Boys Season Preview 2021

Boys Cross Country 

Season Preview 2021

After qualifying for the Regional Meet in 2018 and 2019, which were the first two in school history, the boys cross country program had a rebuilding year in 2020 after the COVID-19 pandemic destroyed the roster and hurt team turnout. Athlete numbers and expectations are higher this season due to the return of the entire top six runners from last year and the addition of a solid freshman class. Look for this year’s boys team to take a step forward in their second season as a member of the 2A GSHL.  

This year’s senior group is small with just two runners, but has a bonafide threat in returner Dylan Brooks-Minck.  In spite of last season being his first in cross country since middle school, Brooks-Minck turned in a solid effort and qualified for the District Championships where he ran his best race of the season and finished with a time of 19:14.  With a better summer of training under his belt, the coaches anticipate Brook-Minck continuing to improve his times and push for a spot on the All League Team this season.  The only other senior on this year’s roster is new runner Yahir Perez.  Perez finished fifth in the team time trial ahead of some returning varsity runners, so expect him to stay a part of the varsity top seven. 

The junior class is the most experienced class in the program with both Kevin Nguyen and Victor Gonzalez-Ramos participating in their third season with the team.  Nguyen got tons of varsity experience the last two seasons and was the team’s number three runner for all of last year. His personal best time of 19:24 from his freshman season is very respectable and if he can get back under 20 minutes, it will be a big boost to the team’s chances to improve this season. Gonzalez-Ramos will be one of the team’s most improved runners once again this season.  He showed great dedication this offseason during team workouts while being one of the team leaders in attendance for the second consecutive summer.  That work helped propel him to a fifth place finish in the team time trial and another year on the varsity team.  

Back leading the sophomore class is last season’s top performer Cohen Thomas.  Thomas became the first freshman boy to earn First Team All-League status in school history last season after finishing tenth at the League Championships in a personal best time of 17:28.  Had there been a State Championships in 2020, Thomas would have been only the school’s second ever freshman qualifier.  He is eager to get there for real this year and dominated the team time trial last week, highlighting that desire. The only other sophomore this season is Isaac Castro.  Castro ran one varsity race last season and finished fourth on the team.  A basketball player, Castro’s athleticism will be a strength as he looks to return to the varsity top seven.

The Trappers needed a strong freshman class this year to help get the program back to being competitive in the league. A huge help arrived when Brody Will committed to the Trappers back in the spring after a standout middle school career where he was one of the best runners in the area.  Will stepped right into the mix and finished second at the team time trial behind Thomas.  Not only talented, Will led the Trapper boys in miles during the summer with over 300, making him a dangerous combination of hard working and talented.  Don’t be surprised to see him push for a spot on the All League Team.  Baker Olson is another impact freshman that the Trappers really needed.  Olson finished fourth at the team time trial and will add depth to this year’s varsity team and push experienced runners for a varsity role.  The final freshman in this year’s class is Michael Wright.  Wright joined the team late and missed the time trial, but the soccer player turned runner has an opportunity to jump right in and compete.