Young Dragons find their stride
A “very young team” pleased Clinton High School cross country Coach Tim Kumes after competing in the Victor Ashe Park Fall Classic on Saturday morning, Sept. 5, at Victor Ashe Park.
Behind the team’s top finishers, the Dragons and Lady Dragons got strong efforts from several freshmen.
Tylin Cook finished second on the Clinton boys team in 24 minutes, 11 seconds, while Joe Patton was the Dragons’ third finisher. Caroline Jones was second for the Lady Dragons in 28:11.1, followed by fellow freshman Adah Freels in 30:14.5.
“We’ve got a lot of young kids who are just trying to figure things out,” Kumes said. “It’s hard to come from middle school to the high school level, to be honest. These kids are in their first season of trying to figure that out, getting used to the 3-mile race that happens at the high school level.
“But I’m really proud of the effort that they’re putting in, and I’m hoping that they will continue to see the results based on the hard work they’re putting in.
“So I’m pretty confident that they’re going to keep working hard,” he added. “They’ve got great attitudes, and everything that we do in life starts with a great attitude. So I’m looking forward to building on their successes as we make our way through the year. Somewhere down the road, they’re going to be the upperclassmen who are setting the tone for the Dragons.”
Senior Cooper Bostrom led the Clinton boys, finishing 50th in 18:27.5, while sophomore Lillian West paced the Lady Dragons, also placing 50th, with a time of 23:02.8.
“Two of my best runners,” Kumes said. “Both of those kids made it to the state race last year as qualifiers, so both of them had a great race.”
Clinton sophomore Piper Bostrom finished 172nd in the girls field with a time of 30:29.0.
The Dragons also had to contend with high temperatures during their preparation for the meet.
“It’s been a little bit weird this week with all the heat in the Knoxville area,” Kumes said. “We didn’t get the usual practice schedule that we typically carry throughout the week leading up to the race, but the kids found some time to get in some work between the heat advisories and stuff, and I think we still had a very good week.”
