Bevan Taylor and Emily Farrar lead their respective teams into the new season.

Youth will be served on the Bainbridge cross country teams this season.

Both teams, through injuries, several kids moving and others moving on to other activities, have several freshmen and sophomores along with several other first-year runners expected to step up as the Spartans try to send one or both teams to state for the 2006 prep season.

Last year, the boys and girls placed in the top five at the Metro Championship meet, but finished in the top 10 at the District 2 meet.

Caroline Johnson, Emily Farrar, Hillary Pritchett, Joel Turkheimer and Bevan Taylor all made it to the state meet in Pasco.

There, Johnson, Farrar and Pritchett made it in the top 65, while Turkheimer placed 26th.

But Johnson has graduated, while Turkheimer moved to Oregon with his family and Pritchett is out due to persistent pain in her feet and legs.

“We’re starting anew,” head coach Dean Tarbill said. “In a nutshell, we’ve established a foundation last year and we’re very satisfied on how we eventually finished. But this year, with the foundation in place, now let’s see if we can get some of the puzzle pieces in place.”

Two big pieces are Taylor and Farrar. The senior and junior are the captains of their respective teams and are poised to have big years.

At the Olympic Jamboree at Gordon Field in Silverdale, Farrar and McKenzie were second and third overall, with times of 13:03 and 13:06.

Taylor was first with a time of 10:31, while senior Taylor Lea was right behind him with a 10:44.

Farrar, a standout on the basketball team, likes who has joined the squad.

“We’re not as deep as we were (last year), but we’re young,” she said. “(But) there’s a lot of potential in the younger kids.”

Running behind Farrar will be senior Callie McKenzie, freshman Annie Taylor (Bevan’s sister), juniors Camille Frate, Emilie Van Vleet and Molly O’Keefe and senior Mattie Molskness.

Frate, Van Vleet and O’Keefe are returning from last year and look to add onto their success, while Tarbill feels that Annie and Molskness are runners with potential. Molskness is also an accomplished rower.

For the boys, running behind Taylor is Lea, juniors Matt Tetlow, Max Welch and Ian Shiach, freshmen Willie Wenzlau and Ian Layton or senior Greg Nance.

Tetlow, Welch and Shiach are returning varsity members with great potential, while Lea is a top doubles tennis player and Nance is the ASB president and a nationally recognized debator.

Tarbill likes the new talent and thinks they’ll fit right in.

“We’re very fortunate to have these young people who never ran before,” he said.

They’ll need them, as depth, Tarbill said, is an issue.

“We’ve never have had a large team since I’ve been around this program,” he said. “We’re not very deep like a (Bishop) Blanchet, or Holy Names or Seattle Prep. But we’ve always been able to field some good, quality people.

“But when you take out some of those (runners), other people have to step up and we have first-year seniors and freshmen willing to do that, and that’s why I’m very impressed with these young people.”

Along with losing some talented returners, they’ll compete in a Metro League with top teams such as Seattle Prep, Bishop Blanchet, Lakeside, O’Dea, Holy Names and Nathan Hale, along with elite runners such as Max O’Donoghue-McDonald of Seattle Prep, Abdi Hassan of Nathan Hale and Chelsea Burns of Holy Names.

While Tarbill won’t make any predictions, he’s confident the team can come together and give other teams a run for their money.

“I don’t care if you’re a 60-year-old adult or a 17-year-old kid,” he said. “There’s one component and it’s harnessing your emotions and developing the fortitude to dedication and hard work and creating the habits to be successful.

“What I do like is that they’ve met my expectations. They’re training very hard and they’re doing everything I’m asking them to do.”

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Spartan cross country

9/13 – vs. Nathan Hale, O’Dea, Holy Names at Lower Woodland Field, Seattle, 3:40 p.m. men, 4:10 p.m. women

9/16 – Salt Creek Invitational, Salt Creek State Park, Port Angeles.

9/20 – Nathan Hale, Seattle Prep at Lincoln Park, Seattle, 3:40 p.m. men, 4:10 p.m. women

9/27 – O’Dea/Holy Names at Lower Woodland, 3:40 p.m. men, 4:10 p.m. women

9/30 – 31st annual Mt. Baker Invitational, Mt. Baker HS, Deming

10/4 – Bishop Blanchet/Lakeside at Battle Point Park, 3:40 p.m. men, 4:10 p.m. women

10/7 – Fort Worden Invitational, Port Townsend HS

10/12 – Seattle Prep, Nathan Hale, Cleveland, Ingraham, West Seattle at Lower Woodland, 3:40 p.m. men, 4:10 women

10/19 – Metro Championship, Lower Woodland, varsity men 3 p.m., varsity women 3:45 p.m.

10/26 – 3A Sea-King District 2 meet, Lower Woodland, times TBA

11/4 – 3A State Meet, Sun Willows Golf Course, Pasco