With a young team, Whitehall head cross country coach Mike Lelko didn’t mince his words about the state of his team.

“This is a rebuilding year for us,” said Lelko. “We have 20 freshmen out of the 38 boys runners on our roster.

“We expect them to get stronger as the year goes on. They already are gaining valuable experience and they should be improved at the end of the season.”

Sophomores Gavin Hagley and Sean Connolly have helped set the pace in the early going. Hagley was the boys’ top finisher in the 41st annual DeSales High School Invitational in a time of 19:11

“Gavin (Hagley) leads our team now, as he is running in the 19s,” said Lelko. “He is really running well at this time, and he has been lowering his times.

“Sean Connolly has been running around the 20s, and he looks really good.

“Both of them are off to a good start for us.”

Junior Jakob Schlosser also has been steadily improving along with sophomores Brendon Sargent and Shawn Woodring, junior Jeff Warren, and senior Andy Chung.

Senior Devon Roberts is the team’s captain and she just missed qualify for the state meet at Hershey last year. Roberts recently finished 15th in the DeSales Invitational in a time of 20:42. Roberts set a team mark with a 20:41 finish last year, and she earlier ran 22:13 in a late August scrimmage.

Lelko knows she certainly isn’t short on determination.

“She’s very hungry,” said Lelko about Roberts. “She saw what she did last year and missed states by three places.

“She has been running with the boys and it really has made her a better runner. She knows what she has to do and will remain extremely focused.”

Other girls who have been in the rotation are juniors Mackenzie Laub, Lindsey Solderitch, and senior Daisha Hamilton.

Freshman Makayla Warren has been one of the surprising younger runners.

“Those girls have been lowering their times and getting better,” said Lelko. “All of them have been working to stay in good running shape. They are all very good all-around athletes

“Makayla Warren is a cheerleader who came out, and she finished fifth in the freshman race at DeSales.”

It will be an interesting next couple of weeks for the Zephyrs, as they look to peek in the postseason.

“We’ll keep building,” added Lelko. “If our younger boys continue to improve as well as our returnees, we’ll be in good shape.”