The Mora Mustang Boys Cross Country team has been one of the most successful cross country team in the state for almost 15 years. In fact, the boys have won four consecutive conference titles, five consecutive section titles, and have been at the State Tournament 12 straight years. This year won't be any different as they open up the year ranked 9th in the state and are looking towards a lot of returning runners to continue their success.
Mora Head Coach Chris Goebel had this to say about his team:
What are you most excited for this year?
We have about 45 boys out this fall. I am excited for the senior boys. We have about 12 of them. I am excited for them to end their cc careers with a great season.
How is the roster shaping up? Do you have a lot of new players? Are you returning a lot of players? Younger? Older? Etc.
Our team starts the season ranked 9th in the state. We return 7/9 kids that were on the State Team from last season. Top senior returners are Nate Williams, Kaden Smart, Will Krueger, Isaac Balmer and Kaden Halverson. Junior, Cooper Lennox, is our top returner. He was the Section 5A Champion and finished in 8th place at the State Meet. He starts the season ranked 3rd. Hunter Honstrom, Josh Rawls and Jacob Johnson are a few underclassman that will be pushing for a varsity spot.
Who are a couple athletes that will stand out?
See above for top returners. New faces that could make an impact: Seniors Nick Madison and Karl Schultz are out for the first time will pushing for a varsity spot.
Any upcoming milestones for your team?
The boys have won 4 connective Granite Ridge Conference Championships and 5 consecutive Section 5A titles. They are also hoping to continue the streak of qualifying for a 13th straight State Meet.
What are your goals?
This is a very experienced team. They have a lot of varsity experience and have put in a lot of work. Our Section is very tough with Heritage Christian returning a lot of quality runners, Cathedral and Annandale being very talented. We are hoping to contend for the conference, section titles and to be a top 5 team at the State Meet.
Favorite upcoming games, matches, or meets?
The exciting part of our season is that we host 3 meets at the Springbrook Golf Course in Mora. Sept 11 we host a 23 team meet, Oct. 9 is a small 5 team meet and then we host the Section 5A Meet on Oct. 25.