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Returning four runners after winning its third Class 1 state title in five years, the Parry Mc-Cluer High School boys cross country team hopes to build on its recent success.
In their 18th season under the direction of head coach Chris Poluikis, the PM boys won the Pioneer District and Region 1C titles before taking the state title, led by individual champion Kovyk Chandler. Kovyk graduated in May, but his younger brother Kebryl, now a sophomore, placed second.
With Kebryl leading the way, Poluikis expects the team to exceed last fall’s accomplishments. “Everyone on the team is better than they were last year,” said Poluikis. “They all had a great season of track and a great summer of training.” In June, the PM boys placed second at the Class 1 state outdoor track and field meet, the team’s highest finish in program history.
“Everyone has come into the season looking improved, and we’ve added some good freshmen as well,” added Poluikis. “The freshmen already have done a few meets, as well as middle schoolers, so they aren’t inexperienced.”
Joining Kebryl as returning runners who earned all-state honors by placing in the top 15 are juniors Logan Wheelock and Josh Cooper. Also returning are their fifth and sixth runners from last year, sophomore Sam Carpenter and junior Caden Mason.
The newcomers to the roster are all freshmen: Caleb Cooper, Sebastian George and Hinckley Lovelace.
The lone PM girl running is junior Kyra Lee, who placed 21st in the Class 1 state meet last year as the only PM girl to qualify. Lee and Jasmine De Souza, who graduated in May, were the only two girls running for the Blues last year.
The experience of the runners is the main strength of the team, said Poluikis. “The less I have to coach, the better,” he said. “They handle their own workouts, and this is one of the biggest groups I’ve had that train year-round now. I could take a day off, and they would still do their workouts.”
Even with the team’s strong returning core, Poluikis expects a similarly competitive season from other teams in Class 1. “When you look at the times from the outdoor track season, I still think we are in the driving seat,” he said. “But the teams that gave us the most competition last year, like [state runnerup] Matthews and [fourth-place] Eastern Montgomery, have most, if not all, of their core runners back.” At the Pioneer District meet last fall, the PM boys defeated Eastern Montgomery by one point for the title.
The Blues will start the season on Saturday with the Blacksburg Relays at Blacksburg High School. The girls’ relay championship start is scheduled for 9 a.m., with the boys’ relay at 10 a.m. PM’s next meet will be the Knights Crossing Invitational at Green Hill Park in Salem, with Cave Spring playing host on Saturday, Sept. 7.
