Prep previews: With 3-time state champion and Gatorade Runner of the Year gone, Battle Mountain cross-country enters new era

This fall represents a new chapter in the story of the Battle Mountain cross-country teams.

“Yeah it’s a new era for sure,” head coach Rob Parish said. “Of course Will (Brunner) and Porter (Middaugh) took a bunch of attention but it was both on the girls and boys side — we had such senior-heavy crews the last two years.”

The Huskies graduated the defending 4A state cross-country and two-time 3200-meter state champion in Brunner — who is running for Harvard this fall. They also said goodbye to Middaugh, the Colorado Gatorade High School runner of the year who finished sixth at the Nike Cross National Meet and ran 8:41.02 for 3200-meters in the spring.

Battle Mountain also graduated core leaders in repeat skimeister state champions Theo Krueger and Lindsey Whitton, as well as Addie Beuche, Kira Hower, Presley Smith, and John McAbee, all of whom were in the top-5 of the respective boys and girls squads.

“There’s a big void for sure, not only from running from the front, but also the leadership loudness,” said Parish who has talked with his coaching staff over the last year about this upcoming rebuild.

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“All summer, at camp, and through the first week of the season, it’s been fun to kind of start over,” he said. “We’ve been able to do a little bit of a reset with the culture, expectations, habit-building, team-building, hitting all the little things. Getting back to the roots of coaching — a lot of kids have never done cross-country or high school sports before.”

What Battle Mountain might lack in star-power they’ve made up for in numbers and enthusiasm. Parish has 49 girls on his roster and about 20 boys, well above the 50 total athletes he had last year.

“The athletes in general this summer and so far this season, they’re really eager to have fun and try things,” he said. “And they’re really appreciative.”

As always happens, disciplined summer training regimens transformed a few individuals. Parish pointed to senior Adam Labenski and sophomore Nate Beuche as two guys who have upped their fitness considerably.

“They look great,” Parish said. “They’ve really taken the opportunity and have worked hard and put in the miles.”

The boys also have a strong crew of incoming freshmen — notably Alex Flores, Ethan Brown and Austin McWhirter — all of whom the head coach thinks could develop into something special in the coming years.

“They’re really into it and have been working hard,” he said.

On the girls side, returners with varsity experience include Bella Williams, Ruthie Demino and Reese Davis. Snow Swihart and transfer Clara Brosius — who could have been a scoring runner had she been eligible last year, Parish said — will also add depth. Finally, twins Karis and Ary Alexander showed up to camp at a new level.

“They put in monster summers and look fantastic,” Parish said before adding that he has a slew of new sophomores and juniors as well as a bunch of new freshmen who could shake things up, including Eden Demino and Larsen Middaugh.

“I think the girls are going to be pretty good,” the coach said. “But I have no idea the pecking order, which is super exciting.”

Parish doesn’t run freshmen in varsity events for the first two meets. Thus, it might be tricky truly gauging what the team has until later in September.

“We’re going to play the long game, both this season and with the group in general,” said Parish. “The idea is that every day they improve a little bit and every season they improve a little bit and by the time they’re juniors you have a large group of athletes who have had small steps along the way.”

Even though Battle Mountain has finished no worse than sixth at the last 13 state meets — including a streak of eight-straight years of finishing first or second — the pre-season coaches poll left the Huskies off the top-10. Summit is ranked No. 1 as perennial power Niwot reclassified to 5A.

But Parish isn’t dwelling on polls with this young group. With both the boys and girls, he knows the foundation is there.

“I think for me, the goal is to first set the hook of enjoyment of the sport,” he said. “And then gradually start to build the competitiveness.”

On paper, the girls have a decent shot at qualifying for state. Getting to Norris Penrose — where the team opens its season at the Cheyenne Mountain Stampede Pre-state meet on Friday — might be a tougher ask this year for the boys, but the future looks bright. Plus, anything can happen in the next 10 weeks. 

“It will be fun for us to talk in two and half months and see where we’re at,” Parish said. “We’re really excited about this young, energetic, positive group.”