Central looks to remain county champs

Wednesday, August 13, 2008

This fall the Hopkins County Central girls’ cross country team has one goal in mind — defend its title as county champions. After graduating seven seniors, however, the task will require much from the youthful returnees.

The Lady Storm runners have captured the county championship three times in the last five years, including back-to-back titles in 2006 and 2007.

Although coach Kent Akin believes his team has what it takes to repeat, he said the job will be difficult because Madisonville-North Hopkins and Dawson Springs typically have solid programs.

“That’s always one of our goals to win the county championship, but it’s going to be tough this year,” coach Kent Akin said. “It’s always a competitive race.”

Last season’s team was led by Victoria Miller, Samantha Morgan, and Ashly Rodgers. Miller and Rodgers each qualified for state four times and Morgan was all-county seven times.

This year’s leader will be junior Mattie Russell, in her third year running. Russell has been named all-county twice and will assume the role of captain for the Central runners.

“She’s doing a pretty good job leading the young ones through,” Akin said. “She came out ready this year. She showed a lot of leadership in taking over the team.”

After having many older girls to look up to in previous years, Russell said she’s now adjusting to being the example to underclassmen.

“I’m a little nervous about it, trying to get to know everybody,” she said. “I know some of the younger ones. I try to get us together as much as a team as we were before and get as close as we were.”

Russell’s friends may have graduated, but she said she keeps their advice in the forefront of her mind when running.

“I think about how the seniors from last year pushed me,” Russell noted. “I think about the stuff they said to me when they ran. I got to represent, I have to do it for them.”

The Lady Storm will also expect a lot from freshman Crystal White. White took the team’s rookie of the year award as an eighth-grader and will compete solely on the varsity level now.

“She ran as an eighth grader, so she’s got a little taste of it,” Akin said. “She got to compete in some varsity races, but she also competed in a lot of middle school races.”

White said she received a lot of support last season and hopes to be a big contributor.

“(Coach) Akin has always told me that he’s had confidence that I can do it,” she said. “I was really scared (last year), but everybody talked to me and just gave me the best confidence I’ve ever had for any sport I’ve ever done.”

Joining White and Russell on the 2008 squad will be junior Sara Fleischmann in her first year running and freshman Kaitlin Moore. Altough Moore did not run last year, she has run in the past and rejoins the program.

Freshman Kendall Bryant will also run this fall and Akin said she has shown a lot of potential thus far in practice.

Eighth-grader Kaylee Smitth and seventh-grader Hannah Tow round out the Central girls’ roster.

Akin said he realizes the obstacles of having such a young team, but thinks his girls can overcome it.

“We’ll have to grow up real quickly,” he said. “I think we’ve got a pretty good base. We’ve got a lot of talent. We’ve got some kids that seem enthusiastic about the sport. That’s one of the big things about being successful in this sport.”

Now in their second week of practice, the runners are working on building endurance and keeping a steady pace by running consecutively for predetermined amounts of time.

Even in the limited amount of practice, Akin said he likes what he has seen.

“I’ve been impressed with all of them,” he said. “These younger kids, each day that they’ve ran they’ve got a little bit better. They seem like they’re getting acquainted with it. I’ve been pleased with the progress.”

The team hopes its new members will progress enough to take a third consecutive county title this season, but Russell has her sights set a little higher.

“I haven’t been to state yet,” she said. “I went last year and I watched the race. It’s amazing how many people are there and 200 runners out there. I want to go back and compete.”