ORHS cross country season gets underway Saturday; coach gives insights

On Saturday at the Cherokee Classic in Knoxville, longtime Oak Ridge High School Cross Country Coach Ed Wright will begin his sixth season at the helm and 18th year overall as a coach of the storied program, which has won 14 state championships over the past 41 years.

A lifelong runner and member of the 1988 ORHS boys state runner-up team, which was coached by the legendary Jim McNamee, Coach Wright was an assistant coach on the 10 boys and girls state champion and state runner-up teams between 2005 and 2015, which was the last time an ORXC team was on the podium at the state meet.

Wright recently reflected on some of the memories of his long tenure as a coach.

“Wow, 18 years! It's hard to believe it has been that long," he said. "Obviously, being an assistant coach on six state championship teams is a highlight. The 2007 boys' team winning the Southeast Championship and competing at Nike Cross Nationals in Portland, Oregon, was a dream come true. Winning both the boys and the girls championships in 2007 was incredible. I would also include numerous All-State runners and an individual boy's champion (John Sharpe) in 2009.

"Traveling across the United States to compete has also been memorable — we’ve been to New York City a bunch of times, to L.A., to San Francisco, to Portland. The biggest thing is watching kids accomplish things they don't think is possible. That’s always exciting and keeps me motivated to continue to do this," he said.

Wright included his 2022 teams among his favorites, offering that “this team is one of the closest teams I have had so far. The girls love to be around each other and are really welcoming to new people. The boys have a great set of captains and they set the tone for how the team interacts with each other. Both teams get along well with each other, and they are fun to be around.”

Training together four days per week during the summer, often staying after to play games, Saturday long runs and team get-togethers, along with a team trip to Cades Cove to run have helped the teams to gel.

The positive team dynamic leads to higher quality training and racing so necessary for a peak performance when it counts. Wright’s approach to training distance runners generally follows a template set by Jack Daniels. The schedule involves a main workout on Monday, usually a tempo run or race-pace intervals. Thursday is repetition day, which involves running hills or 200s at mile-race pace. Tuesdays are yoga days and Wednesday morning is weight day. The other days include maintenance running. In this system all roads lead to a peak performance in October and November — championship season.

Here’s a look at the runners who will determine that peak performance.

Boys

On the boys side, senior two-year captain Jack Biewer leads the team. Biewer returns after a second team All-Region season in 2021 and sub-17:00 race at the state meet. Wright said that Biewer looks like a 1st team All-Region runner this year and has the potential to finish top 20 at the state meet. With a strong season of training and racing he has a “legitimate chance at an All-State finish” of top 15, matching the last runner to achieve All-State status for ORHS, Jose Villegas in 2018.

Jack is the “consummate teammate, always willing to do what is best for the team, our unquestionable leader on and off the course. Jack is one of those kids who came in as a freshman and was pretty good, but put in the work to make himself better and never quit pushing and working. I can’t wait to see what Jack does this season.”

Senior two-year captain Eddie Moore comes off a skiing injury that cost him last track season, but has rounded back into form quickly over the summer and is running as well as he did at the beginning of cross country season last year.

Wright said, “Eddie is aiming for an All-Region finish this year and a top 30 finish at the state meet at the least. Although quiet, Eddie does his talking with his performance. He will fight through adversity better than most. He also helps his teammates when they need encouragement.”

Moore won the team’s pre-season two-mile time trial last week and looks strong coming into the first real race of the season.

Wright said that senior Joe Blair is probably the toughest runner on the team -- Blair essentially wills himself to complete workouts with Biewer and Moore and stays as close to them during races as he can for as long as he can. Blair is capable of a Top 20 Region finish and sub 17:30 at the state meet.

Like Moore and Biewer, Blair “is a great teammate and is extremely helpful to the younger runners.” Obviously, these three senior leaders hold the team together and will be the critical factor in steering the team’s success this season. The boys have some returning sophomores that have some potential and there are some incoming freshmen who had solid eighth-grade seasons and could potentially make varsity at the crucial 4 and 5 spots.

Girls

On the girls’ side, coming off a fifth place Region 2 finish, the girls look poised to move up in the standings and challenge for a State Meet spot. Wright focuses first on his returners, beginning with four-year senior captain Thora Spence:

“Thora knocked on the door last year to earning a state qualifying spot as an individual. She has looked strong this summer and appears to want to make a run at that qualifying spot this year. She has the potential to finish Top 20 at the Region 2 meet. Thora is a very analytical runner and sometimes thinks too much. We are trying to get her to react more in races and not think so much. I look for her to have a huge breakthrough this year.”

Chloe Kirk is the other four-year senior on the team. Kirk has dealt with injuries every year during her career, but Wright said she has worked hard this summer and seems to be back at full strength. He also points to several returning juniors and sophomores he thinks are poised to have breakout seasons, including junior Lily Hartman, a varsity returner; Karen Molina, who missed last season, but has been running a lot and is in fantastic shape; and Lady Wildcat basketball player Kate Laffoon, who is running her first cross country season since middle school. Sophomores Odelia Kneiser, Emily Edwards, and Lily Moran are coming off a full year of ORHS cross country and track and look strong and ready to have a great season, as well. In girls’ cross country, freshmen often have an immediate impact on varsity races, and Wright sees that potential in his girls’ freshman group.

Wright expressed the teams’ goals clearly: “Our goal every year is to qualify as a team for state and/or have a number of individuals earn spots.”

Based solely on returners, Oak Ridge boys project as the third best team in the region behind Farragut and Hardin Valley Academy. Wright said the potential to have two All-Region runners in Biewer and Moore, and he thinks that Blair is knocking on the door.

He said, “I believe that we can finish in the Top 10 at the state meet, depending on how some freshmen and other returners progress through the season.”

Right now, Oak Ridge girls look like the fourth best team in the region behind Farragut, Hardin Valley, and West, but he said, “we are closer to them than we've been in five years. I think that we could have as many as three girls qualify as individuals if the team doesn’t qualify.”

The ORHS Cross Country teams begin their season at the Cherokee Classic at 9 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 10.

Allen Etheridge is an English teacher, and sports information and assistant athletic director for Oak Ridge High School.

This article originally appeared on Oakridger: ORHS cross country season gets underway Saturday