Cedar Creek cross country coach Craig Moss isn’t looking for a super human effort Saturday when his boys and girls teams open the fall season competing at The Gospel in Choudrant.
The girls will race at 8 a.m. while the boys start at 8:30 a.m. Both Saturday races are three miles.
The Cougars junior high, junior varsity and varsity teams will all be in action
Moss is eager to see his runners perform in their first true competition of the year.
“I am truly excited about both girls and boys,” said Moss. “Both (teams) are very young, extremely young. I am excited to see them race. They have great heart, great drive and great dedication. Most importantly, they are driven. They want to win.”
With a number of team and individual state titles under their belts over the last few years, the Cougars have developed a reputation as one of the state’s top programs on both the boys and girls sides.
The girls are coming off a third-place state finish in 2020 and must deal with the graduation of Ansley Long, who was a three-time state champion for the Lady Cougars. Long is now competing at UNO this coming season.
“The girls are going to run more as a group this year,” said Moss. “They will be a pack running team. And be very competitive.”
Some of the top Lady Cougars this year will be captain Faith Johnson, Caroline James, Taylor Ramsey, Annie Jones and Anna Grace Lee. James finished in the top 10 of last year’s state meet.
“Those should be our catalysts on the girls side,” said Moss.
The Creek boys are coming off a fourth-place finish in the state meet last fall. Captain Jack Ensminger, Tate Farrar, Ethan McCarthy, John Abraham Earles, Hayes Bridges and Anderson Maxwell are some of the leaders for the Cougars entering Saturday’s race.
“I am excited to see newcomers Eli Black and Connor Johnson race for the first time,” added Moss.
“Honestly, as I told both teams this afternoon, we are looking for consistency. I want to lay the foundation. It’s a long season. We are going to set the foundation Saturday, and we are going to build on it. What I am looking for is a conservative effort to lay the foundation so we have a building block. We are working towards (the state meet on) November 15.”
Moss said the junior high and middle school teams will compete today at The Gospel in Choudrant. Race times are 4 p.m. for the girls and 4:20 p.m. for the boys.
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2021 Cross Country Schedule
Sept. 4 at The Gospel (Choudrant)
Sept. 11 South Bossier Complex (Parkway)
Sept. 18 Crossett, Ark.
Sept. 24/25 Lincoln Parish Park (Cedar Creek)
Oct. 2 Highland Park in Baton Rouge (St. Josephs)
Oct. 16 Clinton, Miss (Watson HS)
Oct. 23 or 30 Prestate Meet in Natchitoches
Nov. 6 Anthill in Minden (Lakeside)
Nov. 15 State Meet in Natchitoches
Photo: Kim Brasher
