Young would be the word of the day to describe the cross-country teams for Idabel this upcoming fall. On the boys’ side, the team is led by junior Cassidy Pondexter. “He’s a solid worker and the leader of our team,” said coach John Harjo. “He’s a sprinter in track but he’s done well in cross country distance. Also returning are cousins Kyson and Victor Jefferson, both seniors along with juniors Caden Gammon and Jaxson Taylor. These guys run in a Choctaw Nation program that sponsors several 5K races throughout the area during the summer so that keeps them in shape. Ronald Deramus III, also known as Trey, is a golfer who likes to run cross country to help with his endurance and he is one of our top five runners,” said Harjo.
Other runners for the Warriors will include Thi Tran, Bradley Owens, and sophomore Zay Ricks. Harjo is also excited to see incoming freshman Colby Scott who was the eighth-grade state cross country champ in the ORES (Oklahoma Rural Elementary Schools Inc.) competition.
The girls will be coached by Hunter Bray, herself a four-time All-State runner at Haworth. “I told coach Harjo last winter I would be glad to help with the distance runners for track, and I did that and now I’m coaching many of those girls in cross country,” said Bray. “Most all of our girls are juniors coming back.
I think Cassandra Armenta may be one of our top runners. She didn’t start running until she was in high school, but she’s been improving and I’m excited to see what she’s capable of. Casey Allen is another very talented runner. She ran the relays in track and qualified for state in the 400 meters so she’s not really a distance runner yet, but I think she’s got a lot of potential.
Cadrie Stephens was one of our best 800-meter runners in track, so I think she’ll do well in cross country. Raygon Gibson ran the two-mile for us in track and did well without having a lot of practice time, so I think she has a future with the right training in cross country.
We have one other girl, Presley Ritchie, who is also a power lifter so she’s trying to decide if she can do both this year. I’m also hopeful we might get some freshmen from the strong K-8 feeder programs we have in the area.” stated Bray.
