This year marks the first year of cross-country at Grace Christian School, with headmaster Jason Morgan handling the coaching duties. “The prototypical cross-country athlete is a selfless child, a hardworking child, a brave and courageous child,” said Morgan, who is not unfamiliar with cross country, having handled those coaching duties as well as basketball while living in Tennessee. While the GSC cross-country team is currently independent and not part of a conference, a successful first season in Morgan’s eyes would be for the athletes to be “motivated to go out and do this sport in the heat, cold, and rain” despite not having as much attention as other sports and no championship as a goal. The runners are split up into two teams, girls and boys. The girls cross-country team consists of two runners — Carolyn Houge and Maci McNeill, both of who are sophomores. The boys team consists of 10 runners, two eighth graders, (Miles Brownlee, and Max Peterson), freshman Bobby Culwell, sophomore Nick Culwell, four juniors (Bonner Brownlee, Asher Houge, Jacob Phillips, and Jameson Agnew), and a senior, Weston Agnew. The teams have run in one jamboree (Starkville Christian on Aug. 28) and one official meet, ( South Pontotoc on Sept. 3) so far this season. “The jamboree went really really great,” Morgan said, who also saw some good things in the South Pontotoc meet. The next meet is at French Camp Academy this Saturday, beginning at 9 a.m.. The following Tuesday the runners will travel to Benton Academy for a meet beginning at 6 p.m., with meets also being scheduled the following two Saturdays. The Eagles are set to travel to Flowood for the Northwest Rankin Invitational on Sept. 19, and the Eagle Claw Invitational in Eupora on Sept. 26, both beginning at 9 a.m.
