Cross country Mavs are hitting the trail
Kaitlyn Fisher is top returner for Lady Mavericks
As the 2022 high school cross country season looms, Anderson County High School Coach Derek Wallace has lofty goals for both the Mavericks and the Lady Mavericks.
Both teams reached the Division I Class A/AA State Championships in 2021 and Wallace expects both teams to make return trips to Hendersonville this season.
“The boys finished 16th at state last year as a team, and I think we have a good chance to crack the Top 10 this season,” said Wallace, who begins his sixth season as the ACHS head coach. “We had five kids who made the state championships last season.”
Top returners for the boys include: Conner Chandler (senior); Ryan Basford (junior); Vance Laster (sophomore); Ethan Bolton (sophomore); and Ben Clotfelter (sophomore).
All ended the season on the grand stage at the Midstate in 2021.
Sophomore Jaxon Taylor joins the Mavericks this season after transferring to Anderson County from Arizona. And Wallace said he had a pair of foreign exchange students join the team when school started last week.
“You need five (runners) to score,” Wallace said. “Jaxon is a rising star and a sophomore who transferred here and he’ll push those guys.
“I have two foreign exchange students come out (Tuesday, Aug. 9) and I only know their first names right now.”
The Lady Mavericks, meanwhile, finished eighth at state in 2021 and return six of the seven runners from last year’s squad.
Junior Kaitlyn Fisher came in third at the TRAIL
state meet and is the top returning finisher from Hendersonville last season.
Seniors Haley Braden and Megan Braden are also back, along with Marley Caldwell (sophomore), Emily Boring (junior) and Morgan Lindsey (sophomore).
Freshman Ava Moody joins the Lady Mavericks this season. She had an older sister, Maddy and an older brother, Colin compete at Anderson County.
Wallace said he expects Moody to be an all-state runner.
The coach lauded his teams.
“We have a great group of kids and we’re looking to take the next step,” Wallace said.
The Mavericks and Lady Mavericks will open the 2022 campaign in Hendersonville on Aug. 27 in Hendersonville.
“We’re going to go down to Hendersonville to start the season,” Wallace said. “We’re going to get a look at the course where they run state.”
The State Championships will be contested at Sanders Ferry Park.
Anderson County will also make a trip to Alabama to run at the Jesse Owens Meet in October.