Lady Royals Hope to Regain Crown

Tran Longmoore

Coach Al Navarro wants his league back. And Lauren Yates, Brittany Holdridge and a fine group of young runners might just be the girls for the job.

After winning 13 straight LCAA titles, the Blissfield girls’ team has been shut out three straight seasons. Last year’s Royals finished a solid second in the LCAA. They also qualified for the state meet for the third straight year and 18^th time in 19 seasons.

“Right now, the girls are healthy and they’re in good shape. After the track season, I told them they could June off, and then they were mine,” Navarro said.

Senior Lauren Yates, the team’s MVP last season, organized a group of girls and they spent the summer working and running

“Not only is Lauren a great runner who improves every year, she’s a leader. The young kids do what she tells them to do,” Navarro said.

Senior Brittany Holdridge is also a very good runner. She was the team’s MVP in her sophomore year.

“She’s working hard again and she’s starting the season in better shape than she’s ever been to start,” Navarro said.

Holdridge and Yates will be pushed by freshman Tatyana Pless. She easily outpaced the field to win the sophomore-freshman race at the Tecumseh Preview in August.

“Right now, she’s running with Brittany and Lauren in practice, and they are just hammering each other, pushing each other. Tatyana will spend the year chasing Lauren. She’ll learn a lot about cross country and how it is done,” Navarro said. “These three are going to be the key to our season.”

Another important runner for Blissfield is sophomore Meaghan Gunner. As a freshman at Tecumseh, she finished in 27 minutes. She’s chopped three minutes off that time this year. She also has the experience of racing with the Royals at MIS last year.

“She’s putting in her work. I can see her running into the 20s by the end of the year if she continues to work hard and stays positive,” Navarro said.

Freshman Brianna Yates had a very nice outing in Tecumseh, taking fourth in the freshman-sophomore race. Navarro said she’s a very hard worker who should be a regular top 5 finisher this season. Senior Autumn Owens is a first year runner in cross country. She’s run track for Navarro in the past and she’s always run on her own. Navarro said she’ll improve and be a factor as she learns the difference between running and racing.

Two foreign exchange students – one from Finland and another from Taiwan – could also improve the depth of the Blissfield team.

Navarro said his girls, if they can stay healthy, should compete with Ida for the league title.

On the boys’ side, Blissfield has entered the post-Bateson era. The record-breaking county champ has gone on to run at Siena Heights University. That leaves David Dheel, a junior, as the team’s top runner. Dheel is battling a significant injury to on his heel to start the season.

“First he’s got to let that heal. And then he’s got to get out there and work. He’s got the potential be an all-league runner,” Navarro said.

Freshmen Eric Paulding and Evan Schnabele also have potential to improve, Navarro said.

With just four runners, Blissfield won’t be a factor in the league standings. The boys have to find other motivations.

“There are medals, league honors, qualifying for the state meet. You’ve got to stay motivated. When you go out and run a 5K, you want to get more than sweaty,” Navarro said.