Dogie Cross Country getting in gear

Sonja Karp
NLJ Sports Reporter
 
The annual Dogie run up Black Elk (formerly Harney) Peak last Saturday can mean only one thing — the Newcastle Cross Country team is about to take off on their 2019 season.
Head coach Kathy Beehler graduated no one from her Lady Dogie squad last year and is returning a veteran crew of seniors and juniors to the lineup. Among those coming back are seniors Hailey McGuire, who was the top runner for the girls, and Avery Alishouse. Also returning are juniors Lara Lopez and Alaina Laurence who took turns as the number two and three finishers last season. 
New to the team this year are seniors Laila King and Grace Rose, and though not a newcomer, junior Rya Liggett was out last year due to injury and will be making her return as well. 
Shelby Stith will also be returning, though not in the role she has her previous three seasons.Unfortunately, the senior is dealing with some health issues that are standing in the way of participating as a runner, so she will be helping the team out as a manager for the foreseeable future.
“The girls we have out this year have the potential to be a strong team, if we can get and keep them healthy,” Beehler nodded. “Individually, we have some very good runners with good experience and I expect them to do well, but we need five runners in each race to score as a team so need to keep our seven girls healthy and on the course.”
The men graduated Dylan Talley, PJ Martin, Peyton Purviance and Reed Holmes last year. Talley was the team’s top runner, while Martin and Purviance were among the top seven. As such, the Dogies return the remainder of their top varsity runners in senior Jacob Rhoades, juniors Zach Purviance and Carson Bock, and sophomores Tristan Troftgruben and Avery Chick. 
“Our boys are deep and talented this year, but with the loss of some good athletes, others will have to step up,” Beehler began. “Those who were running third, fourth, fifth or sixth last season are going to have to lead the pack this year, and those who were out of the top seven are going to have to move up to replace those guys.” 
The Dogies also have good senior leadership in Collin Dudzinski, Gunnar Wainscott, Rhoades, McGuire, Alishouse and King. Beehler is counting on these veterans to provide the guidance the younger runners need to get the teams where they need to be in order to be successful.
“The kids are working hard, and we have some very real talent,” she declared. “We just need to work hard together and run with that pack mentality to achieve team success.”
In looking around the Conference, Beehler identified Worland as a front runner this year with Douglas, Rawlins and Newcastle as contenders as well. Statewide, Star Valley and Jackson are once again expected to dominate given their size in comparison with the rest of 3A.
The season begins for the Dogies this Friday as they host their only home meet at Mallo beginning at 1:00 pm. The order of races starts with middle school girls followed by middle school boys. The Varsity girls are up next and then the varsity boys will run, while the JV girls and boys will run a combined race to finish off the day.
On Saturday, Aug. 31, the Dogies are partnering with the Madness on Main event by hosting a 5K/1K run/walk in order to help get people down to main street for the activities. Those interested in participating can sign up with any cross country runner, Coach Beehler, or at the Dogie Theater on Saturday morning. The race begins at 8:30 a.m. and the cost for the 5K with a T-shirt is $20, for the 1K with a T-shirt is $15, or for the 1K without a T-shirt is $5.