Photo by Sam Chandler.
Under new head coach Jim Moore, the Oak Mountain High School girls cross-country team will aim to qualify for its first state meet since 2012.
Jim Moore knows cross-country.
As Oak Mountain High School head coach from 2007-12, he guided the Eagle boys and girls to state meet appearances each season. Only once, in 2011, did one of his two squads fail to advance past the sectional meet.
Moore's unprecedented string of success spoke volumes. Now, Oak Mountain is hoping history can repeat itself.
After a five-year hiatus, Moore has retaken the reins of an Eagles program that has more or less maintained its sterling cross-country reputation in the years since his departure.
“There came an opportunity for me to make the move back into it," Moore recalled, "and I said, ‘sure.'"
In a way, it’s like he never left.
Moore, who began his education career at Oak Mountain Middle in 1998, retained his position as an honors literature teacher at the high school after he stepped away from coaching. He said his decision to relinquish the position was motivated by multiple factors, but the primary one related back to the classroom.
Moore wanted to focus on teaching, and it paid off. He was named Oak Mountain’s Teacher of the Year in 2013.
The itch to coach cross-country, however, failed to fade even amid his educational success. When Moore was approached in May about the cross-country position, held last year by current assistant coach Kristi Posey, he gladly accepted.
“I just love it too much,” he said. “I had to come back.”
Refreshed and recharged, Moore spent the summer acquainting himself with his new teams. He said he felt nervous at first, unsure about how returning runners would react to a new presence. But introductions went smoothly, he said, and the critical coach-athlete bond took shape through a unifying combination of sweat and steps.
Now, Moore said he is just “pumped” to begin the season.
And he should be.
The Oak Mountain boys and girls return a healthy mix of established names and fresh faces that should contend for tickets to state.
But Moore also knows it won’t be easy. Section 3 in Class 7A remains as hypercompetitive as it was during his first stint as coach.
“It’s always going to be a challenge, so our focus really is this year on doing all the little things right,” Moore said.” If we do the little things correctly — the training, the off days off, the hard days hard, the eating, the sleeping — if we focus on all those little things, then the victories will come, and the PRs will come.”
The Oak Mountain boys earned back-to-back top five finishes in 7A the past two seasons. But key pieces from those squads, namely All-State standouts Cole Stidfole and Caleb Van Geffen, have graduated. That means swift returners like Bryce Keefover and Jonah Barrett, a pair of juniors, and Eric Marin, a senior, will need to fill those front-running roles.
All three broke 17 minutes for 5K in 2016.
“We’re going to lean on our middle pack guys to push the front up,” Moore said.
While the boys will shoot to sustain success, the Oak Mountain girls will aim to regain it. They have not advanced to state as a team since 2012, and Moore said they’re hungry to end the skid.
Experience is on their side.
The Eagles return the majority of their roster, including sophomore Evie Bell, and could receive a substantial boost from junior Nicole Payne.
Payne is a two-time All-State cross-country performer who missed the 2016 season due to a torn ACL. As of late July, Moore said Payne was planning to compete, but her status hinged on her schedule. Payne also excels on the soccer field and plays year round.
Either way, Moore likes the group he’s got. He’s ready to start the season-long race.
“I’m excited to see what these kids are going to do,” he said. “They’re giving me a lot of effort, and they’re understanding kind of where I’m coming from now. It’s going to be a great season.”
