With Carthage graduating several strong runners from both the boys and the girls teams, the Tigers will be looking for their younger athletes to step into a bigger role to find success for the upcoming 2023 season.
While the losses of Mildred Elias and Sonia Lopez on the girls side, and Miguel Solano, Caleb Fewin and Michael Lanyon for the boys, will certainly be felt for Carthage, there is strong optimism this season thanks to the talent of the returning athletes and possibilities with the new faces on each squad.
“We have a pretty young team overall on both sides but we should still have success on the team and individual side with some strong runners returning and some great new additions,” Carthage coach Brian Crigger said. “The girls team has the potential to be one of the best we have had in years. The boys lack depth but are pretty strong through our first few runners. We will need some runners to step up if we want to bring home any team trophies this year.”
CHS GIRLS
While the girls only have one senior next season—Jenna Wilson—they have a stable of juniors in returning state qualifier Maggie Boyd, Katy Witherspoon and Jennifer Rodas to provide the Tigers with four strong, capable runners with plenty of varsity experience.
Expected to make an impact for Carthage at the varsity level are juniors Kimberly Monterroso and Sharon Velasquez as well as sophomore Sarah Wilson, with senior Gudelia Garza and sophomores Joanna Garcia, Julissa Hernandez and Esli Hernandez all expected to compete for varsity time as well.
“We have a lot of different strengths this season, but I think one of our main strengths is our dedication and commitment to hard work,” Crigger said. “The great thing about cross country is you can develop yourself into a great runner with just hard work and we certainly have some young men and women that put in the work.”
Also in the mix will be freshmen Genesis Fuentes, Marlene Marquez, Tyla Bass, Aliyn Gonzalez Oxlaj and Kelly Barrios Perez as well as sophomore Wynlee Nichols.
CHS BOYS
The Carthage boys are excited to see who steps up this season to fill the void left behind by Solano, Fewin and Lanyon.
Fortunately, the Tigers will have some senior leadership in Eddy Fuentes and Xander Vazquez, who will be looked at to anchor the team at the varsity level.
Also back to the varsity squad are sophomores Devin Smith and Javen Byrd, both of whom are expected to be heavy contributors.
Junior Shane Ritzema is expected to help contribute in the varsity runs this season, while sophomore Brayan Perez Flores and freshman Denis Velasquez are newcomers to the varsity unit but will be relied upon to help score points.
“We will certainly miss Caleb Fewin, Miguel Solano and Micheal Lanyon on the varsity boys side,” Crigger said. “They were not only very good runners, but also great leaders on the team. We will need people to step up to fill the holes in leadership that they left when graduating.”
OPTIMISTIC
Crigger is excited to get the season underway for his Tigers. With so many uncertainties but so much enthusiasm, he’s excited to see how this season unfolds.
“I think our biggest key to success is just continuing to show up and work hard. Consistency is key in distance running and the only way to get better is to put in consistent hard work throughout the year, that includes the season as well as the offseason. Luckily, we have a good amount of runners that were with us all summer and willing to put in that hard work.
“I am very excited for the upcoming season. We have been working hard all summer running at 6 a.m. all through the week and we are ready for our hard work to pay off in the races. We have a lot of potential and I am eager to see how good we can be on both sides.”