XC Scouting Report: St. Bernard Boys


We hear from Coach Calvert to get the Scouting Report from the St. Bernard Boys!  They return 5 of their Top 7 from last year!


ST BERNARD	
EVENT	PLACE	ATHLETE	        RESULT	        POINTS
M 5000m	2	Casey Guthery	16:41.54	1
M 5000m	13	Steven Mami	17:45.37	10
M 5000m	16	William Sciaron	17:53.88	13
M 5000m	25	Marco Tona	18:11.94	22
M 5000m	26	Andrew Sweeney	18:17.01	23
M 5000m	29	Marshall Rosenh	18:21.34	25
M 5000m	33	Caleb Guthery	18:29.67	28
M 5000m	37	Isaias Robles	18:36.25	--
M 5000m	48	Nate Giffin	18:52.85	--
M 5000m	94	Jalen Lee	20:27.60	--


How many years have you been coaching high school cross country (and at your current school)?

This will be my 7th year at St. Bernard and 25th year as a head cross country coach. I have been  involved in coaching distance running for 36 years.  

What do you attribute as the main reasons for the success of your program?

Consistency in training with an emphasis on building base mileage in the summer months.  I want our guys ready to work hard when they all get back on campus August 8th.

What would be the best way to describe your style and philosophy of coaching and working with high school runners?

Establish  trusting relationships with the athletes and parents.  Treat each individual with respect while  holding  them accountable  to the  team.  Hopefully  our coaches can instill in the athletes / parents that  together we can accomplish  great things. 

What are your core beliefs in your training plan and workouts for your cross country squads?

I believe in building mileage in the summer along with hill workouts. Later in August  we add specific workouts.

How many runners do you return from your top 7 from a year ago?

We return 5 of our top 7

Who is your projected top 7 heading into the cross country season?

Its hard to say at this point since several of our boys are boarding students that are scattered across the state and country in the summer.  I know most of them are training well. 

Who are your team captains or leaders and what stands out about them as examples for the rest of their teammates?
Seniors Casey Guthery  and Marco Tona will be counted on to provide leadership. Juniors Andrew Sweeney and Marshall Rosenhoover will be major factors as well.  These four will hopefully lead by example everyday in practice as well as the meets. 


Who have you been most impressed or surprised with their improvement and/or fitness from their summer training?

As I stated above,  the guys are training well and I look forward to getting them all together to see how we gel.  

Any impactful freshmen or transfers to join the team this season?

We will be counting on  freshmen Caleb Guthery to be a scorer this year.  I don't think he will let us down. He is really coming on this summer and is a highly competitive young man. 

What are the top invitational meets that your team will be attending this season?

When you are a small school they are all pretty tough.  We will be at the Chickasaw Trails and Jesse Owens  races, Montevallo Early bird Twilight,  Kudzu Hills at Cold Springs and our own  Oktoberfest Invite. 

What will be the biggest obstacle or challenge facing your team this season?

Good question. I guess we will know after a few meets.  We will need to develop depth and stay healthy to do well at Sectional and State.

What will be the biggest reason why your team is successful this season?

Leadership from our seniors to ensure the right  team chemistry will be most important. 

What is a favorite annual or common pre-season workout or run for your team?

A couple of tough hill workouts the first two weeks of fall practice usually tells me a lot about about our toughness and fitness level.

What is a favorite annual or common mid-season workout for your team?

800 / 1000/ 1600  progressions over a hilly course

What is a favorite annual or common championship season or end-of-season workout for your team?

Don't really have one favorite, but it will be about toughness and speed. 

What are your top 3 goals for this year's squad?

Individual and team goals will be discussed  specifically  during the first week of practice.  We always hope to finish high at sectional and state and perform well at our own invitational.