Bartlesville High School's cross country teams take aim on state glory again
It's the 10th season since Bartlesville High School's girls cross country team burst into a state dynasty.
The Lady Bruins romped to three state championships in 2014, 2015 and 2016, plus a state runner-up spot in 2017. Yet, a combination of tough luck, injury and waves of inexperience resulted in Bartlesville dropping well back behind the pack of state powers from 2018-21.
Another journey gets underway Friday at the Owasso Relays, followed by the two-mile race on Sept. 2 at Sapulpa
Last year's Lady Bruins' team surged back into the Top 10 at the state meet with a seventh-place finish. And, this year's crew could lift the program back to the top spot on the medals' stand — or pretty close, anyway.
"Absolutely," said veteran Bartlesville cross country head coach David Ayres -- who put together the explosive teams of the mid-to-late 2010s -- about Bartlesville's prospect to challenge for the state title this fall. "I think it's wide open. I think our girls have as good a chance as any to win. Our goal is the podium, to finish in the top three."
But, it's the lure of gold, not silver or bronze, that is motivating his battle-tested team.
"With the senior girls, they're motivated," Ayres said. "They know it's their last shot, to kind of fulfill that potential they had a lot of years ago."
Going into this weekend's race, Ayres' top eight girls' runners coming out of the time trials are Gentry Turner, Kate Manley, Emily LeChuga, Maryann Alvey, Lauren Shoesmith, Reese Savage, Emma Perry and Olivia Ontiveros.
Turner, Lechuga, Ontiveros, Alvey and Shoesmith are seniors. K.K. Taylor is the other girls' senior on the roster.
On the boys' side, the Bruins' top eight in the time trials were Russell Miller, Will Bolding, Jackson Boudreaux, Kade Winter, Grayson Tesavis, Preston Shoesmith and Ashton Lindsay-Brothers.
Winter, Bolding and Reed Gorman are seniors on the boys' roster.
The boys also boast a recent glorious past with state championships in 2016 and 2017 But even though they've featured some outstanding runners since, they haven't been able to string together enough experienced pacers to make another close run for a title — that and also some ill fortune, including injuries.
No Bartlesville runner qualified for the state boys' race last season, with Miller as the closest.
The gritty crew has plenty of room to grow and progress as it speeds into the season debut.
"The guys are rounding into shape," Ayres said. "I'm proud of the leadership our team captains Kade Winter and Will Bolding are showing. … We're getting great leadership from them and from Russell and Jackson. We think we're better than we were last year."
The Owasso relay will consist of four-runner teams, with each pacer covering 1.5 miles. The run is taking place in the morning to beat the heat. Practices have emphasized safety in the blistering temperatures that have gripped the throat of Oklahoma this past week. On Tuesday, the runners worked indoors, running the stairs and other parts of the Bruin Fieldhouse.
"It's really been humidity … the dew point has been off the charts," Ayres said.
The furnace-like conditions are expected to slowly subside next week, but Ayres is looking for his runners to produce plenty of hot performances during the next couple of months.
This article originally appeared on Bartlesville Examiner-Enterprise: Bartlesville High cross country teams take aim on state glory again
