New coach aims to continue legacy

To say Green Valley's first-year cross country coach, Bud Beam, has some huge shoes to fill after the death of longtime coach Blaine Thompson is an understatement.

Thompson, who died of pancreatic cancer Jan. 18 at age 50, led the Gators' cross country team for 12 years and won four region championships. Last year's team won the Sunrise Region title and placed second at the Division I state meet.

One thing that should help the transition is that Beam is inheriting a talent-laden team. The Gators have six lettermen returning from 2014, including senior Austin Rogers, who finished fourth in the state and won the Sunrise individual title. The three runners who finished ahead of him in the state meet have graduated, and the only returning area runner to place in the top 10 at state is Palo Verde's Noah Landers.

"My objective coming into this is to just continue what coach Thompson has done and the program he put together," said Beam, who ran cross country at Gannon (Pa.) University and track at Slippery Rock (Pa.) University. "So, are those big shoes to fill? Absolutely, but I'm honored to be able to try to continue what he has started.

"They have responded better than I could have even imagined. They are all interested in improving not only themselves but also the team. They know we are all in this together. At the end of every practice, they do a Gator chant, and they include a chant for coach Thompson as well."

The transition has gone smoother because Rogers has bought into Beam's coaching style. Rogers appreciates Beam's dedication to the runners focusing on training better, taking care of their bodies and getting faster over the 3.1-mile course.

"(Coach Thompson) might not be here, but he's here. We still practice like he's here," Rogers said. "We practice with all of our heart — day in and day out — as if he was here. (Coach Beam) is awesome. He's pretty much kept the same training as last year. He's been reading a lot on how to make sure our bodies are healthy."

Rogers has lofty expectations for this season. He finished the state race in 16 minutes, 14 seconds. In preseason time trials, Rogers is running in the low 16s in the 3.1-mile races, which is what he was running in the prime of last season. He hopes to be running less than 16 minutes by the state meet in November.

"I'm training more efficiently," Rogers said about how he plans to drop his times. "I'm making sure I'm at the middle of the front end of the pace chart on the harder days, and on easier days, I make sure I'm resting and taking care of my body."

Rogers also hopes getting his times under 16 minutes will help him with college offers. He is drawing interest from some Division I schools but hopes lower times mean more offers.

While Beam wants Rogers to achieve his goals, which include an individual and team state championship, the coach reminds Rogers to take care of himself.

"He's got some goals this year, and they are certainly attainable goals, like getting down into those 15 minutes," Beam said. "My biggest concern with Austin is doing too much. Right now, we are kind of holding back the reins. ... He's a smart runner. He knows himself, and he understands the benefits of rest. I've tried to stress that. When we are here, we are working hard, and he's the leader on it."

Because he is the top returning runner in Division I, Rogers knows he has a target on his back.

To help him prepare for the push he will receive from the field, teammates Leonardo Rubi and Omar Rubio are helping Rogers push the pace on longer runs. Rubi ran a 16:56 at the state meet last season; Rubio did not run last season because of an injury.

"(Austin, Lenny and Omar) have been running shoulder to shoulder on a lot of our training runs," Beam said. "We did a time trial, and Austin separated himself. As far as intervals and distance, those guys stay right on him. They know the value of doing that. Those guys will continue to push him because they are a few steps behind and are trying to catch up quick."

If the Gators hope to do better than last year's second-place finish, they will need more than just a great performance from Rogers. In cross country, the top five finishes are scored to determine a team winner.

"It doesn't do us any good if Austin comes in with a top-five (finish) in state and the next guy is 20th," Beam said. "That is one of the things we have been pushing with the boys and the girls is that emphasis on running together. You don't have to win races as an individual. You can win races with a pack."