With almost the entire staff returning from a state runner-up finish, the Lady Outlaws have reason to expect to be running in Shawnee next month.That’s the home of the Class 3A state championship cross-country meet, and only Plainview stood in the way of the Lady Outlaws shot at a state crown.
“We have a strong group back,” said head coach Mikey Eaves. “We lost two from that team last year, and both those seniors on the team at the state meet. They are going to be hard to replace, but we have some freshmen stepping up and competing for a spot in the top five.”
Marlow returns its top runner from last year in sophomore Maci Rich.
Rich was the top medalist for the Lady Outlaws at the state meet, finishing sixth with a time of 12:47 on the two-mile course at Oklahoma Baptist University.
Next comes the senior leadership with Madison Parsons and Katie Fikes.
Fikes took 18th at state, crossing the finish line at 13:33. Parsons was 36th with a time of 14:12.
“Both have been running through most of their high school careers,” Eaves said. “They have done a good job stepping up as leaders through our workouts.”
Jordan Keeler was 38th at OBU last season, clocking a 14:16 race, and was the final scorer for the Lady Outlaws in the state runner-up bid.
She is joined by Ashley O’Dell, who was the sixth placer for Marlow at state, brining the experience of the October run with her.
The two freshmen are Sarah Ivory and Peyton Baker.
In all, Eaves has 14 runners, heightening the push for this team to be its best.
“Our ultimate goal is to win it all,” Eaves said. “We know that Plainview has a good group returning, and also has some strong young girls coming up. There are still in the picture, but the championship is a goal we want to work to.
“I expect nothing but the best from this group,” he added.
While the boys’ team was not as successful, the goals and expectations are growing as fast as the number of runners for coach Bobby Wortham.
Unable to field the five runners required to reach a maximum score at a meet last year, Wortham welcomes a dozen harriers to practice three days a week.
Eight of those runners are there every day, while the other four balance cross-country running with football practice.
“We have four football players running with us this year,” said Wortham. “Coach (Jeremy) Gage has worked well with us in letting these guys participate in both sports.”
Brothers Cody and Colton Crowe join Jack Tidwell and Tanner Southerland in donning the pads and running long distances.
Southerland played both sports last year, and qualified to run at the state meet, finishing 30th last year.
Southerland, a senior, was joined by Tony Aguilera, now a sophomore, and Nick Ellsworth, also a senior, as individual qualifiers last year.
This year, the Outlaws have the advantage of depth.
“We will have a junior varsity team as well as a varsity team,” Wortham said. “Last year, we had trouble fielding a varsity team at some meets.”
Not just depth, but also quality depth.
Seniors Chisholm Holland and Tony Velasco joined the team have provided strength to the lineup.
“Chisholm and Tony are really running well right now,” Wortham said. “The times they are running right now are strong.”
Running with former Outlaw Dr. Matt Ivory has also helped the team, Wortham said.
“He’s out there running with them, pushing them,” Wortham said. “It is a real advantage to have him work with the guys because he knows where they should be in their training as far as target times.”
With the quality of depth available this year, Wortham is optimistic, but doesn’t set the bar too high.
“We want to be the best we can be,” Wortham said. “We would like to qualify as a team for the state meet, but we are going to work on improving every week.
“If we can do that, I expect we will have a good year,” he added.
Both teams begin their season this afternoon in Shawnee at the Canadian River Run.
The only home meet will be Sept. 18, and the state meet is, once again, slated for OBU in Shawnee, Oct. 23. The teams will have a warm-up run on the state course at a meet on Oct. 7.