By Ken Hansard

Goddard High School Cross Country Coach Blake Andrews appears to be building something special. “Our runners have been racing at the varsity level since they were freshmen. During my first years coaching the program we were young with very little upper class experience and leadership. This team has matured and grown.” 

If this year’s team is to reach the level of success that Andrews hopes for they will likely be led by senior Nathan Harkman and junior runners Luke Griffith and Nathan Lewis. When asked about keys to his team reaching their goals, Andrews starts with senior Nathan Harkman, “Nathan is the most tenacious runner we have. Each run he pushes through the pain and adversity, even when his body is begging for him to stop. If I tell Nathan to run two miles, he will want to run four.”

Coach Andrews says of Griffith, “Luke is our leader. Luke is our strongest runner and will look to lead a deep team. Each day of practice Luke sets the pace for our runners. He possesses a great deal of intuition, grit, and patience. Luke is one of the smartest runners on our team. He knows when to push the pace and when to let off the gas and listen to his body.” 

Andrews also specifically mentions junior Nathan Lewis, “Nathan (Lewis) brings the swagger and confidence to our team, always giving 110% with a great sense of self belief.” As for what would make this a successful season for the Lions, Andrews states: “I want each of our runners to improve upon their race times each week, peaking at the end of the season. We want to be in the mix to win the league title and qualify runners for State.”