The Panther and Mustang cross country teams have been hitting the hills and valleys getting ready for their first meet at the Chick-Fil-A Beckley Invitational on August 25.
Here they will test their legs alongside the best in West Virginia Cross Country teams. With some of the new talent on the teams, hopes are high that they will be a force this season on the grass and dirt tracks. The coaches are running their athletes in such a manner that very few will keep up with them.
The CCHS team has acquired new faces from the Mustang team of last year that are already making their place on the team and will prove tough to beat. They are fast and may have given the CCHS team the edge they needed to compete with the best. The Lady Panther side of the team is stacked with talent.
Returning this season are Seniors Sharina Ratliff, Emily Holcomb and Brooklyn Taylor, each tough to beat. Also returning are Juniors Virginia
Haverty, Madelyn Kilpatrick and Chloe Jones. New to the team is Tailynn Varney, Celina Humphrey, Salyndria Gill and Serena
Neal. This team will be tough to beat. There are no seniors on the boys’ side of the team which means they will be stacked for at least the next few years. Returning are Zach Jarrett, Hunter Jones, Isiah Spencer,Richard Triplett, Owen Nottingham and Tanner Faulkner. Zane Stricker, Matthew Pitt, Nicholas Deyton, Wyatt Holcomb, Brian Young, Colton Frame, and Richard Ferrebee round out the team and are each are a force to reckon with. This season may be a banner year for the team.
The CCMS team is under new management with new coach Wesley Armes and assistant coach Ali Haverty, both very well acquainted
with the mechanics of running. They are getting the team ready through some tough training and high expectations. Returning is Jack Haverty who can give deer a run for the money. New faces on the team are bringing the edge they need in the coming matchups.
The Cross Country teams are still considered new in the wide world of Clay County Sports but are making their presence known throughout this state as some of the best. We will see as their season progresses; it should be a good one. Make sure you get a schedule at a local school or check online.
