Photo by Erin Nelson.
Homewood’s Jack Harchelroad pushes through the final stretch to the finish line in the Class 6A boys race during the AHSAA state cross-country meet at Oakville Indian Mounds Park in November.
The Homewood High School cross-country teams have been hoarding blue maps in recent years.
Each year for the past eight, the Patriots boys team has won the Class 6A state title. The girls have won three of the last four.
But this fall, there’s work to be done if the Homewood programs want to reach that pinnacle yet again.
“It’s a young team that we’re excited about, helping them reach their potential along the way,” head cross-country coach Josh Donaldson said.
On the girls side, the likes of Lainey Phelps and Celie Jackson have graduated after pacing the varsity squad for the last six years. The boys have a little bit more returning experience, , despite the losses of Jackson Merrell and Carson Bedics from last year’s squad.
One of the names to watch on the girls team is Marin Poleshek, a sophomore who finished third at the state meet last fall with a 5K time of 19:12.
“She’s going to be one of the top runners, not only on our team, but in the state,” Donaldson said. “Her work ethic, all the way through how she races, it’s fun to watch how she runs.”
Lily Blish, Sydney Dobbins and Sophia Forrestall are other girls Donaldson expects to take a leap and become pivotal runners for the Lady Patriots. Also on the girls team is Sarah Derriso, Camille Etheridge, Taylin Galloway, Madeleine Garrity, Becca Cate Hubrich, Sarah Kemper, Norah Nickoli, Maris Owen, Ellen Reidinger, Harper Sheils, Alex Steltenpohl, Victoria Thompson, Hannah Wheeler and Caroline Wilder.
The boys team returns the state’s top 6A performer at last year’s state meet in Jon Fielding Stogner, although the senior is nursing an injury, and the Patriots are hopeful for his return to the lineup before the end of the season.
Donaldson is also bullish on the prospects of the likes of Crawford Hope and Jack Harchelroad to help lead the team, along with the likes of Cole Bedics, Graham Miner and Ben Murray.
Nate Bernstein, Barrett Bridgmon, Anderson Camp, Michael Chavar, Jack Freeman, Oscar Garcia, Liam Goessling, Sam Gray, Turner Gray, James Ivey, Evan Jackson, Adjonijah Kapelach, Phillip Laird, Judson Lyons, Gavin McAbee, Tripp McCain, Braxton McClusky, Grayton Murray, Ivan Pichardo Njenga, Pete Richardson, Sid Warren, Jack Bailey Sain, Ander Wyatt, Spencer Wright and David Sitton will also compete for the boys this fall.
There’s no running from the fact that Homewood has earned the proverbial target on its back with all the success over the last several years. Donaldson wants his runners to realize the stakes but to also focus on improving everyday.
“We try to talk to them about how pressure is a privilege, and while we might have that pressure to continue what’s there, the biggest thing is to do their best every time they’re out there,” he said. ”That’s all we can ever ask them for.”
Donaldson said he particularly loves the aspect of seeing the development of younger runners who end up developing into leaders and watching that cycle take place over and over.
“We’re trying to build and mold some of the other guys and girls on the team into team leaders, so that they can help guide and mold the young runners as well. It’s not always about running, it’s about building character and being good people.”
Due to the effects of COVID-19, Homewood’s schedule will look a little different this fall. The Patriots will compete in the Chickasaw Invitational in September, a race that is run on the same course as the state meet in November.
It won’t be easy for Homewood to repeat as cross-country Class 6A state champions, a task made even more challenging by Mountain Brook dropping down from 7A and Scottsboro ascending from 5A. But Donaldson just wants to see his team progress from one race to the next.
“As long as they’re doing the small things, we can definitely make the big things work, which is exciting,” he said.