By GABRIELLE SHIOZAWA
Moapa Valley Progress
Moapa Valley High School Cross Country coaches Heather Humes and Gary Watkins have endless supplies of optimism when it comes to the potential for their teams in the upcoming season. And their positive outlook is far from unfounded.
Over the past few years, the Pirate Cross Country has grown in the number of athletes involved, gained speed, and become, more and more, a force to be reckoned with.
Last season, the girls’ team had strong performances at both division and region. They sent two qualifying runners to state, ending a longtime absence of female Pirates at the competition.
As for the upcoming season, girls’ coach Heather Humes says, “The prospects look really good. It’s been a long time since we’ve qualified for state as a team, but I think we have a really good chance to make some waves in our league and steal a qualifying spot this year.”
McKinley Bledsoe and Shelby Olson are two of the runners to be on the watch for this season. Bledsoe qualified for state last year and performed well there, despite being only a freshman. Olson, a senior, spent her first three years at MVHS on the soccer field. But now the competitive runner is heading for the starting line instead.
Also returning to the team will be seniors Kennadie Burt, Gabrielle Shiozawa and Miranda Robison. These three who have run on the team since their freshman year, are expected to be leaders for the team.
“I am looking for the seniors to fill leadership roles and really help with the development and encouragement of the younger runners,” Humes said.
“It’s going to be fun to see what the team can accomplish and how they can grow this season,” Humes added. “They have a lot of potential, and I’m excited.”
The boys’ team also broke barriers last season when they took first place in the 3A division. They went on to place second at region before competing as a team at state.
Watkins is hoping to build off of last season’s successes.
“I expect that we’ll win division again with the boys,” said Watkins. “We’ll do really well at region, and we’ll go to state again. That’s my expectation.”
Top runners on the boys’ team this year include Jerrick Stastny, Preston Humes, Bryton Dorsey, and Preston Bushman.
Watkins explained, “The advantage that we have now is that, having run all summer and being able to maintain the base they’ve built, we get to start there, at a higher level, so we can go farther throughout the season.”
Many new recruits have joined the team, as well, filling gaps left by last year’s graduates.
“The boys we have are driven,” Watkins said. “If they can draw the new runners in through their leadership, we’ll go places.”
Cross Country 2018 Season Schedule
Aug 25 Red Rock Inv. 8 AM
Sep 05 Larry Burgess Inv 8 AM
Sep 13 Boulder City 4:30
Sep 15 MVHS Inv. 7:30 AM
Sep 25 MVHS 4:30
Sep 29 Falcon Inv. 7:30 AM
Oct 03 Boulder City 4:30
Oct 06 Lake Mead Inv. 8 AM
Oct 09 Bud O’Dee 4:30
Oct 13 Southern Div Final TBA
Oct 26 So. REgional TBA
Nov 03 NIAA Championship
Home games in bold
Schedule subject to change without notice
