Eighth-year head coach Lyle Silsby will guide a young Canton-Galva cross-country squad this season.
With no seniors on the roster and just two juniors, lack of experience will be a challenge.
Silsby expects sophomore Lane Wiens to anchor the boys? team this season.
?Lane is our top returning male runner,? Silsby said. ?He has been working hard all summer and looks good coming into our first practice.?
Sophomore Brittany Dieker will lead the Canton-Galva girls.
?Brittany is our top returning female runner,? Silsby said. ?Same as Lane, (Brittany has) been working hard all summer, and I am anxious to see how they do this season.?
Looking ahead to Heart of America league competition, it may be a year of rebuilding for the Eagles.
?With our small numbers and inexperience, I don?t think we will place very high in our highly competitive league,? Silsby said. ?We will be much stronger in the coming years.?
Silsby said he hopes to instill the value of hard work this season.
?The majority will be sophomore and freshman runners and are still learning how to work hard and race,? he said. ?My goal this year is to work on teaching work ethic and trying to get them to see that hard work pays off.?
The Eagles will open the season Thursday, Sept. 5, at Tescott. Races begin at 4 p.m.
