell said. "I would have liked to have a lot more than that, a reasonable goal would be 20 each year. However, that seems to be the way it is in the area lately. Some sports are getting bumper crops while others are struggling to field complete teams."

Jewell returns seniors Alex Taylor, Andrew Granfield and Tyler Lechner from his postseason lineup. Taylor was an individual qualifier for the semistate last season.

Also returning with experience are juniors Austin McMinn and Ethan Lutgen and sophomores Trey Shock and Milo Jones. New to the team are sophomore Chandler Ciscell and freshmen Brayden Curnutt, Joseph Packard, Noah Fouts, Cade Shock and Zac Cline.

Everetts is hard to replace. He was first in the sectional, fourth in the regional and 21st in the semistate, finishing one spot shy of a spot in the state finals.

"Everetts turned out to be one of the best milers in Howard County history," Jewell said. "It was sorta like when [former Western standout] Matt Grider graduated. We had guys who could step up, but they didn't really replace him. The same thing is true in that you really don't replace someone like Josh. You only hope that the ones coming up follow his example."

Without a clear No. 1, the Panthers might rely on pack running. Jewell noted Taylor, Granfield and Lechner all saw time in the No. 2 spot last season and Ciscell and Curnutt have shown ability in the preseason.

"Usually we have someone near the front. This year our pack may be right behind the leaders. This year we could possibly have our top five finish within about 30 seconds," Jewell said. "Of course, the big question is where that spread starts. We need five people under 18 minutes in order to be competitive in the postseason."

The following are looks at the other Howard County teams.

KOKOMO

The Wildkats had mixed results in 2016. They finished fifth in the North Central Conference meet, fifth in the sectional and ninth in the regional.

Veteran coach Ricke Stucker returns seniors Corey Dea, Noah Gallaher, Justin Taflinger and Alex Ward and sophomore Nat Elkin. Also in the mix are senior Rafe Lopez and junior Julian Wallace.

"[We're] overcoming illnesses and ankle injuries right now," Stucker said.

He points to top-five finishes in the conference and sectional meets as goals. He also hopes to see an individual advance to the New Prairie Semistate.

NORTHWESTERN

The Tigers are looking to make strides after struggling last season. They finished last in the 10-team Hoosier Conference meet and ninth in the 12-team sectional.

Coach Dave Stevens has nine runners in camp.

"The boys are working hard and looking forward to the season," he said. "We are very inexperienced, only four guys have ran at the high school level. I really like their attitudes and willingness to do the workouts."

Juniors Jacob Myers and Mitchell Harrell and sophomores Jace Cournoyer and Mason Correll are back from last season's team. Juniors Nick Jozwiak, Ben Ludwig and Gus Bouroff and freshman Jeremy Bell are new to the squad."

This team is looking to improve each week as they learn and get stronger," Stevens said.

EASTERN

The Comets think better results could be ahead after taking some lumps last season. They finished seventh in the Hoosier Heartland Conference meet and 11th in the 12-team sectional.

Senior Josh Reprogle and juniors Seth Snyder, Macaiah White and Nick Hillman are returning letterwinners. Junior Jack Johnson, freshmen Caleb Vogl and Brayden Richmond and exchange student Toscha Tränkmann lead the newcomers.

"We’re pretty excited about the possibilities this year," coach Ben Cox said. "We’ve been growing steadily in numbers for a couple of years, and with so many kids we’re feeling pretty deep. The kids are working hard and enjoying their time together and we’re expecting to be more competitive than last year."

Reprogle qualified individually for the regional last year. Cox hopes he can make it back this fall.

"He’s really come a long way as an aware racer and is in really good shape," Cox said. "I’m looking for Caleb Vogl to give himself a chance to move on, as well. I’d also like to see the team as a whole be more competitive in both the HHC meet and sectional, something I think we’re talented enough to do."

TAYLOR

The Titans have two runners in camp. Eli Paul is returning from last year and Gabriel Blades, who sat out a year with an injury but ran in middle school.

"When school starts we hope to pick up a few more to complete the team," coach Matt Carlile said.