The Bray-Doyle Cross Country team has gotten off to a decent start this season.  They have had three meets so far and have had 12 medals from all three meets combined.

Bray-Doyle eighth grader, Jayden Phillips is the only runner to have placed in each meet so far and Cross Country Coach Tim Whaley said he is proud of how his eighth grader has ran so far.

“He’s done a good job for us so far,” Whaley said. “The first meet he led a majority of the race and then just hit the wall and couldn’t go anymore in the second meet. The second race he paced himself a little bit better and finished in 8th place and then finished in 3rd at Waurika.”

With Philips leading the way for the junior high group the future is looking bright for Bray-Doyle cross country. However, Whaley gives a lot of credit to his upperclassmen setting a good foundation for the program.

“We’ve got a great group of younger ones coming up from junior high,” Whaley said. “A big credit though goes to our upperclassmen who are really showing some good leadership. Destiny and Nicole (Cothren) and Jade (Scobbee) have really led the way in practice for the girls getting us to where we need to be. Wesley (Saltsman), and Gunther (Helton) have been doing a good job for the boys.”

For a cross country team to be considered a whole team, they must have five runners competing. Both sets of female and male teams are just under the mark, but Whaley says it doesn’t stop them from working each day.

“We get better each and every day,” Whaley said. “We go out there and work everyday and each individual is progressing their own skills. No, the numbers aren’t where I would like them to be, but members we do have are improving and that’s what we want.”