Coach Schaefer has been coaching track, football, and cross country teams in Pinellas County for the past 32 years. According to him, the team is very hopeful this 2016 season due to their “very young and competitive team.”

People to watch out for this season include Gage Knight, Alex Pezet, and Sam Maiocco, according to Coach Schaefer.

Knight, a Palm Harbor freshman, ran a recent 5 kilometer race in 18 minutes, a time that shows a lot of potential for a young runner.

According to Cameron Crouch, a Palm Harbor sophomore, it’s no wonder why they have faster runners this year.

“The practices have been a lot tougher from last year. We seem to be doing twice as much. Instead of four 400 meter runs, we do eight. Also, practices are everyday after school from 2:00 to 3:30. We also had summer conditioning,” Crouch said.

“The practices are also in rough environments,” Jackson Bjelland said. The cross country team has been running extra hills and on softer dirt in order to prepare for the tough courses on the schedule this year. “The heat is killer and the woods are rough to run through,” Bjelland added.

The team just finished the Jim Ryan Invitational meet in Lakeland and placed a respectable 19th out of 50 teams. Coach Schaefer sees a lot of potential in the young team and hopes to make it all the way to regionals this season.

The team’s next meet is Saturday, October 1, 2016 at the FL Runner’s meet in Titusville, Florida. Root on our Hurricanes as they run their way to victory.