Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
SYRACUSE - Wawasee's boys cross country team went 15-1 this season and won the Northern Lakes Conference with a 5-1 record.
But two years ago, not even third-year coach Dave Stookey could have predicted this success.
The Warriors have three runners who typically compete for the team's top time -Êsenior Jeff Moerchen, junior Jerid Stoffel and sophomore Rob Chalfant. At some meets Moerchen gets it. At other meets, maybe Stoffel or Chalfant gets it.
All three were named to the 1998 NLC All-Conference team. The Warriors had more selections than any other school.
Plain and simple, Wawasee has talent, and this is what has turned the team into an overnight success
Of the three, only Moerchen ran cross country in junior high. Stoffel played football his freshman year. Chalfant's first year of cross country was last year as a freshman.
Coming into this year, Stookey thought his team needed not only a strong fifth runner but a strong fourth runner. But Chalfant's surprising success moved everyone down a notch.
Most cross country coaches preach running during the summer. This is how much natural talent Chalfant has: Stookey tells you that Chalfant may have run less during the summer than any other team member.
"So that kind of puts a hole into that theory," Stookey said. "I should mention that he did a lot of swimming this summer.
"He's just a good athlete."
Because of runners at the top like Chalfant, Moerchen and Stoffel, Stookey compares this 1998 team, which won Wawasee's first NLC title since 1995, with Wawasee's teams from 1987 and 1988.
"Looking at times, I've been going back to the 1987-1988 team," Stookey said. "They made it to state. We don't have the depth they had, but our five guys come close to matching theirs.
"The '87-'88 team is one of the best ever here, if not the best."
If anyone would know, it's Stookey. He's been the varsity head coach only three years, but he was a varsity assistant coach at Wawasee under Jerry Minton since 1987. Stookey started Wawasee's middle school cross country program in 1970.
What he doesn't know is if Wawasee has enough talent to just show up and win Saturday's Elkhart Central Sectional at Ox Bow Park.
"Actually Goshen's seventh man beat our fifth man at the NLC Tournament," Stookey said. "In a dual meet, they would have beaten us.
"We look for Goshen to be in fine form Saturday."
But the top five times move on from the sectional to the regional. Stookey thinks Wawasee should do this, but he wonders what will happen when the team he considers the second-best in school history gets to the regional.
The late 1980s Warrior team is the last one to get out of the regional.
"We've moved out of the sectional a lot," Stookey said. "Many times we get out of the sectional. Our problem is getting out of the regional. A big part of it is mental. It's focus, concentration.
"We haven't broken records. We don't have that one guy who goes out and wins an invitational, but we have four guys who are pretty competitive.
"I don't feel we reached our peak yet. At least I hope we haven't. I hope we can still take it up a notch when we need to."
1998 CROSS COUNTRY SECTIONALS
(Boys and girls teams)
Elkhart Central Sectional
9 a.m. Saturday at Ox Bow Park in Dunlap
Competing teams: NORTHWOOD, WARSAW, WAWASEE, Bethany Christian, Concord, Elkhart Central, Elkhart Memorial, Fairfield, Goshen, Jimtown, Northridge
Manchester Sectional
9 a.m. Saturday at Manchester High School
Competing teams: MANCHESTER, TIPPECANOE VALLEY, WHITKO, Carroll (Allen), Churubusco, Columbia City, Huntington North, Northfield, Southwood, Wabash, White's
