Utah XC Scouting Reports - Desert Hills

The Desert Hills Boys put on a show last year in the 3A Race putting five runners in the top seven. With only one member of their top seven graduating, they look to improve upon their low score of 22 points. We caught up with Coach Logan Fielding to discus this year's squad.

Top Returnees from 2014 XC Season (3 Miles)

1) Joshua Thatcher 14:49.00
2) Jaiden Melendrez 14:50.00
3) Tanner Sharp 15:15.00
4) Spencer Ford 15:18.00
5) Sage Ducote 15:34.00
Average Time: 15:09.20 Total Time: 1:15:46.00 1-5 Split: 45.00
6) Riley Swaney 15:52.00
7) Scott Sandberg 16:08.90

Top Returning 3200m Times from 2015 Outdoor Season

1) Jaiden Melendrez 9:19.67
2) Joshua Thatcher 9:33.53
3) Sage Ducote 9:44.30
4) Tanner Sharp 9:50.64
5) Bryson King 9:52.50
Average Time: 9:40.13 Total Time: 48:20.64 1-5 Split: 32.83
6) Boston Wood 10:36.68
7) Caden Bowler 10:46.58

Top Returning 1600m Times from 2015 Outdoor Season

1) Jaiden Melendrez 4:23.58
2) Joshua Thatcher 4:26.75
3) Tanner Sharp 4:33.82
4) Sage Ducote 4:34.04
5) Bryson King 4:36.93
Average Time: 4:31.02 Total Time: 22:35.12 1-5 Split: 13.35
6) Boston Wood 4:47.24
7) Scott Sandberg


4:49.40

Q&A With Coach Fielding

How has summer training been going for the Desert Hills team? What do you guys focus on during the summer months?

Our summer training has been going well. We have a really fun group of boys that love to run. Two weeks ago we held our summer XC camp in the Tushar mountains and had our largest group ever at that camp. Our focus for the summer is on building an aerobic base and getting acclimated to the Southern Utah heat we do our workouts in once school starts.

Who have you been most impressed or surprised with their improvement and/or fitness from their summer training?

It's hard to pick just a few. Spencer Ford has been a constant all summer long and looks very strong. Jaiden Melendrez was new last year and missed most of our summer training---and so he is well ahead of where he was last year. Sage Ducote was crowned King of the Mountain at our summer running camp. Bryson King made a big jump for us during track and he is continuing to build off of that. Josh Gibb may or may not be a varsity runner for us this year--but he has looked very good.

What are your staple workouts you guys use for the season?

We do 500 meter hill repeats as a way of building strength. Another staple is mile repeats on a hilly course at a park near our high school.

What are your core beliefs in your training plan and workouts for your cross country squads?

Consistency is extremely important. We like to be the team that doesn't just go hard on the last repeat but the team that goes hard on the last two.

Who are your team captains or leaders and what stands out about them as examples for the rest of their teammates?

Our team captains, selected by their peers, on the boys' team are Tanner Sharp, Boston Wood, and Josh Thatcher. Tanner is a great leader by example and has made huge improvements during his time in our program by working hard and being consistent. Boston is one of the more outgoing boys on our team and is great at rallying everyone together. Josh has been a varsity runner for all 4 of years at Desert Hills. He likes to have fun and keep things light--but also knows how to buckle down and really focus when the time comes.

What do you attribute as the main reasons for the success of your program?

We have over 50 boys on the team this year and we try and make sure everyone of them feels important and welcome. It doesn't matter if you are the slowest or the fastest on the team, we want to see improvement from every boy. Because of this mindset as coaches and having our captains drive this, some of our slowest runners in the past are now top Varsity runners.

Any impactful freshmen or transfers to join the team this season?

Matthew Thatcher and Andre Melendrez are both freshmen and the younger brothers of varsity runners. We don't know if they will be varsity runners for us this year, but they will be big contributors for us beyond this year.

Your team scored a record low total of 22 points last year at the state meet, is a perfect fifteen something you see as attainable this season?

A perfect score would be nearly impossible to accomplish. We are going to be competing against some very good teams and runners. Luke Summers from Bear River, Nick Hill from Pine View, McKade Steffensen from Canyon View, Piercen Maez from Stansbury, and Eric Lambert from Cedar could all be factors at the state meet. A more attainable goal for our team will be lowering the 3A cumulative team time record they set last year.

Beyond the state meet, what are your goals for your team this season?

We will be running at the Woodbridge Invitational in September and we expect to improve on our 5th place finish from last year. Ultimately our main goal is to improve on our 4th place showing at NXN Southwest and hopefully compete well at NXN nationals. It will be very tough to do as the Southwest Region, and Utah in particular, is loaded with a lot of very, very good teams.

What do you view as your team’s strength this season?

We have a good group of guys who truly just love to run and compete. They have been very consistent for the last 2 years in working hard and doing all the little things the coaches have asked of them. Our strength is going to be running as a pack--if we accomplish our goals it will likely be because the spread between our 1st and 5th runners (or even our 7th guy) is going to be very tight.

Coming off of a fourth place finish at the NXN Regional last year, is Portland something the team is aiming for?

Definitely.