BLACKSVILLE— There won’t be any complaining about ride-sharing when it comes to the Clay-Battelle boys’ cross-country team.
With only two members, who have been friends since the fourth grade, it is a safe bet that the Cee-Bees will save on gas and any other expenses that could possibly be incurred during the 2022 season.
Wyatt Sharpless and Brock White are both back as sophomores for Clay-Battelle and head coach Justin Allar.
“Numbers are obviously a little low,” Allar, in his tenth season, said. “But we are excited about the possibilities this year and the improvement that is going to happen.”
Allar said both of his runners have had a solid off-season and that began in the weight room and by racking up miles during the summer.
But, with only two runners, the chances of competing as a five-man team are unfortunately not available right now.
“Usually our teams are fairly small,” Allar said. “I have been doing this for 10 years and we have had kids that have done really well. We have had teams that have qualified for states. We are used to low numbers. I just like working with the kids and seeing them get better. Yes, I would like to have more numbers, but I am also happy with the kids that I have.”
Allar admitted that he has tried to recruit kids in the hallways and has even prompted Sharpless and White to try to get more runners out for the team. However, Allar sees that he has two motivated runners right now who have lofty goals.
Last year, Sharpless narrowly missed qualifying for the state meet. He was battling an ankle injury that likely cost him that opportunity as a freshman.
This year, Sharpless said he is focused on an injury-free season and a trip to the state meet.
“I think the goal this year is to make it to states and then from there compete at my best,” Sharpless said.
Sharpless said his best time last year was around 19 minutes, and he hopes to break the 16-minute mark this season. That time would easily put him in the state meet.
White also has goals of making a trip to Cabell Midland for the state meet. Last year, he began the season with a time of 25 minutes, but he was able to trim it down to 21 minutes. Now, he is hoping to run 17 minutes or less this season.
“Considering the amount of time I dropped last year, I think I can get there this year,” White said.
The two friends have run since sixth grade, when Sharpless was able to convince White to go out for the team. Since then, the two have trained together and both have seen steady improvements.
“They are good kids, they work hard,” said Allar, who has had numerous runners on both the boys’ and girls’ sides advance to the state meet. “They come to practice, and they do what they are supposed to do each day. It’s exciting to see how far they have come and where they can be. I think this is going to be the year where they take off.”
Still, the lack of a complete team must bother Sharpless and White.
Actually, both said they enjoy the time they spend together and since they do not have a team, it’s Allar who provides the competitive spirit and the motivation at times.
“Our coach really keeps us motivated,” Sharpless said. “He finds us wherever we are running on the course. He pushes us to compete during practice, too, and gives us goals.”
Both Sharpless and White begin their season Aug. 20 when they travel to St. Marys for the Autumn Classic. The Cee-Bees do not have any female runners this season.
By ERIC HERTER
TWEET @DomPostSports
