For the first time in years, the Oak Harbor High School cross country team will filled with young runners.

State-qualifying teams and all-conference runners have dominated the highlights of the past decade. Now a new group of athletes will be trying to etch their names in the OHHS record book.

Among the returning letter winners, the Wildcat boys have only two seniors — Caleb Peek and Joe Gorman — and the girls have none.

The returning juniors are Wyatt Pauley, Miguel Guzman, Carolynn Wicker, Emma Lerch, Laura Rodeheffer, Tamia Rios and Olivia Flack.

Three sophomores lettered in 2014: Jake Hucko, Tyler Grehan and Michael Lym.

Senior Nathan Richardson also returns after not competing last season.

Though young, the Wildcats aren’t without talent.

Guzman placed 12th and Hucko 22nd in the boys Wesco North meet last fall, while Rodeheffer was sixth, Flack 10th, Wicker 13th and Lerch 16th in the girls race.

Rodeheffer earned first-team, all-Wesco honors after being a second-team choice as a freshman. Guzman, Wicker and Flack were all second-team runners last season, and Lerch was honorable mention.

The team’s key newcomer, according to coach Eric Peterson, is freshman Alexis Smith.

The primary goal, Peterson said, is for his team “to have fun.”

“By having a solid year and finishing in mid to the upper end of the pack,” he added, “we’re laying the groundwork for solid teams.”

Peterson praised the leadership of Gorman and Wicker.

“They both have been in the program for at least three years and have great work ethic to be examples for the team,” he said.

The team’s weakness, he said, is the obvious one: youth.

“The boys team has some talent but is still young and will benefit from doing some racing,” Peterson said.

“The girls team doesn’t have a senior, so they’ll be relying on the experience of our returners to guide them.”

Oak Harbor will join Cascade and Kamiak at Jackson High School at 3:45 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 17.

The only home meet is 3:45 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 8, at Windjammer Park.

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Laura Rodeheffer (photo by Jim Waller)