Coaches don’t usually like to tip their hand before a season starts, and Kris Keppel has coached cross-country at Land O’ Lakes High School for enough years to have seen almost everything.
But as the Gators prepare to start their season, he can’t hide his optimism.
“This will be my 20th year coaching, and this is the best team I’ve ever coached,” Keppel said. “To me, it would be kind of a disappointment if we don’t finish sixth or higher.” Keppel is setting the bar high for the team, which competes at Class 3A in the state’s high school athletics program. None of his teams have ever finished better than seventh.
Yet the team’s preseason rankings (sixth in Class 3A) bolstered his confidence. And it doesn’t hurt his team returned three state qualifiers from last season — Tyler Stahl, Travis Nichols and Jake Poore.
Of course, as a veteran coach, Keppel is leaving nothing to chance. Those top runners have each logged around 1,000 miles in preparation for the season, and Keppel constantly challenges his team with a variety of courses around the Bay area, even going as far as San Antonio to find suitable terrain.
Keppel also keeps them focused with weekly and monthly goals, emphasizing the importance of training smart. “One of my quotes is ‘The small things make a big difference,'” he said.
Stahl has seen the wisdom of Keppel’s phrase during his years on the team (he’s been a member throughout his high school career), and is taking it seriously heading into his senior season.
“This summer I have stretched more, worked out more, have eaten healthier and done more core training,” Stahl said. “I definitely feel a difference when I run, and the little things have definitely benefited me.”
Those little things are already bearing fruit for the team: Stahl finished first at the Red Mule Labor Day 5k on Aug. 26. He also had familiar company at the top: Nichols (second) and Poore (third) ensured that Land O’ Lakes had a dominant showing and appear ready for that successful season Coach Keppel expects.
That showing is especially important for the team, since the location (McKethan Lake Park in Hernando County) is also the site of the district competitions on Oct. 24.
When asked about keys to the team’s success, Stahl said that their depth will play a big role — specifically their No. 5 spot, which is up for grabs heading into the season.
“I’m pretty confident that our top four will race well this year, but we really don’t have a definite fifth runner,” Stahl said, adding that he believes one of the team’s other 16 members will need to step into that spot and provide reliable performances.
“It rests in the hands of our fifth runner, whoever that may be,” Nichols said. “The fifth spot is being fought for by six guys who aspire to be under 17 (minutes in the 5-kilometer competitions) by the end of the season.”
Each runner will also have to make sure they get enough rest in order to have a successful year, since so many miles of running in practice and events can wear them down by the time they get to the state competitions.
As a result, their regimen includes eating right, getting rest and meeting specific goals for practices so they’re not wearing themselves out before their competitions and can meet their challenges with fresh legs.
And even after nearly 20 years of cross-country coaching experience, Keppel is showing no signs of fatigue, either.
“It’s just what I like to do. It’s coaching,” Keppel said. “There are some days that it’s hot out there, but I just plug away because I know that when Saturday comes, when I wake up, I’m excited. I want to see my guys run well.”
By Michael Murillo
