Growing
Season

When Kyle Crouch took over as Republic’s head cross country coach this summer, he didn’t have much to learn about the program. He’d spent the past eight years as an assistant, most recently under Lexie Gallion, and he says the systems already in place made the move easier. What’s taken some getting used to is being the final voice.

“It seems almost natural as an assistant,” Crouch said. “I feel like I was able to provide a lot of insight in areas, and then now that I’m the person, it’s always like, is that really the best call? I second-guess myself sometimes. But I’ve been really fortunate to work with great head coaches along the way, so it’s been nice to transition into doing a lot of the same things.”

Tim Cobb joins him as an assistant this season, and one of the staff’s first projects was making summer training worth the early alarm.

“We did a lot of incentivizing summer training this year,” Crouch said. “It’s not always required, so sometimes they don’t want to come out and run distance, especially early in the morning. But we’ve had pretty good turnout.”

Republic has just one senior, Caleb Brest, on the combined roster, and Crouch says the plan is to embrace the young roster.

“I think potential is there,” he said. “We’re a really young group compared to what we were in years past. I think recognizing that we’re going to grow throughout the season has been a good feature to highlight for everybody. I think the boys team is going to be kind of a fun group to watch throughout the season.”

That boys team features top returners junior Lucas Riffe and sophomore Derek Argaez, who both put together strong summers. Crouch says Riffe is talented, “and I think that shows when he’s running.”

Argaez has stood out for his determination. “Derek’s the workhorse this year,” Crouch said. “He put in a lot of miles over the summer. He’s been all about running. He’s been kind of the coolest growth to see between freshman and sophomore year.”

Two more sophomores, Luke Delahay and Eli Sherrow, round out the group Crouch expects to lead the way. They bring different things. “Eli brings the sense of humor and community to the team, kind of keeps everything light, just makes it really enjoyable,” Crouch said. “And Luke’s going to do whatever you ask him to do, and he’s going to put every effort in that he needs to. He’s a role model for what you want to see in a program.”

Crouch believes the group can climb, even in a conference loaded with distance talent.

“I think we can outdo what we’ve done in years past,” he said. “COC depth is pretty hard, especially on the boys side. It’s just so hard to overcome. You’ve got to have really, really strong talent to begin with, or it’s that four-year commitment of distance to really see that through.”

The girls team is young, too, and it starts the season with a question mark at the top. Junior Brylie Harris was hurt at the end of track season and hasn’t been able to run much since. Crouch says she’ll be behind where she’d normally be, and the team is still waiting on word about her return.

Junior Zoey Johns headlines the group in the meantime after joining Harris as a state qualifier last year, then turning in a great track season in the spring.

“Zoey’s been making a lot of progress mileage-wise. She’s a really strong runner,” Crouch said. “I think she’s a better runner than what we’ve seen, and getting that out of her this year is going to be really cool to see. She’s got the potential to be really good.”

Behind Johns, Crouch points to a trio — Jovi Kirby, Peyton Bodoin, and Ellie Woolfenden — who run as a pack in more ways than one.

“They’re a team, and that’s what’s cool to see,” Crouch said. “They’re all about that sense of community. They want to see each other succeed. And seeing them only be sophomores or juniors is reassuring, because then we have another year to continue that.”

Kirby handles the energy. “She brings the team spirit. She’s the one that’s always boosting moods and the one that gets the team moving.” Bodoin’s contribution is quieter. “Peyton’s a great leader and role model for the team. She’s not the one that’s going to be outspoken, but she’s one that’s going to put in the work.”

To help all of them see their own ceiling, Crouch had the team set goals at the start of the year — then plans to revisit them as the meets pile up.

“Hopefully we continue that trend of what we did last year, where October looks way better than the beginning of the season. Because then you start seeing real progress happen,” he said.

The schedule offers a few highlights along the way. Crouch says he always circles the COC and district meets, and this year Republic adds something new: an after-dark Friday night meet at the Betty and Bobby Allison complex, with middle school, high school and college teams all racing under the lights.