The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
NDCL starts its journey back to state
Cal Yackin and Augie King earned individual qualification to the state cross country meet as sophomores in 2016.
Last year, they led Notre Dame Cathedral Latin’s boys team to a team berth in Hebron. There, the Lions placed 11th. This fall marks the final high school cross country season for the NDCL seniors. The experience provided by the past two seasons streamlined the Lions goal for the 2018 state meet. “Win it,” Yackin said. Behind Yackin and King, Coach Karl Weinfurtner returns the top six runners among those he guided to National Trail Raceway last November.
A trio of juniors — Harmond Richardson, David Beebe and Donny Gatto — round out the rest of the Lions’ scoring five. Senior Tommy Shero was NDCL’s seventh man at the 2017 state meet.
NDCL’s roster benefits from its state experience in its preparation for the regular season and knowledge of how to approach the district, regional and state meets.
“We know how to handle pressure,” King said. “Now the young kids know how to handle pressure. We’re going to know how to handle the postseason a lot better this year.”
Juniors Steve Pirc and Luke Peterson, each in their second season of cross country, are pushing for the seventh spot in Weinfurtner’s varsity lineup. King’s younger brother, Sean, has also impressed early as a freshman.
However the top seven comes together, the Lions’ camaraderie throughout the roster is their most valuable attribute. NDCL’s pack on the course remains tightknit outside its meets.
King, Yackin and their teammates have run together at a high level for years. This past summer, they all worked landscaping jobs on the school grounds. After the work day finished, they put miles in together.
“We definitely got a lot more bonding in this summer,” King said.
While NDCL forged a stronger team spirit, the Lions also refined their training. They emphasized harder work on longer runs, hedged by an emphasis on recovery runs.
“Just trying to cool down and relax from the work that we put in,” Yackin said.
Walsh Jesuit will compete with NDCL for its North Coast League crown and a third straight district title. Woodridge, Bay and Akron SVSM figure to push the Lions at the Boardman Regional. Defending state champion Lexington will surely factor into the podium equation again. Shelby, Unioto, Madiera and Sheridan look like strong candidates to compete for the Division II state crown.
A significant early portent for the Lions’ state chances — based on last year’s times, MileSplit ranked NDCL No. 1 in D-II headed into the season. By the end of the season, the Lions plan for their place in Hebron to resemble preseason rankings.
“Podium individually,” King said, “then winning it as a team, for sure.”