By Chris Hagan
Review Staff Writer
Anyone that has been outside during a hot August day knows that the heat will zap the energy right from one’s body.
And if proper hydration methods aren’t taken, then the body begins to shut down and muscles begin to cramp.
It’s for this reason why Stan Ford, coach of the boys varsity cross country team, is looking forward to the cooler weather often brought upon by Mother Nature this time of year.
Last week, Lake Orion suffered a blow to their top tier runners after placing second at the Adams/Cicciarelli Invitational on Thursday, Sept. 3.
Ford’s top runner, All-State senior Andrew Lorant, suffered a heat related issue and was not likely to compete in the team’s first OAA Red Jamboree on Wednesday at Bloomer Park.
With Lorant’s absence from the team for the invitational, Ford’s is putting extra emphasis mental strength to ensure their concentration is not broken.
‘We want to have a focus on getting better and looking for improvement and we’ll have to run a tighter pack to score well,? Ford said. ‘Even with Andrew gone we want to stay competitive and not let his absence get to everybody.?
After Lake Orion fell to Rochester Adams by five points at last week’s invitational and now with the possible absence of Lorant, Ford is looking to just stay on the heels of the of the jamboree’s leaders.
He’s confident in his team and with Seniors Matthew and Jacob Arenz, the varsity boys have strong talent still in their foundation.
Both of the Arenz boys placed in the top five for the 5,000-meters with times of 17:01 and 17:07 while junior Jack Everts snuck into the top 10 with a time of 17:12.
‘Our objective now is that we stay close to whoever wins it because the jamborees are scored 25-percent of the league championship so we can’t afford to drop back too far,? Ford said.
But as the Dragons look ahead to their next 15 meets, Ford is anticipating his team to climb in the leader board. He’s keeping the boys mentally prepared while keeping their conditioning high and looking forward to cooler temperatures.
‘I think we’ll get better as the seasons change and we just have to be smart in the heat,? he said. ‘We have to still keep our running strong and keep doing hill climbs, but the kids normally are good at cold weather running.
The OAA Red Jamboree will have eight teams competing from Region 7, 8, and 9 and Lake Orion looks to stay ahead of Oxford whom they beat with a score of 59-65 in last week’s invitational.