Thursday, October 1, 2026
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Cherryville, NC (WNN) - In the 2025-2026 school year, Cherryville High School saw a rise in the success of its cross country team. As with other programs, their top athlete has since graduated, leaving the team looking at what and who is next. This year, the hope is that their senior leaders can inspire just as much confidence as the team had last year.
Coach Callie Cook mentioned that Mason Powers and Geo Martinez are the leading runners in the men's division, with Geo hoping to be in the top ten in the state this year. Cook suspects that their lead runner for the women's division will be Clara Skamarock after she surpassed Cameryn Bell’s time at last year's Gaston County Championships. Cook believes several athletes may be in the top 10 in the conference this year. The boys' team was one win away from state last year, so they hope to see them make it this year. The players themselves want to compete to the best of their ability and take home first in the county instead of second. They also have personal goals of shaving down their times, which will help lead to their goal of finishing first.
Due to the loss of seniors, the team has quite a few spots to fill and is hoping to reach around 20 runners this season. Many of the runners join up after the start of the school year. Coach Antonio Griggs and Coach Cook gather many of the new runners during freshman camp. Griggs feels it is best to get as many people out there running who want to be.
Griggs feels that cross country’s most important aspect is endurance. He also ran back in his high school years, and despite not being the fastest, his endurance helped him finish higher than those who may have been faster. Many of the runners get to continue through the year as track is held in the spring, so they hone their skills there as well. As a coach of multiple sports, he also feels that the skills gained in cross country transfer over to other sports. Overall, he hopes to see players find the sport that suits them best, whether it is football, soccer, cross country, or anything else the school offers.
Griggs mentioned that ultimately, he would like to see CHS have its own cross country course. Currently they run in the practice field or inside the school during inclement weather. He noted that the top schools all have their own courses, which not only helps with training but also allows them to host meets. He hopes this project can begin next year, along with some of the other sports facility improvements Cherryville High School has seen.
Currently, the feeder school, John Chavis Middle, lacks a cross country program, and this is another change the coaches would like to see. Surrounding counties do have this sport at the middle school level, which makes it harder for Gaston County students in general when competing. If this were implemented, it would mean that students would be on track to join cross country as soon as they enter high school. This could result in higher attendance at summer practices and allow 9th graders to decide whether to join ahead of time.
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