AnnArbor.com's ninth of 10 fall sports previews takes a look at Washtenaw County's boys cross country teams.

August Pappas, Chelsea: Pappas’ fourth-place finish at the Division 2 state finals as a junior in 2009 was the highest of any underclassmen. It was his third all-state performance and second top-10 finish.

Bryce Bradley, Chelsea: The junior took home all-state honors in 2009 with a 19th- place finish at the Division 2 state finals.

Jeff Bord, Greenhills: Bord placed fifth at the Division 4 state finals in 2009 and has the potential to win it all as a senior.

CHELSEA BULLDOGS Though blessed with two of the top runners in the area in August Pappas and Bryce Bradley, there is a chasm between the times of the Bulldogs’ No. 2 and No. 3 times. Chelsea lost its third and fourth best runners - one to academic ineligibility and another to hockey. Those losses turned what looked to be a promising season at the end of last - with five of seven runners from the Division 2 state finals returning - into a rebuilding year.

Coach: Eric Swager (16th year) Last Season: Second in SEC White; third in regional; 16th at Division 2 state finals. Key Returners: Bryce Bradley (jr.), August Pappas (sr.). Key Newcomers: Sean Owsley (sr.). Strength: Two returning all-state runners at the top of the lineup. Weakness: Trying to fill the gap between the second and third runners. Outlook: Coach Swager has adjusted the goals for his team to the situation and thinks his squad can be competitive if he can get his fifth runner under 18 minutes. Coach Eric Swager says: “I don’t know what people were expecting, but we’ll be average at best to start the season. But we will improve.”

DEXTER DREADNAUGHTS The Dexter track team dealt with bumping up to Division 1 remarkably well, and it looks like the cross country team may, as well. The Dreadnaughts took first in the first SEC jamboree of the season, edging out Division 1 state powers Saline, Pioneer, Bedford and Monroe. Still, replacing Ben Carruthers, a two-time all-state runner now at Michigan State, will be no easy task.

Coach: David Testa (3rd year) Last Season: SEC White champions; Division 2 state runners-up. Key Returners: Corey Birchmeier (sr.), Tim Bougher (jr.), Matt Greve (so.), Taylor Neely (so.), Alexey Vermeulen (so.), Key Newcomers: Zack Dutcher (jr.). Strength: Dexter’s top three runners have state championship experience and run as a pack. Weakness: Moving up a division and the loss of an elite No. 1 runner. Outlook: Dexter will be the class of SEC White and, despite moving up a division, should make a push to make it back to the state finals. Coach David Testa says: “During big meets, they stepped up last year. I’m pretty confident they can handle any situation thrown at them.”

FATHER GABRIEL RICHARD FIGHTING IRISH The Fighting Irish’s top competition for years hasn’t been its opponents in the Catholic League, but the school’s soccer team. As was the case last year, when the Irish’s dual sport athletes are present, they should be a stronger team. When there are scheduling conflicts, they’ll struggle.

Coach: Don Canham Jr. (39th year) Last Season: 4-3 in duals, won Catholic League sectional for third straight year. Key Returners: Matt Zakerski (sr.), John Fons (jr.). Key Newcomers: Alex Sauter (jr.), Dan Hass (sr.), Franz Narowski (jr.), Strength: Solid top two. Weakness: Filling in top five when Sauter, a soccer player, has other commitments. Outlook: The Irish will take a dip from last year, especially when the lineup isn’t full. Coach Don Canham Jr. says of the graduation of Mike Falvey and Mark Groom: “Those guys were not replaceable. With them gone, we’re actually going to have to coach this year instead of putting it on autopilot.”

GREENHILLS GRYPHONS With just eight runners out for the team, this is the smallest team the Gryphons have had in the past five years. Two of the top five runners are soccer players as well, so when there are scheduling conflicts, they’ll struggle. Good news for the cross country team is that the soccer team - whose run to the state finals last year kept three runners from helping the Gryphons at the Division 4 cross country finals - doesn’t look to be as strong this year as it was last.

Co-Coaches: Jim Hare and Bill Stewart (5th year) Last Season: Second in the MIAC; 18th at the Division 4 state finals. Key Returners: Jeff Bord (sr.), Ashwin Fujii (so.), Andrew Garton (sr.), Xander Johnson (jr.), Max Radwin (sr.), Jeff Xu (jr.). Key Newcomers: Andrew Giltin (fr.), Haven Wagner (fr.) Strength: Top runner, Jeff Bord, placed fifth in the state as a junior. Weakness: Low numbers and a reliance on soccer players. Outlook: With a full lineup, Greenhills will be competitive. When runners are gone - be it due to soccer, injury, etc. - the Gryphons will struggle. Coach Jim Hare says: “We’re so thin, we just can’t afford any injuries on the boys side.”

HURON RIVER RATS Huron coach Kent Overbey works in Wisconsin during the summers and - by Overbey’s own admission - his team suffers as a result of the lack of organized training in the offseason. The field in the SEC Red is as good as any conference in the state, so the middle-of-the-pack River Rats may suffer more losses than their talent warrants.

Coaches: Kent Overbey (29th year) Last Season: Fifth in SEC Red. Key Returners: Jacob Higle-Ralvovsky (jr.), Akshay Jetli (sr.), Michael Savage (sr.), Andrew Smith (sr.), Mark Vander Roest (sr.) Key Newcomers: Andrew Barber (so.), Michael Barton (fr.), Spencer Lassaline (fr.), Oleg Lougheed (jr.), Jordan Steiff (fr.), Acer Xu (so.). Strength: The River Rats have a lot of potential in the middle of the lineup. Weakness: Lacking in leadership and depth. Outlook: The regional and league Huron is in make it hard for even a good team to be competitive. Coach Kent Overbey says: “We have a lot of coffee, but not too much cream. No cream at the top, but no garbage at the bottom.”

LINCOLN RAILSPLITTERS After finishing in last place in the SEC White in 2009, Lincoln coach Dan Green has a modest goal in mind for his squad: improvement.

Coach: Dan Green (5th year) Last Season: Last in the SEC White. Key Returners: David Adamovicz (so.), John Adamovicz (sr.), Alex Goricki (sr.), Austin Goricki (sr.). Key Newcomers: Corey Crouch (jr.) Strength: The tight competition between runners 2-5 will push all toward improvement. Weakness: No one on the team can push John Adamovicz. Outlook: Improving on personal records and as a team should be the Railsplitters primary goals as they are still a couple of notches below their league and regional counterparts. Coach Dan Green says: “I’d like to move up in the (SEC) White division if we could.”

MANCHESTER FLYING DUTCHMEN Manchester’s success on the football field has always made it hard for the Flying Dutchmen to get ample numbers out for the cross country team. With the new addition of a club soccer program, the already-thin Manchester roster is now downright anemic.

Coach: Elissa Weidmayer (2nd year) Last Season: Fifth in Cascades Conference. Key Returners: Ben Heuser (so), Matt Kemner (so.), Joe Mazur (so.). Key Newcomers: Brent Boucha (jr.), Nate Fischer (so.). Strength: All are determined to do their best individually, despite little chance of the team winning. Weakness: Low numbers and depth. Outlook: With extremely low numbers, Manchester will struggle as a team. Coach Elissa Weidmayer says: “Our returners are determined to make it to states individually.”

PIONEER PIONEERS Gone are six key seniors, three of whom were all-state individually, that led the Pioneers to a runner-up finish at the Division 1 state finals last season and a championship in 2008. That group - whose only non-first place finish at any meet over the last two years was at last year’s state finals - was unique, and coach Don Sleeman recognizes that. Senior David Torres will lead the new-look Pioneers. After spending his sophomore year in Spain, Sleeman said Torres needed a year to get back into the swing of training and is primed for a strong season.

Coach: Don Sleeman (43rd year) Last Season: SEC Red champions; Division 1 state runners up. Key Returners: David Torres (sr.), Noah Kaczor (sr.). Key Newcomers: Dean Brigham (so.), Boris Burman (so.), Tyler Leach, (so.). Strength: Willingness to work together and in proximity, so they can run with one another and push one another. Weakness: Zero varsity racing experience. Outlook: Pioneer could find itself in unfamiliar territory (i.e., not dominating the medal stand) for the first time in a long time. Coach Don Sleeman says: “If we make it to states, it would be a huge accomplishment. I hope at least that David (Torres) makes it.”

SALINE HORNETS If you’re eating in downtown Saline and your drink begins to ripple, don’t be alarmed. That’s the stampede of the Saline cross country teams practicing. With nearly 200 runners between the two squads (68 on the boys’ side), the Hornets resemble a flash mob more than a sports team. In that huge herd of boys exists a talented bunch that has top-10 potential. Though he doesn’t expect any freshmen to crack the varsity lineup, coach Carl Spina says his team is following the lead of its underclassmen, whose competitive nature and palpable camaraderie has him encouraged about the near future.

Coach: Carl Spina (7th year) Last Season: Second in SEC Red; ninth at Division 1 state finals. Key Returners: Andrew Barnett (sr.), Spencer Bishop (jr.), Matt Elmes (so.), Jonathan Parker (jr.), Nick Renberg (jr.) Key Newcomers: None. Strength: Numbers. Weakness: Without many seniors, Spina fears his team may lack a sense of urgency. Outlook: Saline will be in the mix of the highly competitive SEC Red battle and should be a top-10 team in the state again. Coach Carl Spina says: When asked of his team’s strengths “Sheer numbers. There’s gotta be seven fast guys in there somewhere.”

SKYLINE EAGLES Skyline head coach Felix Nunley believes that, in his second year at the helm of the young Skyline program, his team realizes where it’s at. They’re not going to compete with the Salines and Pioneers of the world, but if the middle of the lineup shapes up, the Eagles could improve their lot in the league.

Coach: Felix Nunley (2nd year) Last Season: Last in SEC Red. Key Returners: Eric Jensen (so.), Cody Gallagher (jr.). Key Newcomers: Thomas Dolce (fr.), Jason Lawton (fr.). Strength: Top two runners (Jensen and Gallagher) are strong, narrowly missing out on the Division 2 state finals last season. Weakness: The runners, and the program, are still relatively young. Outlook: Competing in Division 1 and in the SEC will make life difficult for the young Eagles. Coach says: “We’re excited, but the guys are realistic. We don’t expect a worst-to-first improvement, but last to middle of the pack in the SEC is something we’re striving for.”

WHITMORE LAKE TROJANS Whitmore Lake coach Larry Bostwick isn’t modest about his team’s potential, yet doesn’t seem to be boasting either when he says “we should be top one or two in the state.” It just seems like an honest evaluation of a team that returns five of its top six from last year’s squad that was seventh at the Division 3 state finals.

Coach: Larry Bostwick (2nd year) Last Season: Tri-County Conference champions; seventh at Division 3 state finals. Key Returners: John Muro (sr.), Ronnie Milbocker (jr.). Key Newcomers: Henry Fanson (jr.) Strength: Every returner has state championship experience. Weakness: Lack of depth. Outlook:Conference and state titles are both well within grasp for the Trojans. Coach Larry Bostwick says: “We’re strong one through five, but we need help after that.”

YPSILANTI PHOENIX As is the case with the girls team, coach Torin Moore is now running the cross country, indoor track and outdoor track programs at Ypsilanti. This consistency has already resulted in higher numbers. Moore feels each team will, eventually, feed off of each other as his runners transition from one season to the next with steady improvement and consistent training methods.

Coach: Torin Moore (1st year) Last Season: Bottom of the SEC White. Key Returners: Jerell McGee (jr.), Jordan Miller (sr.), Spencer Van Keuren (sr.) Key Newcomers: Jose Martinez (so.), Donnell Shreve (sr.). Strength: Strong middle school program and numbers. Weakness: Youth and inexperience. Outlook: The SEC is a tough place for a young and inexperienced team to cut its teeth, so the Phoenix will likely struggle. Coach Torin Moore says: “We’re going along for the ride, see what it brings us.”

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