All-MileStat.com Boys Cross Country Team

MileSplit Staff
Very grueling analyzing and researching was put into selecting this year's All-MileStat.com boys cross country team as there were so many qualified athletes and coaches that deserved recognition. Well after lots of second guessing, debate, and contemplation, here is your 2002 All-MileStat.com boys cross country team...

Co-Coaches of the Year...Stan Morgan (Midlothian) & Vic Kelbaugh (West Springfield)
Finishing second and third at last year's AAA state cross country meet respectively, few could have expected both Midlothian and West Springfield to return to those same spots on the podium a year later after the hard hits they were taking because of graduation. Midlothian was looking five of their top seven, while West Springfield was losing lots of their depth that helped get them to the podium with three of their top four runners. However, Coach Morgan at Midlothian and Coach Kelbaugh simply would not allow this year to be a rebuilding one for their teams.

Midlothian boys @ regions At Midlothian, Coach Morgan was fortunate to get the services of Brandon Miles, a transfer from last year's AA state champions Jamestown. The addition gave Morgan then three state meet seasoned runners to work with Miles, junior Ryan Witt, and senior Andrew Baker. With Miles and Witt, Morgan was able to bring out one of the best 1-2 punches in the state as the two ran off each other all season as the team's top runners as both ended up earning all-state honors (12th Witt, 14th Miles) after both neither broke 17 on the state course the year before. Morgan was then able to convert 1:57 800m runner Taylor Matthews into a true 5K runner as the senior Matthews ran a consistent number three for the team all-season and boasted a season best of 16:28. Morgan's probably biggest improvement that he was able to get out of any of runners was junior Billy Berlin, who just a year ago was running 20 minute 5K's yet this season was dipping well under 17 minutes. Along with holdover Baker, two other newcomers on the varsity squad in sophomore Ryan Call and junior Pat Harding, who ran consistently around 17 flat all-season, Midlothian was able to put together a formidable squad that remained un-defeated against state competition until the state meet, where they made what was thought to be a blowout victory for nationally ranked Thomas Jefferson a nail biter as Thomas Jefferson squeaked by Midlothian with an eight point win. It was Coach Morgan's fourth straight year taking a team to the podium with a third place finish in 1999, two runner-up finishes in 2000 and 2002, and a state title in 2001. With four runners returning from this year's team, Morgan has even more to work with to try and make a fifth trip to the podium next fall.

West Springfield boys @ states Like Morgan, Kelbaugh knows how to get his team to podium and bring out the best in his runners. In the early 1990's, Kelbaugh had a streak of state champion teams. The three loses to graduation were hard hit ones as after those three and returning front runner Jeff Day, there was a big drop off that left some gaping holes in the Spartans lineup. However, this call for others to step up was answered and in a big way by junior Steve Tobin. Having ran number five on last year's third place finishing team, Tobin was the next in line to fill in the number two spot on this year's squad. Well he stepped into that spot big time. Tobin was a remarkably improved runner this fall as he was finishing behind and beating guys in races that the year before he was not even on the same level on. Tobin's finest race was when it all counted at states as he garnered an astonishing seventh place finish, not far behind senior team leader Jeff Day who took third. This nucleus made up for the best tandem in the state and gave them the momentum for their next three to give support for the two. Newcomer sophomore Dan Beale and holdover seniors Adam Buckley and John Cook were able to finish in the top 75 in the race to give the Spartans the edge over the rest of the field vying for that last podium spot. It was a pretty remarkable finish considering how they started the season as they remained unranked for most of the season and it was even more so surprising just considering the week before, West Springfield had finished fourth in the regional meet and had barely made it out of the race. While much credit has to be given to the West Springfield runners for coming up at the right time, the majority of that right timing was all the master plan of a great coach in Vic Kelbaugh.