Wyatt McCullough might be the No. 1 runner for the Franklin boys cross country team when the Grizzly Cubs open the season.
Or, as the senior calmly puts it, he might not.
“It will be close,” McCullough said. “Ethan (Pheifer) should be up there, Will (Tucker) has been having a lot of good workouts and (Drew) Hargis has been doing really good, too. Of course, I like running fast and doing well for the team, but as long as the team is succeeding, I’m happy.”
McCullough, who last season shared the No. 1 spot with since-graduated Andrew Bixler, isn’t saying what others want to hear for the sake of maintaining team harmony.
He means it.
“It definitely has a lot to do with my parents (Chad and Emily) and the way I was raised, and the coaches, also,” said McCullough, who carries a 3.8 grade-point average.
Franklin placed 11th at last year’s state meet in Terre Haute, and McCullough believes the current squad can do better. If that means one or more of his teammates crossing the finish line ahead of him, so be it.
The Grizzly Cubs open the season on Aug. 19 at the Early Bird Invitational hosted by Triton Central.
"Wyatt is a team player. As long as the team is running well, he’s OK with it," Franklin coach Adam Schwartz said. "With all my seniors I want to see more leadership, and Wyatt is a lead-by-example guy."
McCullough finished 43rd at state in a time of 16 minutes, 34.4 seconds. His personal best time (16:01.5) came a week earlier with a 13th-place performance at the Shelbyville Semistate. He wants to be in the 15:20s once the postseason arrives this fall.
“We’ve had a really good summer. The miles have been up there and we’ve had everyone showing up,” McCullough said. “I would like to start off the season under 16 minutes. A PR in one of my first couple of races would be nice. Hopefully, as the season goes the times will keep cutting down for me and the team.
“There is definitely a lot of potential. We’re expecting to do better this year, and our high goal is to make the podium (top five) as a team. I think top 10 was our goal going into it last year, so we’re still hungry for more.”
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Center Grove Trojans
Coach: Howard Harrell
Last season: Second in county and fourth in conference; second at Franklin Sectional and Shelbyville Regional, 14th at Shelbyville Semistate
Key returnees: Archit Malik and Nick Wilson, seniors; Aidan Galt, junior; Christian Antal, Atticus Martin and Raef Sauer, sophomores
Newcomers to watch: Brody Shadle, sophomore; Drew Costellow, Ty Garrett, Parker Mimbela and Jarrett Rockwell, freshmen.
Outlook: The Trojans added to a proven group of veterans with a talented group of newcomers, including four freshmen. Harrell said his runners were outstanding during preseason workouts and can’t wait for the season to start. "We have a nice mixture. It’s one of the biggest senior classes we’ve had and the biggest freshmen class of runners we’ve had," Harrell said. "With senior leaders Archit and Nick, they’re kind of preparing the new guys for how competitive it is at this level. The younger guys bring the energy because everything they’re doing for the first time (on varsity)."
Edinburgh Lancers
Coach: Amy Macy-Schilling
Key returnee: Parker Young, sophomore
Key newcomer: Landen Burton, sophomore
Outlook: The Lancers aren’t fielding a full team for competition, but Macy-Schilling likes the potential of the two sophomores representing the team. "Parker ran last year, and hopefully he knows how to compete at the varsity level," Macy-Schilling said. "Landen ran in middle school, but didn’t last year. Hopefully, they can improve as the season goes on."
Franklin Grizzly Cubs
Coach: Adam Schwartz
Last season: Won county, conference, sectional and regional championships; placed fifth at Shelbyville semistate and 11th at state meet
Key returnees: Drew Hargis, Wyatt McCullough, Drew McGaha and Will Tucker, seniors; Ben Deane, Andy Lin, Anthony McDonald and Ethan Pheifer, juniors
Newcomers to watch: Ty Murphy and Blane Terry, freshmen
Outlook: As many as five runners could vie for the No. 1 spot during the course of the season as the Grizzly Cubs seek a second consecutive trip to the state finals. McCullough, Pheifer, Tucker, McGaha and Hargis give their coach one of the most balanced teams in the area. Four of them placed in the top 12 at sectional. "We want to continue with developing good runners and run our best at the end of the season," Schwartz said. "It’s about training the mind and body and maximizing our efforts when it matters the most."
Greenwood Woodmen
Coach: Blaine Williams
Last season: Sixth at Franklin Sectional
Key returnees: Keith Alford, senior; Eli McCauley and Noah McCracken, juniors.
Newcomers to watch: Dawson Vogel, senior; C.J. Meyer, sophomore; John Gries, freshman
Outlook: Alford returns after placing 32nd at sectional, while juniors McCauley and McCracken help form an experienced top of the Woodmen lineup. "We’ve got a couple of gaps we have to fill because three of our top seven last year were seniors," Williams said. "My biggest area of concern is who is going to fill those spots."
Greenwood Christian Cougars
Coach: Sean Branch
Last season: Eighth at Franklin Sectional
Key returnees: Devin Patterson, senior; Andrew Cruse and Drew Graves, juniors; Aden Sloan, sophomore
Newcomers to watch: Andrew Anderson, senior; Owen Harder, sophomore; Lucas Miller and Cannon Mills, freshmen
Outlook: The Cougars have 15 runners out this season and enough talent to have their coach making some lofty goals. "The program is growing substantially, and we have two mains goals this season," Branch said. "We want to win conference and advance to the regional as a team. GCA has never made it out of sectional, and might not this year, but we’re going after it."
Indian Creek Braves
Coach: Brady Devine
Last season: Seventh at Franklin Sectional
Key returnees: Mitchell Ellis, senior; Jackson Fenton, Chris Lister and Jack Mitchell, juniors
Newcomer to watch: Connor Siefers, sophomore.
Outlook: Returnees Lister, Fenton and Mitchell placed between 38th and 45th at sectional last season, which gives their coach plenty of optimism. "I think we’ll be a better team simply because it’s kind of a core four," said Devine, also referring to Ellis, who missed the postseason due to a stress fracture in his leg. "If we stay healthy, we would have a chance to go to semistate, but I definitely feel like we should make the regional."
Whiteland Warriors
Coach: Gerry Emerson
Last season: Third at Franklin Sectional, fourth at Shelbyville Regional, 18th at Shelbyville semistate
Key returnees: Rohit Dubb, Jayden Hawkins and Will Jefferson, juniors; Michael Perkins and Ashton Spoonamore, sophomores.
Newcomer to watch: Braydon Hawkins, junior
Outlook: Jefferson is a defending state finalist, but the Warriors graduated two top-16 sectional runners, which affects their depth. "Our spring with track and our summer so far have gone real well," Emerson said. "Our younger guys are doing a good job stepping up, and Braydon Hawkins has the potential to help us out."
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