Bulls runners peak early

By Mike Camunas
Published September 21, 2007

LAND O'LAKES - Coach Don Howard has no logical explanation.

Wiregrass Ranch, not even in the terrible 2s, is causing all kinds of ruckus for the parent cross country teams in Pasco County.

Wesley Chapel is shaking its head, Land O'Lakes is at a loss and Pasco just can't believe it. The Bulls, with no seniors and relying on three prominent freshmen, have a legitimate shot at a district title.

"We don't have the numbers I'd like to have on the team, but this team compares to the Wesley Chapel team that won the conference two years ago," said Howard, who was an assistant for the Wildcats for five years before taking over at Wiregrass.

Howard has just 11 girls on the varsity squad, and the top four runners are freshmen Ariel Grey, Taylor Hixson and Hannah Still and sophomore Lakeishia Brown.

"I like the youth that we have but they're unproven," Howard said. "They've got to prove themselves."

So far, so good. At Saturday's Gator Invitational at Crews Lake Park, Wiregrass finished fifth overall, with Grey finishing fourth individually at 21 minutes, 15 seconds. Brown and Hixson finished 24th and 30th, respectively, out of 133 runners.

"That's still impressive - that's an achievement," Howard said. "I still think Wesley Chapel is the best team in the county, but we're going to be competitive in our district."

The Bulls' young runners feel time will tell if they're even with the big kids.

"I think we're a little bit nervous because we're all doing it for the first time, but we also have a lot of potential," Hixson said. "I think we're going to do really well this season."

Still agrees.

"We do have a lot of potential to go far this year," she said. "We are going to go far and we're just going to get stronger in four years, but we'll be able to stay ahead of the pack, and that's important."

Howard, however, counts his blessings with such a young program.

"I take no credit for it," Howard said. "We've just had some talented girls come along. I try to coach them as best I can, but they are just that talented.

"I knew about them in middle school and spoke with them there, and knew they were coming to Wiregrass. I was excited to get them, and we got lucky."

Added Grey: "I think we're doing really good for our first year, because, yeah, we do have a lot of natural talent. We're all shaving time off our finishes, and all the freshmen are doing good - it is what we have to rely on."

But like this team, the season is young. Saturday was Wiregrass's first meet, and Howard expected a "fifth- to seventh-place finish" and was satisfied with the result.

But the Bulls are in a large, 18-team Class 2A-3 district that includes Pasco and one of the county's top runners, junior Leeann Eble, who finished second individually Saturday.

For now, Howard wants to just to stay ahead of the pack.

"We're definitely a four-year building program, but here we are competitive in Year 2," Howard said. "I couldn't be happier. I'm really happy where we're at."

[Last modified September 20, 2007, 18:28:49]