NHS XC has high expectations to go with number of runners

NHS cross country coach Ryan Watts (left) times a group of his nearly 30 runners during practice.

Photo by Hank Layton | Daily Mail Sports Reporter

When the 2021 fall sports season officially began on Monday, Aug. 9, only one team at Nevada High School was out practicing the second it was allowed to.

“We had our first practice at midnight the first day, because we wanted to be the first team practicing,” said NHS head coach Ryan Watts, who had nearly 30 runners, mostly freshmen (including his son, Aiden), show up and join the team. “Getting that freshmen class in is a game-changer. That’s going to help us out a lot.”

The Tigers and Lady Tigers not only showed up, but most of them arrived already in shape, having run miles throughout the summer.

Watts said he tries to avoid burdening athletes with achievement-based goals — but that is proving difficult this year when he has so many talented and driven runners.

“Our theme for this season is, pressure is a privilege. I put some pressure on them,” said Watts, whose goal is to send at least one boy to state for the first time under his tenure and to have his girls win the Big 8 Conference and even districts in order to qualify the team for the state meet.

The high number of runners has only helped the competition at practice, which has resulted in the shaving of seconds and minutes on every runner’s time — but also in exhausted athletes.

“We’re going to be really sore for about the first half of the season, but I think you’re going to see some crazy-fast times when we get to the end of the year as I start letting their legs come back,” Watts said. “We’re either going to crash and burn, or we’re going to be the best we’ve ever been.”