Running across the hills, through the woods and over fields of grass or dirt, cross country runners love the open air.
However, earning the right to be called a harrier is not for the faint of heart, especially at Woodrow Wilson High School.
“It is a tough sport, and we are a competitive program. That makes it even harder,” Woodrow Wilson head cross country coach George Barbera said. “We have a regimen that we follow. It is a weekly plan that is consistent throughout the season. It’s challenging, and sometimes it’s too much.”
Although it is a tough grind, the Flying Eagles have built a highly successful program. The girls team is coming off a third-place finish in last year’s state meet, while the boys took home fifth.
If the girls are to challenge for the title again this season, they will have to do it with some new faces.
“We graduated three seniors that were an integral part in the success of the varsity team the last three or four years,” Barbera said. Two of them ran for four years and the other ran for two. They were very dependable and always finished in the top six at meets. You lose kids each year, so, when you have someone that stays with you for four years, it is quite an achievement.”
Colette Lindley and Ashton Evans are four-year runners that will anchor the girls team. Lindley finished 23rd at the state meet last year.
Lauren Curtis was 34th at states last year as a freshman and she leads a talented group of sophomores that includes Hannah Keiling and Kyndall Ince.
“We also have eight freshmen, so we are looking for a few of those girls to jump up in the top seven for us,” Barbera said. “They work hard, and they are chasing each other. When you have that at practice, you know you will have a successful team. The key is to put pressure on whoever is in front of you, and they are doing that.”
The veteran Woodrow coach is also quick to acknowledge the work done at the middle school level regarding the development of the Flying Eagles program.
“Mary McClanahan has done a great job at Beckley-Stratton and Matt McGinnis has done a great job at Park. We see the fruits of their labors,” Barbera said. “When we have a large class come in, we know it’s attributed to that.”
On the boy’s side, there is good reason for optimism for the upcoming season.
“I have three core seniors returning on the boys squad. Conner Cormack, Christian Saffouri and Chris Huffman,” Barbera said. “We have a couple of freshmen that have joined the team and Brandon Canaday is a sophomore that is doing well. We have a very solid team.”
Canaday was the top finisher for Woodrow at last year’s state meet coming in at 17. Huffman finished 21st, while Saffouri was 30th and Cormack was 49th.
“Aiden Kneeland was one of the best eighth graders in the state last year. Conner’s brother Josh Cormack is running strong and is coming off a strong track season that just kind of continued through the summer.
Josh Cormack finished 55th as a freshman at the states.
“We have a kid named Mason Nettles who has put in 40-plus miles a week. He was a baseball player that decided to run track instead. He is catching that top pack,” Barbera said. “Rob Shirey is a sophomore that is working really hard as well.”
The boys team also received a boost from some mid-sprinters from the Woodrow Wilson track team. Stanley Martin, James Grayson and Tristan Camarillo are all pushing to be in the top seven runners according to Barbera.
While the move from track to cross country may seem like a natural transition, Barbera explains why that is not always the case.
“Some true cross-country runners don’t really like track and some kids that love track are not fond of cross country, but runners run. They find a way,” Barbera said. “Cross-country is different. Some kids don’t like running in a loop. Some kids don’t like people watching them. They lose themselves in the trails. Every day we run some place different and try to mix it up.”
Although the cross-country season kicked off this week around the state, Saturday’s Chick-fil-A Invitational hosted by Woodrow Wilson is the kick-off event for most teams in southern West Virginia.
“Chik-fil-A has been sponsoring it for about eight years now. This is the 10th year I have been hosting it. I started it when I was at Park Middle,” Barbera said.
The annual event has seen an explosion of teams this year which even caught Barbera somewhat by surprise.
“We have 43 schools this year and 600 runners registered. It will probably be the biggest event we have had so far. It is going to be quite an event,” Barbera said. “I was expecting 25 teams because there are seven meets throughout the state this weekend. We are drawing just about every middle school and high school in the southern eight counties.”
The Chik-fil-A Invitational will be held beside Beckley-Stratton Middle School and starts at 9:30 a.m. with the girls’ high school run. The high school boys will follow 30 minutes later.
The middle school girls run will be approximately an hour after the conclusion of the high school events, with the boys heading out after the girl’s race.
High school awards will be presented between the high school and middle school races.
“The race is a spectator friendly event also. With the course being just off the Beckley-Stratton campus, fans and coaches can see about 90 percent of the course,” Barbera said.
Fans attending the event will park at the Pinecrest Industrial Park just below the school.
