Photo by Erin Nelson.
Vestavia Hills’ Crawford West makes her way down the final stretch to claim first place in the Class 7A, Section 3 meet at Veterans Park hosted by Spain Park High School on Nov. 5.
Vestavia Hills High School cross-country coach Brett Huber said the boys and girls cross-country teams had a great season last year, but both teams were a little off their game at the state meet.
This year, he said he is hoping the team will work harder and be better prepared for the state competition.
The new team is fairly young and many of the role model athletes graduated, so many of the runners who will burst onto the scene for are “under the radar,” Huber said.
He mentioned Claire Spooner, an upcoming freshman on the girls team.
“She finished out the last track season with some really strong times and did well in junior high cross-country last year.” Huber said. “For a lot of people she’s not under the radar, but as a freshman she will be … people won’t know who she is until she starts racing out there.”
Another standout runner on the girls team with plenty of potential and a lot to offer to the team is Katy Lambert, Huber said. This will be her sixth season running.
One runner who is not “under the radar” is Crawford West, the reigning Gatorade Alabama Cross-Country Player of the Year. Last season, West swept top prize in the 800-, 1,600- and 3,200-meter runs in the Class 7A state indoor meet. At state outdoor, West won the1,600 and 3,200 races.
“She really did have a great junior year,” Huber said. “She’s really set herself in a position where she probably has several personal goals in cross country and in track ... to keep preparing for those and see what she can accomplish personally and for her team.”
Ethan Strand, winner of the Gatorade Alabama Boys Cross Country Runner of the year award for the 2019-2020 season, graduated last year. Huber said losing him will be tough for the guys’ team, but he still has hope.
“We have a very talented group of young runners coming in and another group that’s a mix of sophomore and junior runners,” he said. “The challenge will be getting them to the place where they can compete to the best of their ability with their training level that they are coming into the season with.”
Rising Senior Tuc Wilson is a team leader this year who overcame a lot of setbacks last season, and Huber said he is ready to help take the team back to the top. Others who have been competing at high levels in past seasons with high potential are Alex Leath, Will Jordan and Henry Strand.
Huber emphasized the potential of the teams as a whole, not just any one person. He said the girls have been working hard as a group, and the guys are excited for the opportunity to write their story for the season and discover their talents as a team.
“They all have different strengths … some of them it’s competition, some of them it’s leadership, some of them it’s potential.” Huber said. “As the season hits, we’re gonna see how good they are and they don’t even know it yet. That’s the exciting part about coaching.”
The first meet of the 2021 season will be at the Chickasaw Invitational on Saturday, Sept. 11 in Moulton, Alabama. There are nine meets total, two for all teams, four for varsity and three for junior varsity.
