Whitehall head cross country coach Brandon Hampton is looking forward to the team’s season opener at the DeSales Centaur Invitational Saturday.

As he begins his third season, Hampton believes his squad is ready to take the next step.

“Everything is looking fine and we’re excited for our first meet Saturday at DeSales,” beamed Hampton. “We have a couple minor injuries to monitor, but otherwise we’re hopeful for a strong start.

“We had a good summer. The kids have been running hard, and we have a veteran group that should do well.”

The Zephyrs’ boys’ unit will feature seniors Habib Leyos and Daniel Tran, juniors Sebastian Zaiter and Kihan Resto, and sophomore Deakon Smith leading the way.

Hampton also is excited about a group of promising freshman, whom he expects to make an impact down the road.

“A.J. Marakovits and Ben Charles are two of our top freshmen runners on the guys’ side,” said Hampton. “They we’ll likely contribute a lot this year alongside Habib Leyos, Daniel Tran, and Deakon Smith. We have a few other strong looking freshmen too.”

On the girls’ side, sophomore Isabelle Daigle has been impressive, and she will help bolster a returning unit of juniors Marli Jacoubs, who is expected to lead the pack, along with fellow juniors Isabelle Daigle and Emma Druckenmiller and senior Ashley Mendoza.

“Isabella could have a nice jump in her second season with us,” added Hampton. “That would help Marli Jacobus and some seniors that are leading the team to be competitive in the league meets.”

At last year’s DeSales meet, Leyos was 79th in a time of 19:54.69, and Smith was 39th in the freshman race in 23:20. Mendoza was 51st in a time of 23:44.41, and Jacoubs was 77th in 25:10.55.

Hampton is very optimistic that his harriers will continue to grow and to lower their times throughout the regular season toward leagues, districts, and possibly states.

“Overall, we’re excited about this season based on the work, enthusiasm, and attitudes we’ve seen all summer,” beamed Hampton. “We hope it continues the positive results and progression we’ve seen with the program the last two years.”