2018 Raptors XC Preview

2017 Ravenwood blonde boys cross country
2017 Ravenwood blonde boys cross country

2017 was a banner year for the boys' cross country team. By finishing runners up at the Mid State Cross Country championship and claiming their first Region 6 title (by 30 points, no less!), the "XC bois" shrimp kicked their way to the most successful season in school history, surpassing the fabled 2014 squad that featured four seniors who went on to run Division I cross country. With only one of their top five lost to graduation, the 2018 team is aiming even higher.

"I'm ready to go out senior year with a bang! Going into this season our team looks to be in one of the best positions it's ever been in. After winning the region championship last last year I think we're ready to take it to the next level. This team will be a contender for the podium at state this year!" senior Matthew Rigsby emphatically exclaims.

While he too thinks this year's team will be great, Sam Dahms is looking beyond 2018: "I'm looking forward to making the team when gut-busters pay off and my knee is healed by the cross country gods. Hopefully I can set an example for the freshmen to never get injured because the ghost of Cole Ranseen will come to haunt them and force them to drink coke before runs." 

Always even keeled but subtly quick witted, Nolan McGinnity says, "The talent we have this year has me as high as a kite. We have at least 12 large school boys vying for varsity positions, so I’m ready to see how everyone improves through our competition and the expectations we set for each other." 

Finally, Kevin Frost offers his thoughts. "I’m looking forward to seeing all 50 of our freshmen grow into husky, attractive, ripe young men. Hopefully as a senior I can leave behind a legacy of perfect clamshell form and become the first Ravenwood runner to beat Brodey Hasty in a duel."

As he ponders the upcoming season, Coach Mueller can't help but smile as he considers the talent, depth, and humor that define his team. "First of all, this is a great group of guys. In the last two years they've taken a team that finished fourth at region and turned it into a championship caliber group of runners. They were not complacent over the summer, encouraging each other to run at conditioning as much as possible and supporting the plethora of freshman runners. They are like a big, funny family that loves to run and joke together."

Senior Matthew Rigsby, junior Jack Dellinger, senior Kevin Frost, senior David Story, sophomore transfer Gabriel Robinson, junior David Kertai, and freshman Sam Fitch will run in the varsity race at this weekend's Voyles Classic. Coach Mueller notes that the group has been running as a pack during practice and should have little separation between 1 and 5, the key for any team looking to win big.

There will be tons of red, black, and gold in the JV race as seniors Luke Akridge, Christopher Caruso, Brendan Goodbred, Ben Holden, Nolan McGinnity, juniors Ian Brown, Austin Chesnut, Brice Florey, sophomores Thomas Abramson, Brock Bennett, Nick Dang, Ryan Frost, Andrew Huang, Kevin Joseph, and freshman Jacob Allen, Brycen Biskner, Kyle Brown, Jake Figurelli, Preston Grady, Jake Henderson, Cole Meyer, Ethan Miller, Lucas Plant, Carson Pruitt, Zack Rufener, Andrew Silva, Jet Steinke, Andrew Whetstone, Griffin White, Parker Williamson, and Angelo Wood will be suiting up for Ravenwood.

"All signs point to 2018 being a memorable season and I can't wait to get started," says Coach Mueller. Varsity boys run at 8:40 AM and JV boys run at 10:00 AM Saturday at the Hermitage.