PRAIRIE GROVE -- Tiger cross country coach Daren Chandler keeps an eye out for runners and the athletes he found to plug into the lineup helped Prairie Grove reach new heights.
The Prairie Grove boys placed sixth in the team standings at the State 4A meet Nov. 3 at Heber Springs led by Josh Brant, who placed 16th in 18:29.2.
"Josh is one of those people who is probably a little bit too hard on himself at times," Chandler said. "He will the first to tell you he was a little bit disappointed in the season he had -- although he placed 16th and made All-State."
Brant battled nagging injuries throughout the season that affected his training regimen.
"It seemed like every time he'd come back, he'd experience pain in practice and have to take a day off," Chandler said. "He still managed in spite of that to come back and have a really good year."
"As good as he's done this year, I expect him to do even better next year when he has the ability to train every day."
A trio of runners feeding off one another helped the Tigers stake their claim to sixth place: freshman Garrett Wade, 35th in 19:25.27; sophomore Kade Mitchell, 38th in 19:29.4; and sophomore Francisco Estrada, 39th in 19:29.6.
"That's a pretty common thing in sports where you kind of have clusters of guys, who run together," Chandler said, explaining the trio developed a relationship that propelled them to excel.
"They were kind of taking turns taking the lead," Chandler said. "Kade Mitchell is just a sophomore. He is a beast out there. Frank is brand new to the sport. When I saw him running in soccer last year, I basically said, 'You're coming out for cross country in the fall. He has come in and really impressed me."
Wade ran a 2-mile course with the junior high team for the first half of the season. Chandler recognized Wade's talent during the May 20 Speedy Skunk run held at Prairie Grove Battlefield Park and had kept an eye on him.
"We were finally able to bring him up to the high school level," Chandler said. "Within a few weeks of that, that relationship developed. Those three were taking turns winning, they were really just kind of pushing each other, challenging each other. It was a good team dynamic."
Rounding out the squad, Will Mcfarland was 42nd in 19:31.4; Rex Helmer was 80th in 21:15.3; and Keaton Conrad was 81st in 21:21.1.
Prairie Grove athletic director Joey Sorters applauds the success Chandler is having with the program. The girls placed fifth in team standings and junior Beka Bostian won the girls race.
"Both groups got everybody returning," Sorters said. "Hopefully in the next year or two, we can be a cross country powerhouse around here."
Sports on 11/15/2017