ASHEVILLE- Western North Carolina produces a bountiful fall harvest every November.
Just hang around the awards podium at a state cross country meet.
Last year alone, Western North Carolina runners tapped into their endurance on grass and wooded trails to win three individual championships and six team titles. Hayesville (1-A) and Roberson (3-A), two WNC programs with trophy cases full of NCHSAA cross country awards, swept their respective classifications.
\"Everyone is excited about our upcoming season,\" Roberson girls coach Dave Culp said. \"We\'ve got 28 girls out for the team which is probably the biggest squad we\'ve ever had.
\"Right now, it\'s going to be tough for us to decide who is going to be in our top seven. But like I tell the girls, I want to win in October and November when it matters, so we\'ve got plenty of time to see what happens.\"
Six out of seven members of the 2005 Citizen-Times All-WNC girls team are expected to compete again this year. Roberson junior Meghan Gilmore would be part of that group, but she gave up cross country to focus solely on her soccer career, Culp said.
The Rams should be deep enough to absorb any unexpected loss.
Four of their runners - Sarah Dugan, Claire Duval, Caroline Kirby and Hannah McArdle - have won individual 3-A state titles in either cross country or track and field.
\"We\'re really looking forward to the season,\" said Kirby, the defending 3-A individual cross country champion. \"We\'ve got a lot of good freshmen and everyone is having a lot of fun. I\'m focused more on the team than myself, and seeing how we progress.\"
Carolina Day senior Marley Burns, the reigning All-WNC Runner of the Year, also returns along with two-time 1-A state champion Elisabeth Elliott from Polk County and Enka\'s Jordan Gaddy.
On the boys side, trying to top 2005 might be asking too much.
Asheville School, Carolina Day, Hayesville, Owen and Roberson all brought home team championships, and a senior class featuring Travis Brotherton (Smoky Mountain) Josh Morgan (Roberson) Brandon Pung (Owen) and Nathaniel Smith (Asheville School) was as talented as any in area history.
Roberson\'s Josh Dubin and Asheville High\'s Andrew North were both named to the All-WNC team for the first time as juniors.
\"I think it\'s going to be very competitive between (Asheville and Roberson), but not hostile as maybe it has been in some years past,\" Cougars coach Chris Stroup said. \"We\'re looking forward to it. Our guys really trained well this summer. For what we\'ve got, we\'re about as good as we can get.\"