At about 7 each weekday morning, coach Buzz Andrews gathers his long-distance running brigade for a jaunt around White Rock Lake.
This can only mean one thing – the fall cross-country season is around the corner.
Last year’s boys team finished second in District 11-5A behind perennial powerhouse Plano, which went on to the state championship. Not surprisingly, the Lake Highlands’ team goal for 1993 is to pass Plano and grab the district crown.
Although Plano graduated most of its star-studded squad, Andrews knows that winning the district title will be a challenge.
“I really feel that we’ll be stronger than we were last year,” says Andrews, feeling a bit sore from an early morning jog with the team.
“We have some good senior leadership, and overall we’ll just have better balance.”
The honor roll starts with senior Claude Medlock, first team all-district as a junior with a 12th-place finish in the district meet.
Medlock, who also wrestles when he’s not running, had a season-best time of 16:33 a year ago, and looks to lower his time in 1993. Of the 12 runners who finished better than Medlock in the 1992 district meet, only one is returning.
“I was happy with my times last year, but I think I can do even better as a senior,” Medlock says.
“My goal is to break 16 minutes, but the team goal is definitely to win the district. Our big motivation this fall will be to beat Plano.”
Lost to graduation were David Brummell and Preston Evans, but Andrews returns seniors Josh Urquhart and Brad Grundy. Both runners lettered as juniors. Juniors John McBride and Jeff Loaring-Clark have also shown potential, Andrews says.
On the girls’ side, optimism abounds although it could be considered a rebuilding year for the Wildcats. “Regrouping” is the term Andrews uses for the young 1993 squad.
A year ago, Lake Highlands took third in the eight-team district. Junior Jennifer Osler ran under 14 minutes in the district meet to finish second on the team and 16th overall. Senior Laura Bruck also will be returning for her third year on the varsity.
“We’ll be young, but we have some talented sophomores who look real good right now,” he says. “Down the road, we’ll be real strong.”
Andrews has been impressed with the pre-season results of sophomore Ashley Loaring-Clark, who is running as well as anyone on the team.
Andrews picks 1992 girls’ district champion R.L. Turner as the team to beat this year. The sixth annual Wildcat Invitational, scheduled Oct. 2, will feature as many as 62 teams in one of the area’s biggest meets.
