Now in year two as Alcovy’s cross country coach, Wymon Kelley Jr. is hoping to take the team back to the state meet with a group of youthful runners.

The team has only competed in one event this season, but strong results from some of the team’s newest members have provided Kelley with confidence for the future of the program.

For the second-year coach who has won championships in the past, the goal for this season was continued growth.

“Year one to year two was really continuing seeing how much growth we really had,” Kelley said. “I had a young team last year, so to see what I threw at the wall and what stuck. I was very happy to see that from cross country to track we were able to springboard off that and we were able to work very hard. The kids understand that they got to work very hard and they built a work ethic last year. I want them to have some results, especially the sophomores that I brought.”

The end of last season saw the departure of some of the team’s veterans that led the way, but 2025 has provided Kelley and the TIgers a chance to see some of the school’s youngest runners take the lead.

“I feel like my No. 1 runner will be a freshman,” Kelley said. “I can’t say enough about Jayden Nesbitt and I have to literally say it again — I cannot say enough about Jayden Nesbitt [and] Deajah Johnson. Their senior leadership was felt [when they were] lost. Of course as a coach, you know your seniors are lost, you have to step up a little more now. I leaned on the people that knew the program.”

That freshman is Trey Hampton, who has wasted no time asserting himself as one of the team’s top placers.

At the Bleckley County Clash of the Classes, Hampton finished third in the freshman two-mile run with a time of 11:53.14.

“Trey Hamtpon, he was an eighth grader that was able to work with us a little more during the spring and in the summer of last year,” Kelley said. “He didn't have much of a track season in the spring so he was able to come work with us. With that, he has been one of our best runners so far.”

The girls team was led by another underclassman in the form of sophomore Eryka Higgs.

“On the other side with my girls team, Eryka Higgs has been a very noticeable one that has come out and stepped up,” Kelley said. “She is a former gymnast, so all of this is new to her, but she really enjoys it.’I saw my time go down, coach, this is really exciting. I just got better.’ She actually sees the results and she loves the work. We lift a lot, which is not normal with many cross country programs. We lift a lot, we practice the heat, but we do it all very smartly.”

Outside of Hampton and Higgs, Kelley received other quality finishes from Jessica Morris(24th place, freshman girls), Jakori Pinelle(18th place, senior boys), Elijah Cole(18th place, junior boys) and Immanuel Humphrey(22nd place, senior boys).

The Tigers will look for more top placements in their second meet of the season at the Brooklyn Dalton Cross County Dash on Saturday, Sept. 6.