Pictured left, Coach Robert Blades of Mountain Home and Coach Karl Koonce of Lake Hamilton after the state cross country meet in Harrison. Mountain Home won the boys event while Lake Hamilton was 2nd and Lake Hamilton won the girls event and Mountain Home was 2nd. Both competitions were extremely close.

Coach Robert Blades is a Lake Hamilton graduate (1993) and ran for Coach Koonce while at Lake Hamilton. He was a member of the state champion and state record 4 x 800 relay team in 1993 and helped the Wolves to a state runners-up finish in track & field and was an All State runner in cross country to help the Wolves to their first state championsip in cross country in 1992. Blades just took over as head coach for Mountain Home after serving as assistant coach for the last few years.

Both coaches will accompany some of their All Star cross country athletes to compete against Oklahoma in Rogers. Mountain Home has 2 girls (Samantha Mohler & Kelsie Harris) and 1 boy (Will Norris) and Lake Hamilton will have Grant Williams for the boys team and Angel Crawford for the girls team.