PREP BOYS XC SEASON PREVIEW: Area teams reload after big 2021 season
Aug. 17—After one of the more successful boys cross country seasons in area history last year, a lot of the top programs will be looking to replace some key runners in 2022.
The best finishers from the area at the state meet last year was Northridge, who placed in eighth. Individually, Jack Moore was also in eighth place for the Raiders, earning all-state honors in the process.
Moore has graduated, though, leaving an opening at the top of the Northridge lineup. Senior Jaxon Miller is expected to slide into that role, as he went to state as an individual in 2020 and was the No. 2 runner behind Moore a season ago.
Jaxon's twin younger brothers, freshmen Xavier and Baylor, are runners expected to step up on the varsity team. Also looking to step up will be junior David Gingerich.
"We are looking forward to another great season this year for our boys' team," Northridge head coach Ryan McClane said. "They are coming off of an 8th place finish last year at the state meet and we are hoping to stay in the top 10 again this year. We lost two scoring seniors for us last year in Jack Moore and Nathan Perez, but feel that this team has a little more depth than last year and are excited to see who our top seven runners will be throughout the season."
Elsewhere in the Northern Lakes Conference, Goshen looks to replace its two all-state runners in Drew Hogan and Cole Johnston. The two finished 12th and 18th, respectively, at the state meet last year and are both now running at the college level.
Luckily for the RedHawks, two talented runners in seniors Tommy Claxton and Luis Loera return, along with classmate Oliver Biek and junior Brady Abney. All four ran at the state meet last year for Goshen, who placed 10th as a team.
"We look forward to starting the season, and hope to compete well and have fun," Goshen coach Mike Wynn said.
Another NLC team looking to replace a state-caliber runner is Concord, as Anthony Roberts placed 43rd at the state meet for the Minutemen in 2021. Coach Matt Nicoson believes the depth of his team this year could make his team an under-the-radar contender in the conference and in the postseason.
"We have a strong top three returning with (Anthony) Claudio who placed 25th in the NLC last season, (Colyn) Chris who looks to get back to the top of the conference, and (Reid) Sollars," Nicoson said. "We also have two very strong team leaders in (Matthew) Godzisz and (Chad) Kennedy who had the most mileage this summer and organized a lot of the team activities and workouts. The NLC lost some dudes in the front pack but I expect it to go right back into a super-competitive group led by Claxton of Goshen, Miller of Northridge, and several others."
Outside of the NLC, West Noble senior Grant Flora seems poised for a big season. The Chargers also replace a lot of their production from a year ago, but they should still be contenders in the Northeast Corner Conference.
"This should be a very interesting season for us, as we bring back six of our top seven runners and two returning All-NECC runners in Grant Flora and Isaac Silva," West Noble coach Mike Flora said. "Grant Flora was a semistate qualifier last year and finished 25th overall in the race. We finished fourth in the NECC, fourth at sectionals and eighth at regionals as a team last year and hope to improve on those finishes this year. We have three new runners, including two new freshmen who will be able to help our varsity team to be better. I have a very positive outlook on this year's team and we have set some high goals to work to accomplish. I am very excited to get this season started."
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BETHANY CHRISTIAN BRUINS
Head coach: Benjamin Hurst, 10th season
Assistant coaches: Linda Hochstetler
Returning letterwinners: Seniors: Sam Klopfenstein, Gabriel Clark, Simon Moshier; Juniors: Eliott Borden, Jesse Bontrager, Nico Brenneman
Other varsity runners: Freshmen: Roman Nyce, Silas Stutzman
Head coach's comments on the upcoming season: "We are returning six of our varsity runners from last year's team, including three regional qualifiers. I think the guys are really excited to see what they are capable of this season both individually and in the conference. Incoming 9th graders will also make an immediate impact on the team this season."
CONCORD MINUTEMEN
Head coach: Matt Nicoson, 11th season (57-47 overall record)
Assistant coaches: Gregg Lee, Jena Kennedy, Will Nicoson
Last season's record: 7-9 (5-9 NLC)
Returning letterwinners: Seniors: Colyn Chris, Matthew Godzisz, Chad Kennedy, Jon Watson, Martin Centeno, Jessi Salvador; Juniors: Anthony Claudio, Alex Navarro; Sophomores: Reid Sollars, Zach McDonald
Other varsity runners: Seniors: Alan Arriaga, Alex Pettit, Andrew Girard, Jeshua Sotelo; Junior: Nicholas Kustron; Sophomores: Cooper Waltz, Emery Jimenez, Joel Frankenberger, Julian Romero, Qubid Rugelio, Santiago Pedroza, Yazid Salvador; Freshmen: Brady Sotebeer, Daniel Montiel, Emmanuel Martinez, Ethan Haushbach, Jackson Yoder, Jaxson Meyer, Ramiro Guzman, Alehandro Gonzales
Head coach's comments on the upcoming season: "We are definitely underdogs in the NLC this season, but don't count us out. We are bringing back some experience, and the guys that ran in Anthony Roberts' shadow for a couple years are very hungry to succeed. That was evident in our summer workouts as attendance was at an all-time high. We have a large team: about 30 guys, including our largest incoming freshmen class of eight guys. There are some low-5-minute milers in that young group with several right on their tails. I look for a few of the younger guys to push to the front of the pack by the NLC Championship race. I don't mind if it takes us the whole season to quietly improve every week. It will be awesome to see the results in October!"
ELKHART LIONS
Head coach: Adam Homo, 3rd season (previously was at Elkhart Memorial)
Assistant coaches: Barry Hines
Last season's record: 3rd in NIC
Returning letterwinners: Seniors: Owen Swinehart, Francisco Rosales, Logan Mann, Demetrio Garcia; Junior: Kellen Hartman; Sophomores: William Cochrane, Max Malloy, Ernest McClain, Aaron Richter
Other varsity runners: Seniors: Angel Vazquez, Brady Robinson, Zane Lightfoot, Dennis Kale, Keenan Hansborough, Palmer Garton, Billy Cronkhite, Uriel Aguilar; Juniors: Salah Ali, Jose Yael Marquez Pantoja; Sophomores: Jaime Guzman, Korbin Hershberger, Gabe Kazmierczak, Kevin Mehl, David Sefu, Dylan Vega; Freshmen: Ian Alexander, Jackson Ezzell, Peyton Shanholt, Nathan Sharp, Benjamin Sharp, Isaac Silvas, Lucas Smith.
Head coach's comments on the upcoming season: "Coach Hines and I are most excited about this year's EHS Boys' Cross Country team. Many of the runners put in work this summer, and that is going to pay dividends. Looking at our leadership, our captains are Demetrio Garcia, Logan Mann, and Francisco Rosales. Each of these individuals had a great cross country and track season last year, finishing each season off on a high note. Having these individuals lead the way as seniors will be an important part of how we progress as a team. We have two returning sophomores who competed at the IHSAA Semi-State meet last year, Maxwell Malloy and Aaron Richter. It is going to be helpful to have these two influencing their teammates in a positive manner because they know what it takes to get to the semi-state meet. Hopefully they can also help lead us to a successful season. It has been a fun summer, and the team is looking for a fun season. We are a team whose success will depend upon how well we work together over the course of the 2022 cross country season."
ELKHART CHRISTIAN ACADEMY EAGLES
Head coach: Peter Casaletto, 31st season
Last season's record: 4-1 HPC
Returning letterwinners: Seniors: Luke Schramm, Isaac Leeper, Dan Burch, Josh Helmuth; Juniors: Trent Conrad, Devyn Clements; Sophomore: Ben Leeper
Other varsity runners: Freshman: Jacob Tice
Head coach's comments on the upcoming season: "The boys' team is experienced and got five individuals out of sectionals last year, so I expect a good season."
FAIRFIELD FALCONS
Head coach: David Long, 2nd season
Returning letterwinners: Senior: John Fry; Juniors: Luke Mast, Aiden Bender; Sophomores: Kaden Decker, Carson Miller
Other varsity runners: Sophomore: Eithen Garcia Mendosa; Freshmen: Blake Miller, Hudson Bontrager, Nick Moreland
Head coach's comments on the upcoming season: "The team continues to improve and is looking forward to the season. We take each meeting one step at a time, and I expect we are going to be better prepared this year. The NECC conference is always competitive. We hope to use this challenge to mold us into better athletes. We really need a good showing at sectionals this year. That meet, county clash, and conference will be our most important events this season."
GOSHEN REDHAWKS
Head coach: Mike Wynn, 30th season (221-111 overall record)
Assistant coaches: Lee Wynn, Juan Perez
Last season's record: 17-0 (14-0 NLC)
Returning letterwinners: Seniors: Oliver Biek, Bryan Sixtos-Armas, Tommy Claxton, David Dominguez, Luis Loera; Juniors: Brady Abney, Alex Lopez
Other varsity runners: Seniors: Luis Abad, Juan Perez Quiroz, Javier Reyes; Juniors: Lincoln Clark, Cesar Ortiz Diaz; Sophomores: Kael Bestul, Todd Kauffman, Peter Moser, Quinn Shreiner Landes; Freshmen: Dorian Diaz, Cooper Fish, Daniel Kinsey, Jose Perez
JIMTOWN JIMMIES
Head coach: Ryan Woolwine, 2nd season
Returning letterwinners: Seniors: Nathan Leighton, Alex Moyer; Sophomore: Steven Pendell
Other varsity runners: Senior: Caleb Koets; Freshmen: Brady Miller, Cameron Moyer, Dalton Cook, Lucas Bumpus, Aden Hartman, Collin Davis
Head coach's comments on the upcoming season: "This is a growing season for the boys' team, with over half of our team being underclassmen. They have been working hard and I am excited to see them throughout the season."
NORTHRIDGE RAIDERS
Head coach: Ryan McClane, 11th season
Assistant coaches: Sam Miller, Andy Williams, Jen Schrock
Last season's record: 2nd in NLC; 8th at state meet
Returning letterwinners: Seniors: Austin Abelseth, Will Knox, Jaxon Miller, Brock Reschly, Jon Spicher; Juniors: David Gingerich, Trevin Schlabach; Sophomores: Marc Hernandez, Colin Mack
Head coach's comments on the upcoming season: "The NLC will be strong again this year and we are looking forward to competing with those teams for a conference title. We have a strong senior class this year led by Jaxon Miller, who will have a different role this year as our number one runner, but with a lot of help from fellow seniors Will Knox, Jon Spicher, Austin Abelseth and junior David Gingerich, who was all-conference last year. We also are expecting some help from a number of sophomores and a couple of freshmen (Baylor and Xavier Miller), who are the twin brothers to Jaxon Miller."
NORTHWOOD PANTHERS
Head coach: Justin Bell, 14th season
Assistant coaches: Adam Polhemus
Last season's record: 4th in NLC
Varsity roster: Seniors: Jordan Burden, Cole Davies, Brady Hartman, Daniel Medina, Owen Miller, Markuz Piercy; Juniors: Owen Allen, Logan Becker, Bereket Bennett, Dillon Boggs, Bradley Mason, Bryce Parvu-Timmer, Lucas Ramer, Jonathan Towler; Sophomores: Cohen Clayton, Clayton Mason, Gabriel Schrock, Calix Truex, Braxton Parvu-Timmer, Gavin Rulli; Freshmen: Collin Goss, Henry Pfeiffer, Colton Rouch
Head coach's comments on the upcoming season: "The team is looking forward to building a historic season for the NorthWood program."
WAWASEE WARRIORS
Head coach: Jose Lopez, 3rd season
Assistant coaches: Brandon Kidd, Doug Slabaugh
Returning letterwinners: Seniors: Dominic Spybreck, Josiah Boyer, Landon Kessler, Cade Beer; Juniors: Senate Shaw, Summit Shaw, Brady McDonald; Sophomores: Hunter Allen, Wes Hoffert
Other varsity runners: Freshmen: Zach Kryder, Drew Yoder, Max Taylor, Issac Winters
WEST NOBLE CHARGERS
Head coach: Mike Flora, 3rd season (15-6 overall record)
Last season's record: 6-4 NECC
Returning letterwinners: Seniors: Grant Flora, Isaac Silva, Logan Schuller; Juniors: Evan Rodriguez, Andres Sandoval, River Bieberich; Sophomores: Devon Bartlett
Other varsity runners: Senior: Nate Shaw; Freshmen: Nathan Troxel, Xavier Hofmeister, Ben Burke
WESTVIEW WARRIORS
Head coach: Lyle Bontrager, 3rd season
Last season's record: 11-1, 2nd in NECC
Returning letterwinners: Seniors: Lyndon Miller, Chad Hershberger, Adrian Miller; Juniors: Nick Bontrager, Quinton Yoder; Sophomores: Cole Bontrager, Curtis Miller
Other varsity runners: Freshmen: Alex Yoder, Noah Bontrager, Mearl Miller
Head coach's comments on the upcoming season: "It's hard to compete with big schools, but my runners know what they have to do to be able to compete. With three solid seniors leading the way and a freshman hungry to make it to state, we are planning on making our mark. All the guys know that we all need to run one minute faster this year compared to last if we want to win some trophies. A lot of sweat has been put in this summer and now we start some fine tuning for the season! Looking forward to the journey!"
Austin Hough can be reached at austin.hough@goshennews.com or at 574-538-2360. Follow him on Twitter at @AustinHoughTGN.
