Serving the High Plains
Serving the High Plains
New Tucumcari cross country coach Tim Clark apparently made a successful pitch to the boys in his high school to participate in the sport.
The gist is, if you go out for cross country, it will get you in better shape for other sports.
As a result, the Rattlers will take seven runners on its boys team when it opens its season at the Clovis Invitational on Friday afternoon at Ned Houk Park.
Clark took over for previous coach Gary Hittson when he was tapped as an assistant football coach under new THS head coach Donnie Garcia.
Last season, Tucumcari had only one cross country athlete — perennial state qualifier Manny Hernandez, who graduated and now is running for Mesalands Community College’s fledgling program.
One of the runners he persuaded to run was his only senior, Tyrus Jones.
“Tyrus is a basketball player, and he ran cross country as a freshman,” Clark said. “I said, ‘Dude, if anything, cross country is going to get you in shape for basketball.’
Clark, who also is the high school’s assistant coach in wrestling, said he persuaded four of his grapplers to run using the same reasoning. Creed Owen, Clark said, “ran like a deer” during workouts for wrestling last season.
Another one who came out was Logan Lafferty, who’d been running five-kilometer runs all summer.
“‘Dude, you’re already running,’” Clark recalled telling him. “He can run like a deer, too.”
Others filling out the boys roster are Alex Bueno De La O, Sebastian Montoya, Bryson Klinger and Bryson Cashman.
Clark said he was hopeful about the season, though he admitted he won’t be sure who his best runners are until he sees what happens at that first meet.
“I’m kinda optimistic,” he said. “They’re young. They’re all runners, and they’re running hard.
“Seven (runners) is the best situation,” he added. “Five score, and you want two other guys as pushers. I just tell them, ‘All you need to do is beat the guy in front of you.’ I don’t need you to be No. 1.”
Before Clark was interviewed Monday morning, he asked a girl in the hallway whether she was interested in going out for cross country.
“I’m going to keep trying to recruit them, right up until the first meet on Friday,” he said.
The team has one girl runner, MiKayla Klinger, who went out for the sports so she can stay in shape for girls wrestling later this year, Clark said. Sarah Vallejo also is on the girls roster.
Tucumcari has only one home meet, the Mesalands Fun Run on Oct. 1, that traditionally is more of a tune-up session for its athletes than a competition.
The Rattlers’ district meet is set for Oct. 28 at Cobre, with the state meet on Nov. 5 in Albuquerque.