After a fifth place finish at the Class 3A State Cross-country Meet a year ago as a junior, Malachy Schrobilgen hopes to top that with a first place finish in his final season.
As the top returning runner for the OPRF boys cross-country team this season, and one of the top runners in the state, Schrobilgen is expected to carry the load.
“All four of our top runners last year were seniors, so Malachy should be the odds on favorite to win state this year,” said OPRF head coach Jose Sosa. “He had a great summer of running, so I expect big things.”
Even with a standout runner like Schrobilgen, the Huskies will rely on key contributions from a deep roster of seniors such as Nick Reyes, who Sosa expects to be the number two runner. Mike Gardner rounds out the team’s top trio of runners.
“I’m confident that Nicky and Mike will be able to take some of the pressure off Malachy and allow us much needed depth to compete hard and succeed this season,” said Sosa.
Tremendous depth among the team’s seniors is a major reason for Sosa’s brimming confidence and anticipation for the upcoming season. Andy Drum, Adam Wood, Reuben Bauer, and Frank Filosa are also expected to make significant contributions.
Sosa is also hoping for a strong, consistent performances from some key underclassmen in sophomore Sam Demaree, an All-Conference selection a year ago, and junior Alex Darnall.
OPRF girls cross-country
Erin Schrobilgen returns to lead the OPRF girls country team this season. Erin, a sophomore, was OPRF’s sole runner who qualified for state last season. She finished 61st overall.
Seniors Carolina Cotton and Elizabeth Reyes, who both finished in the top five at last year’s regional meet, are also expected to make headway this season.
The Huskies will also have a new but familiar head coach. Tom Tarrant steps into the role this season, but he’s no stranger to the program. Tarrant was an assistant under longtime coach Sarah McCabe for 12 years.
“We fell a bit short last year at sectionals, but hopefully we can get the entire team down to state this year,” Tarrant said.