2021 USTFCCCA National High School Cross Country Coaches of the Year

NEW ORLEANS – Upperclassmen laying a foundation.

Underclassmen taking the next step.

Either way you slice it, the boys’ team from Cheyenne Mountain (Colo.) High School and the girls’ team from Assumption (Ky.) High School gave their programs – and their longtime head coaches – reasons to celebrate during the 2021 cross country season. And it’s because of those successes and championship-level performances that their respective longtime head coaches – Barry Haworth and Stan Lambros – were named USTFCCCA National High School Cross Country Coaches of the Year Presented by the United States Marine Corps on Thursday.

Going into the season, Assumption hadn’t topped the podium at the KHSAA State Cross Country Championships since 2013. That’s a long time to wait in Rocket territory, as they reeled off six in seven years between 2007 and 2013 – all under Haworth’s direction (Haworth has been at the school since 1999 and named head coach five years later). Most notable was the 2011 squad that won by a still-standing meet record of 119 points (Assumption beat Sacred Heart, 34-153).

The Rockets started their run to an eventual state title (spoiler alert!) with a 41-point win at the Bourbon County Colonel Charge and a 17-point triumph at the Rumble Through the Jungle. Then it was a strong, sixth-place finish in the Race of Champions at the Great American XC Festival that served as a launch pad into the postseason for Haworth’s charges.

Assumption won by 16 points at both the KHSAA Region 4 Class AAA Championships and the KHSAA Class AAA State Championships, both times over rival Oldham County. What might be even more impressive is that three or more of the Rockets’ top-5 finishers at those meets were all underclassmen, including two sophomores and one freshman. That continued at the NXR Southeast Regional Championships, where Assumption aka “Derby City AC” took runner-up honors behind Raleigh Catholic thanks to two sophomores among the top-10 finishers.

Conversely, Cheyenne Mountain bided its time in the opening weeks of the season. With a senior-laden squad and the team hungry for more after marked improvement at the CHSAA Class 4A State Championships (sixth in 2018, third in 2019, second in 2020) the Indians knew what talent they had returning and set their sights on the program’s first state title since 2010. That was a truly special year for Cheyenne Mountain, as Lambros led the school to a team-title sweep (both the boys and girls won).

Once Lambros’ squad truly hit the ground running in 2021, no one could stop them. Well, that is outside of arguably the most dominant force in the history of boys’ high school cross country – Newbury Park, mentored by 2019 USTFCCCA National High School Coach of the Year Sean Brosnan. Newbury Park and Cheyenne Mountain finished 1-2 at the RunningLane Cross Country Championships and were fittingly 1-2 in the year-end MS50 XC Boys Team Rankings. That was after Newbury Park set numerous CIF state meet records, including the State Championship best course time of 73:23 (14:41 average) and a team scoring record with 16 points.

Prior to the RunningLane Cross Country Championships, the Indians strung together five consecutive wins from the Border Wars Cross Country Championships on September 24 to the NXR Southwest Regional Championships on November 20. Cheyenne Mountain scored an average of 38.6 points in that span, which included three consecutive sub-30-point efforts.

Perhaps the most meaningful win for the Indians this season came at the CHSAA Class 4A State Championships, where they put their entire scoring lineup in the top-15 with four in the top-7 alone. Cheyenne Mountain tallied 26 points, the fewest by a Class 4A team champion in recent memory. More importantly, it made for a great retirement gift for Lambros.

“He just helped create a really special culture here,” senior Erik Le Roux told the Denver Post after pacing a 2-3-4 finish by the Indians.  “The fact that he drives off into the sunset with another state title, in this dominant fashion, leaves a lasting legacy for all the other guys who are going to bring more state titles to this wonderful school.”