Ozark, Mo. (For OzarksSportsZone.com)  -- Geoff Cooper will be starting his second year as the head coach of the Ozark Tigers cross country teams.  The girls and boys teams both have plenty of youth and raw talent with an optimistic look on this year’s season. 

“We have a great group of up and coming runners in the freshmen and sophomore classes,” said Cooper. “It will be exciting to see how they progress this season and the next few seasons.”

Two seniors and a junior will lead the young Tigers squad this season.  Senior Kyler Haumann (a state qualifier), junior Paiton Fritsche (sectional qualifier) and senior Haden Gomez bring a veteran presence to a young squad that has plenty of potential and enthusiasm but lacks varsity experience.

Haumann has set his goals high this year, including lowering his best time from 16:10 to 15:30.

“I would like to be one of the top 15 runners this year at state,” said Haumann. “But we can qualify as a team, if we keep working hard and reach our potential. As a senior it’s my job to help build the program and encourage the incoming freshmen to reach their potential.”

Three sophomores, Payton Waynick, Sarah Stalzer and Sara Shaw will lead the way on the girls’ side for Ozark. Shaw is new to Ozark this year and is expected to have a big impact on the program.

The goal for both the girls and boys is to not qualify just individuals for the state meet, but to qualify as a team. Cooper believes that his young Tigers can achieve their goals through hard work and determination.

“We are a young program with many underclassmen that will be competing at a high level this year,” said Cooper.  “We are excited to see everyone progress and believe, come meet time we will have a few names being talked about in the conference and state.”