When you think of great teams, they have some form of leadership. In high school sports it falls upon the upperclassmen, and more specifically the seniors to set the bar and lead by example. With four seniors being in the teams varsity lineup: Brody Crandall; Carson Mclntire; Evan Kraker; Josh Langeland, they were responsible for a lot of the success this year.
The seniors on the team bring energy to the team, they’ve put a great amount of time and effort into the program and are often the natural leaders of the team. For any sport, players spend countless hours on practices and games. Because of what all the seniors have done for their teammates and their program, it is right that they receive more honor and respect.
With only two underclassmen Luke Hernandez(Sophomore), Greyson DeWys(Freshman) on the cross team this year, it was a change to the normal dynamic of the team. The upperclassmen were in a must-score situation most of the year.
“Running cross country is hard, there are very few Pr’s and it can be very discouraging and mentally tough. The seniors have more experience dealing with this, and finding the stamina to break through it. It was great having the seniors to help guide, and push me to keep going when I got tired.” Hernadez said.
Seniority plays a significant role in determining who will make varsity teams, and coaches have to grapple with how much it matters in contrast to skill. Some empathize with the older athletes, as underclassmen will have a chance to support the team in the coming years. In cross country you make the Varsity team by running faster, and that’s exactly what they did this year.
Following this year, Abatu Dykstra and Noah Hernandez look to have outstanding Senior seasons next year. Both being honored with 2023 OK-Blue All Conference runners as juniors, and Abatu qualifying for the individual state meet for the 3rd time.
November21November 21, 2023