After a historic 2022 season, the McAuley Catholic cross country program is primed for another successful campaign with the return of three all-state performers and a large number of returning letterwinners.
The defending Ozark 7 Conference champions, McAuley’s boys qualified a full squad to the state meet and finished fourth in Class 1, securing the program’s first state trophy.
Now, entering the 2023 seasons, six key performers are back for McAuley’s boys — juniors Michael Parrigon, Grant Horinek and Cliff Nolan and sophomores Trae Veer, Alex Bohachick and Connor Taffner.
“We’re looking forward to the upcoming season,” McAuley coach Andy Youngworth said. “We had a much better commitment to the offseason this summer and the kids have really adjusted well to the expectations of the coaching staff and improved on the quality of their training as compared to last year.”
Parrigon and Veer earned all-state recognition after finishing 21st and 24th, respectively, at last year’s state meet. Parrigon finished third at the Ozark 7 Conference Meet and took 11th at the district meet, while Veer placed fourth in the conference and 16th at the district event. Bohachick and Taffner also competed at state and earned second-team all-Ozark 7 honors last season by finishing 13th and 14th, respectively.
Newcomers to the team include sophomore Max Anreder and freshmen Rylan Childers, Nolan Minor and Will Mollnow.
With the returners and newcomers on the roster, Youngworth feels there’s a lot to like about this year’s team.
“We return two all-state runners and our No. 6 and No. 7 runners from last year, along with two juniors who provide depth from our trophy team last year,” Youngworth said. “We have added four newcomers and we look forward to a great environment this fall. All 10 runners have a chance to contribute this fall, and the competition to be in the top seven will be something that will only make us better. I believe we have a strong work ethic, and our culture continues to strengthen. The kids like each other and do a lot of things together outside of practice.”
The Warriors, who lost three key performers to graduation in Phillip Motazedi, Joe Staton and Drew Zeb, are still a relatively young team.
“Our biggest concern is the fact that we have no returning seniors,” Youngworth said. “We are still trying to learn our roles and that will get better organically as we continue practice this fall. It will also be important to continue to focus on team goals over individual goals as the season progresses. We need all 10 guys to be invested in the long range plans. No season is perfect, so we’ll need to overcome injuries and illnesses, but our depth will help with that.”
Youngworth noted the overall team goals for the season include being competitive at every meet, competing for a conference championship, qualifying as many athletes to state as possible and seeing each runner improve.
Youngworth is confident his squad has the ability to have a successful season if it continues to work hard.
“We are the defending Ozark 7 champions and a trophy team from last year,” he said. “It’s important for them to remember just that. But it was last year and nothing will be given to us this year. We have to continue to work hard and earn it. And we’ll need to stay sharp and focused in order to return to the podium.”
RAMSEY TO LEAD MCAULEY GIRLS
McAuley Catholic also took its entire girls team to state last fall.
McAuley’s girls will once again be led by standout Kendall Ramsey, who enters her senior year as a three-time state-qualifier.
As a junior, Ramsey finished eighth at the state meet, third at the district meet and third at the Ozark 7 Meet.
“Kendall Ramsey brings experience and confidence to the team and did a great job teaching the newcomers last year how to be a Lady Warrior cross country runner,” Youngworth said of the program’s third returning all-state performer.
In addition to Ramsey, McAuley’s girls feature three other returning varsity performers — juniors Marbellie Villanueva and Genevieve Billings and sophomore Samantha Perrin. As a sophomore, Villanueva finished eighth at the conference meet and 18th at the district meet. Villanueva and Perrin both competed at last year’s state meet.
Newcomers to the team include freshmen Olivia Parrigon and Riley Sears.
Youngworth would love to see the girls team build on last year’s success.
“For the first time in school history, McAuley Catholic fielded a full team and qualified for the state meet, also a first in program history,” he said. “We were young and inexperienced last year, and the girls we have coming back learned a lot about themselves and running. They had a good offseason and are looking forward to building on last year’s success.”
Despite a small roster, Youngworth hopes to see the girls program make progress this season.
“I believe we will be more competitive overall, but we’re still young and are going to experience ups and downs over the course of the year,” he said. “We only have six girls out again this year, so our depth is a concern, and we will be patient early in the year as far as training goes. Three of the girls play volleyball and will miss some training as a result. We’ll try to find a good balance for them so they can experience success in both sports. Our goals are to be more competitive within our conference. College Heights is the defending Ozark 7 champion and they return several good runners. We’d like to qualify for state again and improve on our 13th place finish.”
Like the boys team, Youngworth said he’s been pleased with the dedication his girls have shown.
“Each girl just shows up every day willing to learn and push the ceiling a little bit,” he said.
While youth and depth are areas of concern for the McAuley girls, Youngworth noted the keys to success are simple.
“Just continuing to work hard and stay happy and healthy as we transition from our pre-season training to the competitive season,” he said.
MAKING PROGRESS AS A PROGRAM
Youngworth, who is now in his third year coaching the Warriors and his 30th overall, said he’s been pleased with the progress the McAuley cross country program has made in a short time.
“We have a great staff and very supportive parents who have really bought into what we are trying to accomplish,” Youngworth said. “Darbi Stancell returns as the head coach for the middle school and has 30-plus years of experience. Chris Moreno returns as well. He is a long time AAU track and field and cross country coach who also has almost 30 years of experience.”
Overall, the Warriors are coming off a historic season that concluded at the state championships. And Youngworth is optimistic about the upcoming season.
“We had a great summer of offseason conditioning, the kids are anxious to improve upon last season’s performance, and for the most part, were very committed each and every day,” he said. “Most of the kids ran on their own when we did not meet and that’s a huge factor as we try to build a distance running culture at McAuley Catholic. We do a lot of activities away from running that help cement the bond within the team. In the end, it helps if they like each other, get along and create connections that will remain for years to come.”
