Photo by Erin Nelson.
Homewood’s Ben Murray edges past a Briarwood runner as they come down the final stretch towards the finish line during the Class 6A, Section 4 meet at Veterans Park, hosted by Spain Park High School in November 2020.
Homewood High School cross-country coach Josh Donaldson said one of the big challenges for the team this season will be the added competition.
Last year, Mountain Brook moved down to 6A and Scottsboro moved up from 5A into 6A, so the Homewood team has already seen some aspects of this new obstacle.
“Another challenge of course is trying to see that growth from the athletes we have this year,” Donaldson said. “We did graduate out several boys and girls who contributed heavily to our team success on both sides last year.”
However, Donaldson also said he is confident in the ability of the athletes who are on the team to rise to the occasion and have success at a high level. His biggest goal is to have them trust in their training enough to feel like they see their results getting better each day.
“Did you do everything you could do for the team and for yourself during that race? Really that’s the biggest thing I always ask them,” Donaldson said. “If you give it your all, that’s all I’m gonna ever ask, no matter what the outcome is … and when you do that, big things happen. The success is in whether or not you’re able to put in the work.”
Some runners he said to look out for on the boys team, based on summer training and time trials, are Colvin Bussey, Cole Bedics, Jack Freeman, Sam Gray, Jack Harchelroad, Andrew Laird, Ben Murray, Grayton Murray, and Sid Warren.
The Murrays have been consistently in the top group of runners, along with Harchelroad and Gray, who was out last year due to a hip injury but looking to make a comeback this year.
On the girls team, Sydney Dobbins, Camille Etheridge, Sophia Forrestall, Sarah Kemper, Emma Brooke Levering, Lilly Maske, Ada McElroy, Caroline Wilder and Bailey Zinn are expected to contribute highly to team scoring.
Donaldson said from both of the teams, there isn’t a specific person this year who is running out front the most. He has seen certain runners in past seasons who are often up front more, but this year it is more evenly dispersed.
However, they are all cheering for each other. In fact, Donaldson said the team’s camaraderie is its biggest strength this year because of how it translates on the course, in practice and at team dinners.
As a coach, he is excited to see growth in the team’s young talent. He’s seen many of the runners in practice over the summer and in the beginning practices this fall with an eagerness and drive to step up and fill the shoes of those who graduated.
“They’re all running and pushing one another,” Donaldson said. “With cross-country being such a team sport distance wise, it’s going to be interesting to see who decides to take that leap, to take that step and be out there in the front. It’s honestly going to be somebody different every race, so it’s gonna be exciting.”
The first meet of the season is Sept. 11 at Chickasaw Trails in Moulton.
