By GAVIN FLASKA
Tiger Media Network
Fresh legs, offseason training and immense determination.
The Hays High School cross country team is back and gearing up for a season to remember.
With the help of coaches Jerold Harris, Haley Wolf and Daniel Dickerson, the team is ready to try for personal bests, podium finishes and a strong push for the Class 5A regional meet — and the possibility of running at state.
Hays High enters the season with nine seniors, three juniors, nine sophomores and six freshmen.
Ramping up training for the team has been vital for getting ready for the upcoming 2025 season. The runners are ready to cover countless miles over the next few weeks, building their endurance and strength to compete at a high level for their first meet Sept. 4 in Great Bend.
“Based on the youth and the number of runners that I didn’t have during the summer, we backed off the mileage on some of them,” Harris said. “Where we’re traditionally running 4 (miles) and 5 with those guys, we’re running more mileage. We’re trying to get 6 or 7 a day so we’re getting a longer warm-up and we’re getting a longer cool down.”
Recovery and staying healthy are important for the young runners as they prepare for eight straight weeks of workouts and races.
The team starts Week 1 on Sept. 4 in Great Bend, then moves on to Hesston on Sept. 11, with the home meet following on Sept. 18. The Indians will compete Sept. 27 in Lawrence, with Junction City and Salina Central following. The conference meet will be Oct. 16, followed by regionals on Oct. 25. State is slated for Nov. 1.
A cross country team’s goal is to get to regionals with the aspirations of reaching state.
“You know our league is so tough, and our guys will probably be in a battle with Great Bend and Garden City,” Harris said. “The Great Bend girls have brought home trophies in the last couple of years, so they have been impressive. We’re unsure about regional at this time because those haven’t been set, but if it falls the way it’s traditionally been, I would predict us to be middle of the pack. The top four qualify for state, (and I) imagine us for that six or seven spot out of the 11.”
With the season just around the corner, the runners have been pushing past their limits to prepare for the upcoming races. Senior Malachi Chance is ready for his final season as a high school runner, and his goal is to continue to improve.
“Probably one of the biggest goals this season is just improving my times,” he said. “Not just at the beginning of the races but throughout the middle so I can ultimately finish out the race strong.”
This story was written as part of INF 322: Sports Writing, a course in the Department of Informatics at Fort Hays State University.