The 2010 edition of the Bradley
Central High SchoolCross Country team
is out of the gates running and the coaching staff likes what it sees so
far. “We are off to a good start. We have a good mix of seniors
and underclassmen so the future is bright,” commented head coach Larry Cotton. The squad consists
of ten runners including 4 seniors, 1 sophomore, and 5 freshmen.
Among the seniors that look to lead the Bears back to the state is Jake
Curtis. Curtis qualified for the state as an individual last year by
placing 8th in the region meet. He then placed 87thin the state out of
almost 200 runners. “Jake has got to step up and be a leader this year.
In the past he has been a little inconsistent, but it is time for him to step
up and help lead this team back to the state. Another runner is back to
running cross country after taking his junior year off. Kyle Baltimore
is a mid-distance runner on the track team who hopes to help the Bears make
its first state appearance as a team in 6 years. “Kyle has the ability
to help this team. He gets it in his mind that he is not a distance
runner, but I am trying to get him to see that the better he does in this,
the better he will do when it comes to his track events.” The final two
seniors are Matthew Wilkerson and Josh Stone. “I am looking for Matthew
and Josh to keep working hard and pushing some of the varsity runners ahead
of them. If they continue to have a good work ethic and attitude, they
will be able to make an impact on this team.”
The lone sophomore on the team is Paul Patterson.
Last year Patterson accomplished a feat that is rare in cross country:
he was region champion as a freshman. After a disappointing finish at
the state meet last year due to being ill, Patterson is back with a vengeance
this year. In only the second meet of the year, he ran his fastest time
ever. “Paul is our big dog. As Paul goes, this team goes.
His work ethic and attitude rubs off on everyone else and they want to work
harder to get to the level that he is at. He has established himself as
one of the premiere distance runners in the state and has a goal to be state
champion. If he continues to work hard, I believe with all my heart that
he can accomplish that goal.”
Rounding out the team is a talented group of five freshmen. “This group
of freshmen is the best group that I have had in a long time at
Bradley.” Leading the way for the freshmen is Harold Smith. “I
have been waiting for Harold since he was a little boy running in my summer
program. He has all of the ability in the world and when he gets a
little stronger and a little tougher mentally, everyone else better watch
out.” The next freshman is Corey Dixon. Coach Cotton was not
aware of Dixon
until he got an e-mail from a former runner’s parent. “I got an e-mail
from a former parent saying that her nephew was interested in running in the
summer program. Corey showed up and I wasn’t sure if he was going to
come back or not. But he continued to work hard and has now put himself
into the top 5 on our team.” Collin Gwaltney is a
freshman who brings consistency to the program. “Collin possesses
something that you do not see a lot of times in young runners. He has
the ability to pace himself very well. In fact, in the first two meets he has
ran negative splits for his three miles. When he gets a little stronger, he
is going to have some break out times. The final freshman is Caleb
Pace, the younger brother of recently graduated Bearette
standout Megan Pace. “I knew about Caleb, but when school started he
wasn’t out with us, so me and my assistant coach made a trip to find him in
his class. He assured me that he was coming, and held true to that
promise. Since he started training later than everyone else, he has had to
get back in shape but is well on his way to doing so. He is going to be
a great asset for the next four years.”
With all of the talent on this year’s cross country team, it is easy to see
why Coach Cotton and assistant coach Jeremy Rogers are so excited about the
possibilities that are out there. “We really believe that this group
can accomplish some great things. Our goal is to be region
champions. We know it is going to be a tough task to dethrone Cookeville, but they are
who our sights are set on and these kids are out to make a statement.”
