Cocke County Cross Country Big finish at home

September 21, 2008 · Filed Under Track and Field · Comment

Cocke County Cross Country
Big finish at home

By PAUL MEADOR
NPT Sports Editor

NEWPORT-Only once during the cross country season does Cocke County host a meet. But, boy do they host a meet!
Called the Smoky Mountain Invitational, Cocke County coach Mark Hawk has done the cross country world proud. Being the only meet our Big Red and Lady Red host during the season, coach Hawk has worked long and hard to make the Invitational a big attraction. Held at the Cocke County A&I Fairgrounds, the course is rather unique. Following its start, the course winds through two of the barns on the fairgrounds, traverses the fairgrounds proper, around the Cocke County Fire Department Station, and back through the barns again for the second loop. It’s exactly 5K. We know that because coach Hawk has measured it himself, running along with the wheel, and ensuring the distance is correct.
With coach Hawk doing his best to run the show, he does get some help with high school student volunteers, especially from the Cocke County High School Junior Naval ROTC program cadets, and from visiting team coaches and plenty of parents. All that help is needed because at this year’s meet, 12 high schools and an untold number of middle schools were represented. For folks who just happen to be driving by, the question usually is, “what in the world is happening at the fairgrounds?”
The Cocke County runners have been working long and hard, and have showed well in the earlier meets of the season.
“I told our runners that we plan on turning the corner at the start of the season,” said coach Hawk, “that our program, I believed, had reached the point where we could turn the corner, and be a viable opponent. We have the talent, the desire and the work ethic. And we turned that corner at our first meet.”
Which was the Panther Creek All Comers on August 26.
“I think the thing that really pleases me as a coach,” said coach Hawk, “is fellow coaches coming up to me during our earlier meets this season, and telling me how much Cocke County had improved, and that we are a team to be reckoned with. When your fellow coaches start telling you those things, then I knew we had turned that corner.”
It came with plenty of work.
“Our runners come to school a couple of hours before school starts,” said coach Hawk. “We run various courses in the early morning hours through town, through a cemetery, different courses to keep it fresh. But I could tell from the beginning that this group was dedicated, and when they get up that early to run, I was really feeling good about our chances. In this sport, you really have to be dedicated.”
So, it was time for the Smoky Mountain Invitational. And, it was time for the host runners to shine.
“Our girls have really been hit by injury,” said coach Hawk. “Our number one, Ellie Caughron, is out (hip), and then Kendra Walker, after being moved up to number one, went down (ankle). So now, Ashley Gregg has moved up to the number one, and she really did us proud.”
Gregg finished 17th overall with a time of 26:55.69.
“I believe that was the best race Ashley has ever run,” said coach Hawk. She runs with Marlea (Costner), and they really challenge each other. It’s good for both of them.”
Costner is coach Hawk’s lone middle school runner this season. The Smoky Mountain 8th grader has become one of the top middle school runners in Tennessee, but more on her later.
“We’re down to just four girls now,” said coach Hawk. “But, I’m proud of each and every one of them for pushing so hard. You’ve got to remember, we’re young.”
In deed. Walker and Shannon Sprouse, who finished with a time of 32:42.50, are both juniors. Then there’s Danielle Rymer, who finished Tuesday with a time of 30:31.57, and Alley Sprouse, who finished with a time of 34:13.55, who are both sophomores. And, Caughron is a freshman. The boy’s are equally as young, with only Aaron Morris and Charles Coulter the only seniors. The remaining runners are sophomores, including Brian Conner, Zach Holt, Thomas Colter, Dusty Rymer and Leo Woods, and the freshmen, including Sebastian Byrd and Kyice Mahoney.
“We speak of our goal every day,” said coach Hawk. “And that’s 2010. We should be the squad everyone’s chasing by 2010. That’s when our young squad will be upper classmen, when we are maturing. And with our work ethic the way it is now, we believe it’s 2010.”
But back to the present, and the Invitational, because it was time for the high school boys to take to the course.
“I truly believed we would get a top five finish,” said coach Hawk. “Actually, I predicted a top three.”
Oh, was coach Hawk in for a big surprise.
“We got off to a slow start,” said coach Hawk. “I’m wondering, what are they doing? They’re back in traffic and I started yelling to step it up, step it up. Normally, I would be on them through the entire race, but I had so many other duties, I couldn’t do it this time.”
But, the Big Red runners knew what they were doing.
“They started picking off runners one at a time, and moving up,” said coach Hawk. But, at the finish, I really didn’t know how we did. I’m moving up the printout of the finish, and I’m starting at the bottom. I see Cherokee in 12th, then Pigeon Forge in 11th, then Morristown East in 10th. I’m thinking, we’ve got a top ten. Then, there was Gatlinburg in 9th, Cumberland Gap in 8th, Seymour in 7th and Jefferson County in 6th. Hey, maybe they left us off the score sheet. I mean, I really didn’t think, with the start we had, we could have gotten into the top five. But, at five was South Greene, then West Greene in 4th, Sevier County in 3rd. I wasn’t wearing my glasses, so I’m holding the score sheet as far away from my face as I could get it. Then, there’s Chuckey-Doak at number two. No way. There we were in first. I’ve got to tell you it took my breath away. I was breathless, and I had a hard time making the announcement because I simply couldn’t speak. I almost asked coach (Raymond) Farmer (Morristown West) if he could do it. But, I got it together, and begged the crowds pardon in making the announcement about Cocke County being number one. I explained how hard this group had worked, the years in preparation, and how proud I was. I will always remember that moment.”
And, even more amazing is how the top five finished so close to each other.
“Not a one of our runners finished in the top ten,” said coach Hawk. “But, if you look at the score sheet, there we were in a pack (Leo Woods, 20:40.70, 11th, Dusty Rymer, 20:42.10, 12th, Thomas Colter, 21:47.;64, 16th, Sebastian Byrd, 22:00.31, 18th, and Zach Holt, 22:05.20, 20th. Pack time is very important to us. We follow that carefully. Once this season, our pack time has been under a minute, the top five finishing under a minute from each other. In this case, it was about a minute-thirty, which is outstanding. These guys really pulled it off.
They certainly did. And, with Aaron Morris finishing at 22:39.77, Brian Conner finishing at 24:18.30, Charles Coulter finishing at 25:32.95 and Kyice Mahoney finishing at 26:21.30, the treat was complete. And they did this out of 115 total runners.
“It was our first overall victory,” said coach Hawk. “We’re on the map. We’ve tasted victory, and I’m really looking forward to the rest of our schedule.”
Wait, though. The middle school runners haven’t taken to the course yet, and that means Marlea Costner. Costner had no teammates, at least on the course. Her varsity counterparts, however, surrounded her on the start line minutes before the gun sounded, giving her encouragement, letting her know that they were going to be pulling for her. That they did, and Costner did not disappoint.
Costner quickly moved toward the front, but was having problems keeping pace with the front two runners.
“She ran a great race,” said coach Hawk. “She’s so good, and with so very little experience. She’s only been running for about two years now, and, even though she runs a lot of outside events and works constantly to improve, you have to remember how young she is. It’s so impressive to watch her run, to see what she does. Right now, were working on her pace. I really think she’s worried she won’t have enough for a big finish, so she sort of pulls back a bit early in the run. I know for a fact that once she figures out her pace and what she can have for her finish, no girl will be able to touch her.
Marlea finished third out of nearly 100 girls. Impressive, to say the least.
So, all in all, it was a very special day for the Cocke County Harriers. But, obviously, we can expect even more special days to come, this season, and, yes, through 2010 and beyond.
The Cocke County squad returns to action on Tuesday, September 23, at the Greeneville Invitational in Greeneville.