Cossatot River Eagles Cross-Country

BY RICK WRIGHT –

The Cossatot River Eagles cross-country team is under new leadership for the 2016 season as Head Coach Blake Alexander takes over the cross-country program.

Alexander grew up in Howard County at Umpire and Dierks Arkansas and eventually graduated from Kirby High School. After graduation, Alexander went to Henderson State University where he earned a Bachelor of Science in Health and Wellness degree.

After earning his degree, Alexander went to work at Umpire as a math teacher. In year two of his career, he was hired to teach health, physical education and coach at Cossatot River High School. Alexander is the Head junior boys basketball coach, the assistant senior boys basketball coach, the Head boys and girls cross-country coach, and the Head track coach.

“As I was graduating high school, I thought about going into business for a short time,” said Alexander. “But my high school coach, Marty Smith, convenced me that coaching is what I was going to end up doing. He convenced me that I’d be wasting my time going into something else, so why even go any other direction.”

The 2016 high school cross country season is about to get underway and Coach Alexander is getting to know the kids.

“We’ve been able to have two practices this week. We will have two next week and so on for the rest of the season,” said Alexander. “I’m starting to get to know them. I know, probably half of them and half haven’t come to practice yet. Just getting everything ironed out right now, so hopefully within the next week or two we will get a good routine going.”

“We don’t have a schedule yet,” said Alexander. “Hopefully we will get one next week. I’ve got to call Acorn head cross-country coach Keith Willsey. I know they had two meets at Acorn last year, so I’d like to get into one or two there this year. We will be entering meets on the AR MilesSplit web site and register online for meets. But you can call ahead and enter meets over the phone or in person.”

The Senior Boys Cross-Country Team includes:  seniors – Gilberto Cervantes, Alexjandro Gonzalez, Gerardo Arias, Yair Valencia and Jonathon Castrejon; junior – Daniel Zuriga; sophomore – Rylee Stevenson; and freshmen –  Ruben Trinidad, Johan Hernandez, Alexis Brito, Manuel Esquivel-Amador, Sixto Aguilar, Jordy Roldan and Malachi Harper.

The Senior Girls Cross-Country Team includes; senior – Liliana Trinidad; juniors – Jennifer Esquivel and Pricila Monsivais; sophomores – Sissy Alarcon, Natalia Alarcon and Katya Gonzalez; freshmen – Crystal Salgado, Lizbet Delgado-Delgado, Belen Vasquez and Esperanza Ortiz.

About Author

Jeri Pearson

Jeri is the News Director for Pulse Multi-Media and Editor of The Polk County Pulse. She has 10 years of experience in community focused journalism and has won multiple press association awards.

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