Arrow XC boys improve, despite injuries
By Datti Jinkiri
A couple of weeks ago, the Clinton High School boys’ cross country team completed yet another great season. Despite having multiple runners felled by injuries throughout the year, the resilient Arrows tallied one team victory on top of five more top-five finishes this season.
Head Coach Eric Solis says he is happy about the team’s steady improvement through the season.
“Even though we had pretty severe injuries from the start of the season, I was really proud of the way the team improved,” Solis stated. “Last year, we had an average time of 18:30, but we finished this year with our first five guys averaging 17:26.”
Summer workouts were key to the team’s stark jump in average times. The preseason preparation for the cross country season starts with these off-season workouts, and this is where Solis said that the Arrows showed the most improvement.
“By far, we had the best summer turnout that I have ever had at Clinton,” he stated. “All the base building is started in the summer months. With meets now starting in August, we don’t have the luxury to try to get in shape in four to six weeks and still remain competitive in 6A.”
Despite the improvements, injuries were a theme for the team this season, according to Solis. During the first meet, the Arrows lost standout Josh Boone for the season. Another of the team’s cogs, Christian Parks, missed two meets due to sickness. Carter Gibbs, Kellan Brown, Casey Wright and Miguel Bankston were also key runners who were hampered by injuries this season.
However, the team stayed resilient. The Arrows started the season well, finishing in the top-three in three of their first four races. Included in this was a third-place finish at the TCBY Invitational in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, and a first-place finish at the French Camp Invitational.
Fourth-place finishes followed at the Clinton Arrow Invitational and Jaguar Trails Invitational. The Arrows then finished the regular season with a 14th-place finish at the highly competitive Watson Invitational.
In the postseason – with J.T. Price and Parks leading the way – the Arrows advanced to the Class 6A State Championship meet by finishing in fourth in Region 1-6A. Price finished in eighth overall, while Parks finished in ninth.
In the Class 6A State Championship, the Arrows finished in thirteenth place. Parks was the team’s highest finisher, finishing in 28th.
Outlook for next season
Parks will be one of the team’s key returners next season. The junior won the French Camp Invitational and finished in the top-six four times this season. He ran a 5K season-best 16:48.90 at the Clinton Arrow Invitational.
Price is also a junior. He finished in the top-eight three times this season, and he ran a season-best 17:23.32 at the Watson Invitational.
Boone is a freshman who is one of the team’s 17-minute 5K runners. Despite missing the majority of the season with an injury, he will also return next year.
“I’m very excited about next year’s team,” Solis said. “Based on what we have coming back next season, I believe we should have four guys (Christian Parks, J.T. Price, Miguel Bankston, Josh Boone) running in the 16-minute range for 5K and several in the 17-minute range. This will give us a very good chance to compete for the 6A State Championship.”
