* Robbinsville cross country season preview
Robbinsville – With the talent pool on the roster, the Robbinsville High School cross country program has the potential to accomplish several things it has not in many years.
Namely, win a race.
One would have to dig back into the pre-pandemic era to find the last time the Knights finished atop a meet, whether it be at the individual or team level. But a nice mixture of enthusiasm and experience awaits new head coach Mandy Adams – and she is pleased with the response so far.
“I’m really excited about everything,” Adams said. “The kids showed up and gave great effort at the first race.
“They exceeded all my expectations and I’m super proud of what we’ve worked toward already, plus what they’re going to do the rest of the season.”
Aug. 21’s kickoff at Hayesville showed plenty of promise. Adams noted that many of the runners posted “PRs” (personal records) – quite the feat right out of the gate – and the Knights had four individuals place in the top 15 of their respective competitions: Nathan Frederick (5th), Xamuel Wachacha (6th) and Austin Bohn (12th) for the boys; and Abby Wehr (11th) for the girls.
“Individually, I think we can compete really well,” Adams said, concerning the conference opposition. “Team scores, we’re still going to have to work on getting some runners to where they can compete well.
Frederick, Bohn and Wehr are returning athletes for the varsity squad; Wachacha is a freshman, but set a new middle school boys record for the Black Knights while working through the ranks.
“They’ve been training over the summer and I can tell that by their performance,” Adams said. “I expect those runners to do well.”
Sophomores Avery Brown and Keller Henry round out the boys’ line-up, while Alyssa Bohn and Madison Cable are making their varsity debuts with the Lady Knights. Also joining the girls team are seniors Kamree and Skyler Oliver, as well as junior Bentley Riggins.
The collection of girls means Robbinsville can do something else it has not been able to in recent memory: post a girls team score.
Both the boys and girls took fourth in the team competition Aug. 21.
“Bentley has worked her butt off; I’m really proud of her effort,” said Adams. “Kamree and Skyler are consistent. They’ve been working to improve their times.”
Adams has watched from afar as the program has dipped in popularity since winning state championships in 2009 (girls) and 2010 (boys). Several predecessors have tried to keep athletes hooked on the demand the sport brings; Adams is hopeful that she will be able to retain numbers.
“Coach Jessica Wehr helped out last year and she told me she can already see an improvement on effort,” said Adams. “I feel like they’ve responded well. They’re respectful; they do what they’re asked at practice – and it shows.
“We’re still trying to build a team. My plan is to not only build the program during the season, but continue in the offseason. (Get them to run) track and give them summer workouts, to keep them interested and running. I know they have other interests when they get into high school – but if we can keep them engaged, we can make this program fun.
“I want them to love running.”