The cross-country season is in the final weeks of its build-up to next month's state championship meet in Natchitoches, and there is a buzz around the boys and girls teams at Denham Springs.
The Yellow Jackets girls have been rated in the top 10 of the h Track and Field Coaches Association poll most of the season. While not currently ranked, the boys squad has been highly competitive in its own right.
The chance to qualify for state will be there if one or both teams can put together a top eight finish in next week's Division I, Region 2 meet. It won't hurt that the meet will be held at a familiar venue, BREC's Highland Road Park.
"The season has gone really well. We've had a lot of progress, and a lot of growth," Denham Springs coach Cortney Haser said last week before the Yellow Jackets won both team competitions at the Livingston Parish meet. "The athletes put in a lot of work this summer and they're reaping the benefits now. We have the deepest boys and girls teams that we've had in a while, maybe ever."
A family connection that Haser calls the program's dynamic duo has been an important factor for Denham Springs. Boys senior Rowan Silk and girls freshman Lila Silk have each been the pacesetters. Earlier this month, the pair set school records for a 5k race at the Watson Classic in Clinton, Mississippi.
The state meet will feature a slightly shorter three-mile race, but its an event in which Lila Silk also holds the school record.
"We're not just barely making it to five (runners)," Haser said. "Team competition helps a lot. Only the top five score, but our six and seven are on the heels of the top five. It makes for an enjoyable race."
The Watson Classic highlighted the quality of both Yellow Jackets squads. The boys' top five of Rowan Silk, Jayden Enriquez, Marcus Weir, Briss Moss and Liam Calhoun combined to finish 10th out of 60 teams.
The Jackets girls were 14th among 53 squads. Lila Silk was followed by Carrington Sprouse, Starlie Mclarty, Isabella Maldonado and Madison Allen.
"We have eight or nine boys that we can count on," Haser said. "Most of our girls are underclassmen. We have a lot of talent coming in, and we have a base of juniors and sophomores."
The buzz around the Denham Springs cross-country program may get louder.