Boys Season Preview 2020

Boys Cross Country Season Preview 2020(1)

After qualifying for the last two Regional Meets, which were the first two in school history, the boys cross country program seems to be heading in the right direction.  This year’s team returns four of the top seven runners from last season as they adjust to the new 2A Greater Saint Helens League.

The team will be led by two returning seniors who are both in their fourth year with the cross country program in Ethan Clark and Gabe Daigle.  Clark was the team’s top runner for most of last year and earned 2^nd Team All-League after finishing 11^th at the District Championships.  Clark recorded a personal record 5K time of 17:57 during the dual meet season, which was the only sub 18 minute time of the season for the Trappers.  Daigle also ran his best mark (18:40) during the dual season when he finished 5^th in a meet against Hudson’s Bay, helping the Trappers to a 19-38 win. 

Though the seniors have the most experience, the junior class may be the most talented.  Returning varsity runner Gianni Harrington-Lake finished second to Clark in most of the team’s races last season on his way to being named Honorable Mention All-League.  Harrington-Lake lowered his personal best time all the way down to 18:11 during a dual meet race against Prairie last year, but his best races are clearly ahead of him.  The most pleasant surprise of the season so far has been junior Dylan Brooks-Mink.  A cross country runner in middle school, Brooks-Mink opted for golf in high school his first two years where he was a standout on the golf course before returning to cross country this year.  Brooks-Mink makes up for his lack of high school running experience with a natural ability and strong work ethic. Rounding out the junior class is Abel Juan-Morales.  Juan-Morales started with the junior varsity team last year but then worked all the way up to the alternate varsity spot for the Regional Meet.  He should be a varsity staple this season.

The sophomore class is where you can find three of the hardest workers from this offseason, which should lead to big improvements for Kevin Nguyen, Victor Gonzalez-Ramos and Jorge Barajas.  Nguyen got tons of varsity experience last season after spending the entire second half of the season running in the top seven. Nguyen’s best race was a 15^th place finish in the Southwest Christian Invitational where he helped the Trappers finish 2^nd overall.  Gonzalez-Ramos will be one of the team’s most improved runners this season.  He showed great dedication this offseason during team workouts while leading the team in attendance.  The final sophomore is Jorge Barajas.  In just his first season of cross country, Barajas has gotten better every day and will push for a top eight spot on the team. 

The freshman class is led by Cohen Thomas.  One of the top middle school runners in the area last season, Thomas was a big priority for the coaching staff when it came to recruiting.  Thomas showed during off season club races that he has what it takes to contribute right away to this year’s varsity team.  With a personal record under 19 minutes already, Thomas is just getting started on what should be a great Trapper career. The only other freshman this season is Isaac Castro.  Castro was 24^th at the Middle School Championships last season and has shown potential in his first week with the team.