The week before school starts, many high school seniors’ last-minute “to do” list includes sleeping late, eating way more junk food than usual, and just hanging out. It probably doesn’t include spending time in the broiling-hot sun, unless a pool or beach is part of the picture.
Jacob Crouch of Smiths, Alabama, spent the week prior to the start of school doing just the opposite. In fact, Crouch, 18, spent many weeks over his summer vacation rising early, eating properly, and running in temperatures that started off in the 80s and raced to the 90s by 10 a.m.
Crouch is a member of the Smiths Station High School Cross Country program. One of only three seniors on the boys’ team, Crouch has been running for the Panthers since the seventh grade.
“I guess I really got started running because of my brother. He ran cross country, and I saw him doing it and wanted to try it for myself. I used to play soccer, but I gave it up to run. It was that important to me,” says Crouch.
Some schools are known for particular sports programs. While high school athletic departments strive to build strong programs in every sport, somehow, some schools gain the reputation of having the best (fill in the blank with a sport)_______ team in the area. When the talk turns to high school cross country teams, Smiths Station High School is one of the leaders in the pack.
Located outside of Phenix City, Alabama, in the small rural town of Smiths, SSHS earned its early bragging rights with its cross country and track programs under the direction J.D. Evilsizer. When he accepted a position with Columbus State University’s athletic department as head of the cross country and track and field programs, the leadership of the Panthers’ boys program was handed off to Ronald Peters for the 2006-2007season.
Since that time, Peters has produced a program that has made great strides in the sport of high school cross country. Under his watch, his teams were cross country sectional champions or runners-up every year from 2006 to 2014, have had 40-plus All-Section team members, and qualified for every state championship in that same time period. The boys’ teams have had two third-place teams and five top 5 teams with 10 All-State individuals. In addition, the SSHS boys cross country teams have been invited and participated in important meets in Virginia, Florida, Georgia, and Alabama.
This season, SSHS boys and girls XC programs are top-heavy with young runners. According to Cassidy Stecenko, head coach for the girls cross country team, the returning runner on her team with perhaps the most potential is only in middle school.
“I’m returning Saache Ensley, who is an eighth-grader, and I believe that she will be a dominant runner this year. She has worked hard all summer and I think she will surprise a lot of people,” says Stecenko.
Now in her 12th year as a coach at the school, 11 of which she has been head of the girls’ program, Stecenko is a product of the Panthers cross country program herself. She began running as a senior under the guidance of Coach Evilsizer and says she fell in love with the sport. Her passion for cross country is only heightened by the fact that she gets to coach it as her former high school.
Stecenko has approximately 30 athletes in her program. Some are mid-distance and sprinters but she plans to have each one compete in some cross country races this season despite their young age and inexperience in the sport.
“We are a very young team. The girls have been training hard over the summer but because they are young, they lack experience. I believe that they will grow as an athlete as the season progresses, and gain the confidence needed to be a successful runner,” she says.
The boys team has three seniors, two of which are experienced XC runners. Crouch’s best time last year was 17:01, and he is hoping to shave off a few seconds for a lower personal best before the season ends in November. The 6-foot-tall runner is also a member of Peters’ track and field team. Crouch normally runs the 800-meter, mile, and two-mile events.
This past spring, Crouch missed participating in track and field due to an injury all too common among runners: stress fractures in his foot. He ran for weeks without any pain or knowledge of the injury, but once the damage was discovered, it was severe.
“I was basically one step away from having to have staples. It was multi-layered breaks that kept me out from February to June,” says Crouch.
Getting back to running was a slow, deliberate process. Basically, the best way to heal stress fractures is time. According to Peters, the character of Crouch was revealed during this recovery period.
“He has determination, endurance, and mental toughness,” says Peters of Crouch.
Other seniors are Kole Kellerman and Brannen Long. Kellerman ran varsity last season, while Long will have his first season on the varsity team this fall. Filling out the ranks of the team are seven juniors, nine sophomores, and 12 freshmen.
“We have a lot of young talent that will just need to be ‘seasoned’,” Peters says of his 2015 program.
Peters doesn’t deny the Panthers have a reputation for producing good runners, but he quickly attributes the success of the program to one important factor.
“Work. Hard work. We have instilled an attitude of reaching greatness through hard work. To keep the tradition alive, we all must practice and do all the little things necessary to allow us to achieve our best. We train using a combination of the latest techniques and tried philosophies of distance training. We also incorporate lots of medical and technical knowledge to allow the athletes the opportunity to train properly. Sports science, biology, and anatomy are the base of our training philosophy,” he says.
Stecenko attributes the reputation the SSHS cross country programs have for being successful to following some basic principles.
“Commitment and discipline. In order to be a great athlete, it takes commitment and discipline. I think that our athletes know what we expect from them, and in order to be successful, they have to be willing to put in 110 percent every day,” she says.
Both coaches feel the sport of cross country running is a good fit in athletic programs for high schools. Many schools in the area are seeing an influx of students participating in the sport, making it another option for athletes who do not try out for traditional fall sports.
“It is probably one of the purest sports, using your entire body and mind. It allows for kids who don’t ‘fit’ the typical power sports body (i.e. football, basketball, baseball). We can help mold a kid into a very healthy and athletic individual. Runners can be doing this sport for their entire life,” says Peters.
Stecenko agrees, adding, “I think that all sports teach you discipline, commitment, and teamwork. I believe running is considered a lifelong sport. No matter your ability level, running is for all ages.”
Columbus Valley/Special XC feature/October 2015
Smiths Station High School
Smiths, Alabama
By Beth Welch
Photos by Jerry Christenson
Cross Country Gaining Ground in Popularity
