EYES ON THE PRIZE

Eighteen points in two seasons have separated the Mountain Brook High School boys cross-country team from its 14th state title in school history. This fall, the Spartans are aiming for a breakthrough. They have the talent to do it. The Mountain Brook boys return five of their top six runners from a 2016 state runner-up squad that enters the season with fire in its belly. The past two Novembers, in which Auburn held them off for blue maps by narrow margins, weigh heavy on their minds. “To lose by less than 10 points two years in a row, it’s tough,” head coach Michael McGovern said. “I think it’s their time.” Auburn in the spring graduated a senior class that won four state cross-country titles in as many years, and the departure has opened the doors for a new team to take its place atop Alabama’s distance running hierarchy. No school is more qualified to fill the vacuum than Mountain Brook. The Spartans boast a deep roster laden with individuals who should vie for All-State honors come season’s end. A few, including Charlie Slaughter, Hunter Harwell and Gram Denning, are likely to find themselves in contention for an individual crown. “You’ve just got to be confident but humble at the same time,” said Denning, a junior. “We’ve got to keep it very disciplined.” Slaughter, a senior, and Harwell, a junior, both posted top 10 efforts at last year’s state meet. Based on personal-best times, they are the top two returners in Class 7A. Harwell has run 15 minutes, 50 seconds for 5K; Slaughter has run 15:52. Denning, who placed 16th at the 2016 state meet, is coming off a strong outdoor track season that should serve as a springboard for cross-country success. Slaughter and Harwell can’t say the same. Both were forced to call off their spring campaigns due to injuries. But the two transitioned during the summer back into daily training routines and now have their sights set on making resilient comebacks. Denning plans to be by their side each step of the way. “We need each other in order to compete, and I think that’s going to take us a long way,” Harwell said. “I think we’re going to be able to perform really well if we keep that mindset.” Joseph Pitard and Brooks Reddy round out a core group whose contributions should have Mountain Brook challenging for its first state championship since 2011. The Spartan girls have a similar goal in mind. After watching Huntsville snap its 13-year title streak last fall, the team is determined to reclaim its stake at the peak of the state standings. “This is not what we wanted, but now we have that passion about it that we’ve never had before,” said Mary Alison Anderson, one of the team’s top returners. “For me and the seniors, it’s our last chance to do this.” It will take some fight for Mountain Brook to retrace its golden steps, as Huntsville returns the majority of its talent-crammed team. Plus, the Spartans will have to compensate for the loss of their top runner: 2016 state champion and current Vanderbilt Commodore Anna Grace Morgan. Her absence will be felt, but it does not pose an insurmountable obstacle. Mountain Brook returns seven of its top nine runners, all of whom have broken 20 minutes for 5K. Anna Balzli, a junior, is the chief candidate to pace a top group that also includes Tessa Allen, Lily Hulsey and Anderson. “She’s kind of next in line to be that number one girl for Mountain Brook,” McGovern said of Balzli. “That’s a tough mantle to hold sometimes, but I think she’s ready to do it.”

EYES ON THE PRIZE

Photo Credit: Sam Chandler