August 30, 2011
Miller Field @ Grace College
Winona Lake, IN

Our last article on this 2011 Boys Cross Country team talked about the rise of the program. Through two Saturday Invites, Coach Mills's runners had proven their 36th pre-season ranking was inaccurate at best. Yet, the Tigers had not competed on their home course to showcase their talents in front of the Tiger faithful who come out to support their WCHS teams. And come out these fans did! A crowd estimated near 750 screaming fans all gathered behind the Grace College baseball fields to get a first-hand account of what all the hype actually is.

The Tiger XC team did not disappoint...

Led by Junior phenom, Jacob Poyner, four Varsity runners broke the 17 minute barrier on their way to capturing the 2011 Tiger Invitational. Poyner's winning time of 16:18 took the gold medal. Sophomore Ellis Coon set a personal record in a time of 16:38 and Junior Robert Murphy did the same in a time of 16:49. Freshman sensation Cam Hoskins was the fourth Tiger runner to break the 17 minute mark in a time of 16:59. Fellow Freshman Michael Compton rounded out the scoring for the Tigers.

Not only did the Tiger faithful take notice, the IHSAA Coaches Poll revealed the Tiger success as well. Coach Mills' team moved up an incredible 20 spots to claim the #16 ranking in all of Indiana. While being ranked #16 in the state is certainly unfamiliar territory for Warsaw Cross Country, Mills is not satisfied.

"Before the season began I sent a note home with each runner explaining the opportunity that this team had. I knew Jake Poyner was going to be a force to reckon with and felt he was one of the best runners in the entire state. I also knew that last year's Varsity group had committed and followed through with an off-season program that would pay huge dividends. Combine all of that with 2 of the top 5 incoming freshman in the entire state and now we are cooking with gas."

Mills continued, "All of us coaches see the effort that these kids are bringing every day. Nobody works harder than Poyner and these kids are responding to his leadership. Did I suspect that we would be this fast this early? No, but I can tell you that the work we put in will continue to make us faster. We want to win. It's one thing to want something, it's a whole other attitude to commit yourself to making sure you do it."

The Tigers knew this race was going to be close. The Whitko Wildcats returned most of their ranked team from a year ago. When the scores were all calculated, WCHS Athletic Director Dave Anson announced the results like Ryan Seacrest announces the winner of American Idol. Neither Whitko nor Warsaw knew the outcome until Anson read the results. Warsaw had beaten Whitko by 3 points to capture the 2011 crown. The Tiger runners and the massive amount of supporters jumped and screamed for joy. The Tigers had now learned the sweet taste of victory. Their hard work is beginning to show dividends.

Here are the times and places for the Tiger runners who broke 18:15:

The Tiger Boys XC team will begin their quest toward an NLC Championship next Tuesday night.

Posted In: Boy's Sports > Cross Country

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