Back On The Coaching Trail

 Amazingly, I have not used this space to talk about my return to coaching cross-country and/or track after a three year layoff. 

After 15 years of working with high school boys and girls with cross-country and track at four different high schools (Bishop Ireton, J.E.B. Stuart, Denbigh, Grafton), my work schedule forced me to hang it up after the spring season of 2009. Entering a doctoral program at William and Mary just a month later seemed to cement the idea that this chapter of my life was completed.

Never say never.

With the completion of my doctoral classes and free afternoons, all of a sudden, the option to coach was there again, although I didn't think seriously about it.  I have been covering high school games for the Daily Press, which has been a whole lot of fun. Plus, my intention of late has been to find full-time employment with a university or school system in a position more in line with my new skills. With this cause, I spend a few minutes every day scanning the employment sections of local institutions.

But, a cross-country position popped up at Menchville HS here in Newport News, and I went ahead and applied. A week later, practice started. 

It has been fun, and it was great to see both our boys and girls enjoy undefeated dual meet seasons. However, it was disappointing that we fell short of district titles, although we were hindered by a few severe injuries, and the fact that some runners made it to the starting line was amazing enough. But our senior Dreux Gray did win the  boys race, knocking 36 seconds off his PR to finish the 5,000 meter race in 16:14. Tomorrow we go to regionals and he has a great chance of making it to the state meet as one of the top 15 (seeded #9 right now). A couple of our girls are long shots to make the team, but again, never say never.

Future also looks bright for our girls. Very young team which could have won our district at full strength. We know what to do differently for next year.

Ironically, my old team from Bishop Ireton ran their State Catholic meet at the same site as our district meet, at Newport News Park, and took runner-up for both boys and girls. At their next meet, the WCAC championships, the boys were 3rd and girls 4th. Here's a blurb I wrote for the State Catholic meet:

The Peninsula Catholic girls placed third, while the boys took fourth in Wednesday’s Virginia Catholic League championships, held on the 5,000 meter course at Newport News Park.

In the girls race, Martine Hunnicutt finished in second place with a time of 20:02, while Philip Harpen (second – 16:47) and Kevin Riley (third – 16:55) were the highest scoring Knights.

Paul VI swept both events, as the boys won with 49 points while the Panther girls scored 43 to outdistance Bishop Ireton, which placed runner-up in both races.

Matt O’Neil of Pope John Paul the Great (Dumfries) was the overall boys winner in 16:44. Bishop Sullivan’s Hannah Frazier paced the girls with a winning time of 19:36.

Virginia Catholic League Championships

(held at Newport News Park, 5,000 meters)

Boys – 1. O’Neil (PJP) 16;44, 2. Harpen (PC) 16:47, 3. Riley (PC) 16:55, 4. Stepka (PVI) 17:00, 5. Kocis (PVI) 17:25, 6. T. Jackson (S) 17:33, 7. Shaw (S) 17:33, 8. Roach (BI) 17:40, 9. LoGrande (BI) 17:42, 10. Leist (PJP) 17:45

Team scores – 1. Paul VI (PVI) 49, 2. Bishop Ireton (BI) 63, 3. Pope John Paul the Great (PJP) 65, 4. Peninsula Catholic (PC) 72.

Girls – 1. Frazier (BS) 19:36, 2. Hunnicutt (PC) 20:02, 3. Lohrer (BI) 20:10, 4. Necochea (BI) 20:17, 5. Rosini (PVI) 20:45, 6. Turcol (PVI) 20:47, 7. Aungst (PC) 20:53, 8. Bucaro (PVI) 20:55, 9. McKenna (PC) 20:58, 10. Lucas (S) 21:06

Team Scores – 1. Paul VI (PVI) 43, 2. Bishop Ireton (BI) 52, 3. Peninsula Catholic (PC) 59, 4. Bishop Sullivan (BS) 93, 5. Seton (S) 151, 6. Pope John Paul the Great (PJP) 157.