CULLMAN COUNTY – Setting the tone for success in recent years in the sport of cross country have been Cold Springs and Fairview.
The Eagles have claimed consecutive state championships while working their way to the top of the sport in Cullman County.
The Lady Eagles have been a force as well with 10 consecutive county championships and solid runs through the sectionals and on to the state meet in the Moulton area.
Fairview has been a program from the county to challenge Cold Springs. The Aggies and Lady Aggies were runners-up in the county meet last year and also had several to qualify for the 5A championship.
Both schools have been working hard since the Alabama High School Athletic Association allowed them to start fall workouts on Aug. 1.
Now the Eagles and Aggies await the start of the 2016 season with their sights set on more success to add to their storied traditions.
Cold Springs is without Austin Burwell who is now at the University of Montevallo and Kramer Crider who signed with Alabama-Huntsville. But Clayborn Campbell's Eagles have experience back in senior Jared Stanley, juniors CJ Lang and Jacob Lee, plus seniors Brandon Blair and Tucker Kilgo, sophomores Trentan Williams and Mason Harris along with freshmen Jonathan Collett, Weston Akridge, William Grimmett, William Spurger and seventh-grader Hunter Calvert.
Stanley and Lang will be the leaders for the Eagles as they served as impact athletes last season with Burwell and Crider to form a solid foursome in scoring points on a regular basis that placed them at or near the top in each assignment in 2015.
For the Lady Eagles, Ashleigh White excels and leads a team that is young, but full of potential. White is a sophomore, but has been vital to the success in cross country and track Cold Springs experienced a year ago.
The lone junior is Kasey Johnson with freshman Alyssa Jackson a force to be reckoned with along with freshmen Sadie Terry and Makinsey Collett, sophomore Lauren Burrow, eighth-grader Brooklyn Crider and seventh-graders Emma Collett, Genesis Puckett and Ava Akridge.
Cold Springs opens the season Saturday in the 11th Annual Carbon Hill Invitational in Walker County. Both teams will look forward to hosting the 12th Annual Kudzu Run on Sept. 24.
Veteran coach Hobson Hite takes care of the Aggies while Ricky McDonald is in command of the Lady Aggies.
Fairview has three seniors coming back for the 2016 schedule in Brett Hogan, Jacob Guthrie and Rusty Yancy, the juniors are Cody Fallin and Cameron Guthrie with sophomores Blake Hogan and Will Butler, freshmen Jonathan Semadeni, Austin Love, Quentin Chambers, Paul Stephenson, eighth-graders Keagan Hardin, Andrick Lindsey, Peyton Bailey, Nate Borom and seventh-grader Cody Butler.
Fallin was All-County last season with Jacob Guthrie and Chambers providing the team valuable experience.
For the Lady Aggies, they will rely on seniors August Stancil and Tiffany Lodge, juniors Alex McDonald, Alyssa Salazar, sophomore Kennedy Chambers, freshmen Emma Gardner, Alyssa Harper and American Diaz and eighth-grader Brianna Lodge.
McDonald and Gardner are the most experienced for the Lady Aggies. Fairview will have to put together a solid run if they expect to challenge Lawrence County for the best in the 5A classification.
McDonald and Gardner won their age divisions last weekend in the EvaBank Midnight Run.
The season opens for Fairview on Aug. 30 at the Brooks Invitational then the Lady Aggies and Aggies participate in the Cullman Invitational Sept. 3.
This year's county championship will take place Oct. 10 on the campus of Good Hope High School.
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