They've been running all summer.

But today, the times count and the points will be added up.The cross country season is set to begin, and below are capsules on the Times News area teams.BOYSJIM THORPEEXPECTATIONS HY-DRO... Junior Sam Hydro is looking to make some noise this season for head coach Drew Benyo, who starts his 30th season as the Olympian leader. After qualifying for the state meet last cross country season, and overcoming an injury during the track season, Hydro is healthy and ready to compete.GUESS WHO'S BACK... Gone from a team that finished with a 8-8 record last year is Ben Saxon, who graduated. However, Benyo has plenty of runners returning and welcomes a wealth of incoming talent that should be able to compete with plenty of teams on the schedule. Other than Hydro, seniors Chris Valdez and Anthony DeFeo return, along with juniors Blake Kilmer, Dominick Bierman, Joe Powierski and Noah Rodgers.DON'T GET FRESH... Nine freshmen enter the Thorpe High School program, which has Benyo excited. "The upperclassmen have devoted their summer to improvement and have followed my summer schedule almost to the letter," Benyo said. "Chris, Noah, Sam and James are ready for a great season, while freshman Mark Waslesyn has jumped into the top five. If our six and seven runners make that same jump, we can be something special."RAISING THE BAR... Benyo's optimism seems justifiable, and with the numbers up, things should progress nicely for the Olympian runners this year. "We would like to be considered one of the top teams in the Schuylkill League and I see that as a very real possibility," he said. Although his hopes and standards are set at a high level, look for his squad to attain, and possibly surpass, those marks.LEHIGHTONLUCKY NUMBER FIVE... Head coach Erica Pagotto and assistant Jennifer Potts both entire their fifth season with the Indians program.WE'LL MISS YOU... The team, which was 9-13 last season, lost Michael Blacketter, Blade McCabe and Pengcheng Zhang to graduation. "His (Blacketter's) presence on the team is greatly missed," said Pagotto. "He was a state qualifier and lead runner on the team."WE'RE BACK!... Anthony Tavella (Sr.), Alexander Karpowicz (Sr.), Nathan Lucykanish (Sr.), Evan Beers (Jr.) and Addison Howland (So.) will all be back in 2017. "We are strong in numbers," Pagotto said. "The boys will work hard and compete with one another to earn a varsity spot."THE MORE, THE MERRIER... Keep an eye on Alex Schwab (Jr.), Gavin Sherer (Jr.), Cameron Zerbe (Jr.), Joseph Adamcik (Jr.), Logan Lichtenwalner (So.) and Michael Rodriguez (Fr.). "There are several young men who are fighting for the top positions on our team," Pagotto said. "They push each other, which will help us to be competitive this season."NORTHERN LEHIGHTRULY DEDICATED… Dave Oertner will be entering his 36th year of coaching with the program. His assistant, Beth Case, will be at his side for her 21st season.GUESS WHO'S BACK… Everybody is back from a year ago. Not a single Bulldog harrier graduated from last season. Oertner's quite happy with that, saying, "The team is much deeper and more experienced this year versus last year. We didn't have any seniors last year and we didn't lose a single one of our top seven from last season."PACE SETTERS… Senior Hunter Haas and junior Preston Kemery have shown early signs of being the lead guys in the Bulldogs' top five this year. Seniors Kyle Krempasky and juniors Nate Keller, CJ Daivies and Josh Kubuskefski are staying close, and hope to give the team an added push toward success.RIGHT FRAME OF MIND… The Bulldogs return with their eyes set on improving last year's 10-14 overall record (9-15 in the Colonial League). Juniors Edge Kroll and Eric Morales add to the mix. "We have a good nucleus of dedicated runners returning and if they each improve a bit over last season, as I expect, we could have a very nice season," Oertner said. "Our attitudes are excellent, work ethic is superb, and expectations are high."NORTHWESTERNONE-TWO PUNCH… Seniors Robert Leiser and Philip Castrine return for their fourth year in the sport, and most importantly, once again serve as the Tigers front-runners. Leiser finished third at both the Colonial League and District meets. Castrine earned a ninth-place finish at leagues, but followed with a state-qualifying fifth place finish at districts.HUGE LOSS… Northwestern takes a huge hit after Leiser and Castrine. The Tigers saw Anthony Vennera, Matt Grimm and Isiaah Jones graduate and take their top-five status with them. That's a concern for head coach Chris Stitzel. "It's great to have Phil and Robert back because they've pretty much been my 1-2 punch the last couple of years," Stitzel said. "But I lost my No. 3 through No. 8. They were all seniors last year. Coming into this year, I was a little worried about the big gap we're going to have behind Robert and Phil. We need to see where the new guys are going to fill in."FRESHMEN POTENTIAL… Stitzel has been impressed with the transition to the varsity level by freshmen RJ Zach and Kane Flickinger. Stitzel, who is entering his 17th season with the program, says it's been so far, so good. "My younger guys are stepping into roles really well. Their times are right where my good seniors ran already. So I'm pleased with how they're progressing already. It's just going to take them a little time to get a little more experience in these races."DON'T COUNT THEM OUT… The Tigers may have taken a hit in the experience category. However, Stitzel feels his Tigers can potentially sneak into the group of CL contenders. "I'm hoping we will be one of those sleeper teams that nobody's counting on when they see what we have lost from last year."PALMERTONCHANGE OF PACE… Josh Nenscel is in his first year with the Blue Bombers cross country team. Nenscel, who ran distance for the track team during his high-school days, is glad to be back at his alma mater. "I was a graduate of Palmerton and ran track (two mile) my senior year after attending basic training for the Army between my junior and senior year," Nenscel said. "I started my teaching career at Nazareth Area High School, where I coached JV Baseball and varsity lacrosse. This is my third year teaching at Palmerton High School and 12th overall. l am excited to get involved as a coach of the cross-country team."PACE SETTER BACK… Junior Jake Martinez is back after having a solid season for the Bombers a year ago. Martinez earned a Second Team selection on the Colonial League All-Star team. Martinez took 12th place at the Colonial League championship, and followed that up with a fifth-place finish at districts.LOOKING TO HEAD IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION… After scoring only one win in 24 meets, the Bombers look to use the experience from their returnees to add to that win total. Back for another season, in addition to Martinez, are seniors Colby Miller and Timothy Maradeo, juniors Richard Hrusovsky and Kory Marlatt, and sophomores Trent Geist, Egan Bellesfield and Anthony Cicardo. "Everyone coming back from last year has improved tremendously with the offseason workout that has been in place," Nenscel said. "Everyone is excited to get racing."PLEASANT VALLEYBIG SHOES TO FILL… Recent graduates Seth Slavin (D11 champ), Gabe Sullivan (D11 runner-up), and Billy Milburn led the Bears to a 15-2 record last season.WHO'S GONNA FILL EM?… Pleasant Valley will have a big cast of seniors stepping up to replace the 2016 graduates. Luke Zaldevit (Sr.), Leo Hoppe (Sr.), Louis DiFusco (Sr.), Seth Kron (Sr.), Keith Staats (Sr.), Ryan Borger (Sr.), Nathan Borger (Jr.) will all be in the mix. "I think the most important thing is leadership on the team," said Pleasant Valley head coach George Fair. It's good that we have a lot of leadership and there's no substitute for senior leadership. Being able to count on seniors is a big difference, and it's nice to lean on them."ON THE RISE… Newcomer Ryan Murphy (Sr.), who ran track for three years, could make an impact this year. "The most important thing for us to be successful this year is to try and close the gap from the first and fifth runner," Fair added.TAMAQUARAIDERS APLENTY... The Blue Raiders are heavy in the numbers department this season, which has head coach Tom Kanger thrilled. "The boys have solid numbers at 19 for our team this year," Kanger said. "Brad Clemson will be leading the team after a solid track season last year. But we're hoping to improve our record from last season, and we'll need the young, inexperienced runners to step up."WHO'S NEXT?... After their respectable 9-6 campaign from a season ago, the Tamaqua boys lost quality runners like Adam Melnick, Raymond Kinder and Alec Roseland due to graduation. Senior Clemson is joined by classmates Isaac Miller, Nathaniel Davidson and Zack Davidson, who all have varsity experience. Also back are juniors Daniel Chinchar, Derian Stianche and Detrick Borden, along with sophomores Ethan Turrano and Christopher Osenbach.NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK... Nine newcomers to the roster will be sure to add to the inter-squad competition, allowing for better performances in races. Despite the inexperience in those newcomers, Kanger looks forward to the season, after his squad finished a respectable third place in the league meet last year.ROUNDING IT OUT... Seniors Brandon Heffelfinger, Dair Miller, Luis Fernandez and Xavier Cuadro are new to the program, along with juniors John Buchala and John Franko, while sophomore Brandon Fogarty and freshmen Andrew Fiorilla and Dominick Shemwell look to make their presence felt.WEATHERLYBEAM ME UP, SCOTTY... After losing only one runner (Paul Eckert) to graduation, second-year head coach Paul Schertrumpf is looking forward to the upcoming season. Last year's Schuylkill League junior high school champion, Scotty Zoscin, is more than likely going to be the Wreckers' top runner.TAKE ME TO YOUR LEADERS... Senior Joel Hinkle and junior Anthony Maguschak will be the leaders for the Wreckers this season, along with Zoscin. Ethan Broskoskie (Fr.), Nick Berger (Jr.) and Derek Houser (Jr.) round out the team and will challenge those top runners as the season progresses.DON'T WORRY, BE HAPPY... Schertrumpf has liked what he has seen so far in the early going and is happy with his group's work ethic. He sees the student-athletes motivated toward improvement. Wrecker faithful are hoping this translates into some wins in the upcoming season.LET'S GET WRECKED... "I look forward to a really good season," Schertrumpf said. "We should definitely be able to compete for some wins, and if we continue to improve and remain healthy, we will be able to accomplish those goals."GIRLSJIM THORPEAGAINST THE ODDS... Most teams would reflect on a 4-12 record with regret. However, Coach Drew Benyo, along with assistant Marie Rosahac, are more than content because that was accomplished by a group of only six girls competing, including recent graduate Delana Nalesnik.LUCKY SEVENS... With seven girls on the roster for the upcoming season, Benyo is very pleased and ready for the challenges that lie ahead. Returning to the team are seniors Gabrielle Stauffer, Starcasia Himes, and Stephanie Dykas, along with juniors Kiya Jenkins, Emma Gavornik and Saige Sterner. Incoming freshman Tessa Bevilacqua will make her mark in the lineup, as well.HAPPY FEET... "The girls have such a great attitude, they're working to their potential, and are just amazing, young ladies to work with," Benyo said. "We are hoping the nagging injuries early on go away, because our numbers are low. But we are hoping to improve on that 4-12 record, increase the numbers and build for the future with our junior high program."THE BEST THEY CAN BE... Benyo was quick to point out the extreme sense of coachability of his athletes, saying, "I really like the attitudes of Emma, Gabby, Star, Kiya, Saige, Steph and Tessa. They are great kids who understand they might not be the team to beat in the league, but they work very hard every day to be the best they can be at this sport."LEHIGHTONHELPING OUT... The Lehighton cross country team has two new volunteer coaches this year: Joanne Barrett and Tony Pagotto. "Joanne brings a lot of experience to the table, as she has run over 20 marathons," Lehighton head coach Erica Pagotto said. "Tony has been running with the top athletes to help push them and keep them motivated."KEY DEPARTURES... Cera Gaston, MaryGrace Collins, and Cheyenne Jacobs have graduated. "Cera Gaston graduated in the spring and is running for King's College this year," Pagotto said. "Last year she qualified for states and was our lead runner. We miss her leadership."READY TO ROLL... Returning is Piper DeMatte (Sr.), Sarah Laible (Jr.), Alyssa Williams (So.), Tinaya Klotz (So.), Madison Cressley (So.), and Asia Arner (So.). "We are aiming to beat our record from last year," said Pagotto, whose team was 10-13 a year ago. "It will be tough, but I think we can achieve it."NEW SUPPORT... Others to watch include Alyssa Williams (So.), Jade Steber (So.), Kelsey Gaston (Fr.) and Kendall Mease (Fr.). "We have new runners this year that are very talented," Pagotto said.NORTHERN LEHIGHBACK WITH PACK ANOTHER YEAR… Junior Katie Guelcher, along with sophomores Tori Csanadi, Ali Lorah and Reagan Pender, all return to lead the Bulldogs this season. "Reagan worked diligently this summer and has looked strongest for us in the early going," said head coach Dave Oertner. "After an injury-riddled freshmen year, she could have a breakout type of season, while Katie and Ali (the team's MVPs the past two seasons) are looking impressive as well. Tori has been a steady performer for us the past three seasons, and we will be counting on her to continue with that type of effort again this season."KEEP AN EYE ON THESE NAMES… Freshmen Sophia Boyeson, Kristen Guelcher and Natalie Keller are ready to join the Bulldogs' varsity cross country squad. Oertner is looking for them to develop quickly and contribute immediately in each meet.SET THE STANDARD… The Bulldogs finished with a 10-14 overall record (9-15 in the Colonial League) last year. They look to improve on those marks this season. "While this squad's lead runners may prove to be some of the more elite runners in the league," said Oertner, "we need to stay healthy and the young runners will need to improve quickly and come through to be considered a top-tier team. The three freshmen are the wild cards to our season."HUGE SMILE ON HIS FACE… Oertner is one happy camper right now. "As a whole, this is one of the nicest groups of athletes I've coached in my 36 years as head cross-country coach," he said. "I hope that all the hard work and dedication they have put in translates to the success they deserve on the race course."NORTHWESTERNFRONT RUNNERS BACK IN PLACE… The Tigers return their top four runners from a year ago in Madeline Consuelos, Molly Tarvin, Alyssa Zach and Hannah Herzon. Together, the two juniors (Consuelos and Zach) and two seniors (Tarvin and Herzon) bring with them a total of 14 years on the course.LOOKING TO CONTRIBUTE… Junior Sarah Jones joins the Tigers for the first time in her junior season, while sophomore Kristen Jones and freshman Kailyn Jones are ready to attack the varsity experience in full stride. On a roster that lacks depth, the Tigers will look to these individuals to complete a solid top-seven list of runners.DETERMINED… Southern Lehigh not only handed Northwestern its only two regular-season losses last season, but it also ended a string of five consecutive Colonial League titles by the Tigers. They will look to reclaim the crown and earn their seventh title in the last 10 years. "These girls are hungry again," head coach Chris Stitzel said. "They want to bring that league title back to Northwestern this year. I think with the team I have back, as I have my top four runner back, we can do it."INVITES ARE EXTRA SPECIAL… Northwestern takes part in the DeSales Invitational and the PIAA Foundation Invitational this season, just like they have had in the past. Those invites have been added to the regular season with a purpose. "You run these different courses, which I like to do, and that's why I like to do the DeSales Invitational because that gets you ready for leagues," said Stitzel. "And we do the Hershey Invitational, and it gets you ready for states. Running these courses ahead of time helps them know ... and with bigger stakes involved, how to can change their strategy or what they can do differently to better themselves."PALMERTONNUMBERS LOW, BUT INTEREST UP… "We have had up to 10 runners for non-mandatory workouts over the summer," head coach Josh Nenscel said. "We have really seen improvement from them thus far in the preseason."CHANGE OF SCENERY… After running at Blue Shamrock Golf Course last season, the Bombers have moved their course to Blue Mountain Ski Area this season. "It is challenging and we plan to take full advantage of home field advantage," Nenscel said.LEADER OF THE BOMBER PACK… Senior Hannah Nesfeder will look to lead the Bombers in the right direction. With a Palmerton best 22nd place at districts and a 62nd finish at leagues, Nesfeder is primed to improve on those postseason finishes. Nesfeder, and classmate Brianna Brennan, will look to get the Bombers a few team victories. Brennan is a newcomer to the sport after competing in the 800 meters in track in her junior year.LOOKING TO ADD TO THE MIX… Seniors Emily Moser, junior Reshan Selva, sophomore Lily Bruer and freshman Cailey Sagastume look to push themselves to help the Bombers earn some wins during the regular season. "All of the girls have set goals for themselves and I see them all improving over the course of the season," Nenscel said. "There is a lot of hard work going on a daily basis, so we should see the benefit of that."STANDARDS RISEN… A season after not scoring a single victory and finishing with a 0-19-5 overall record in the Colonial League, Nenscel sees brighter things for the future. With numbers on the rise, the first-year coach is staying optimistic with what's to come. "We have the addition of 16 Junior High kids to the team, which has strengthened our program and is moving it in the right direction. We want to increase our team stats as well as get some individuals qualified for districts and states. The season looks positive."PLEASANT VALLEYONE KEY LOSS… Lizz Eberhardt is essentially the only key loss, according to PV head coach George Fair. "We're a senior-heavy team," said Fair. "We're going to have nobody on the team next year," he added jokingly.COMIN' BACK… Juliana Lopez (So.), Savannah Bauman (Sr.), Samantha Segeda (Jr.), Sarah Larkin (Sr.), Alyssa Lopez (Sr.), Alyssa Greico (Sr.) all return. "We're loaded with lacrosse players," said the PV coach. "I think the kids like the endurance, and the amount that they run. I think it correlates nice. Just like before girls soccer went into the fall and it was in the spring, most of the top soccer plays were cross country runners."BACK UP ON THE WAY… Newcomers Lily Mingora (Fr.), Kelly Nalesnik (Jr.), Katie Rose Kreciewski (Sr.) will try to help improve upon the Bears' record of 9-8 last season.FAMILIAR TERRITORY… Fair will begin his 19th season with the program, and he will be joined by assistant coach Rick Rimple. "The fact that we have so many returners is key. The girls team isn't big, but quite a few of them have run before. Knowing the routine is a relief for a coach, knowing again that you have veteran runners that can help run the show every day."TAMAQUATOM RAIDER... Tom Kanger begins his 15th season at Tamaqua with a difficult task of trying to maintain the high quality that his program has accomplished in recent years. Last season's Lady Raiders finished with an unblemished 16-0 record in the regular season, won the Schuylkill League Division I title and the overall league championship, before coming in third in the District 11 Class AA meet.ONE THE RISE... Monika Shimko, Nicole Wasserleben and Genevieve Beck all graduated, creating some big holes to be filled by other rising talent. Kanger has a wealth of returners to look at, as seniors Abby Fiorilla, Arianna Ryan, Kailee Carroll, Maizy Troxell and Olivia Stanek are all back to lead this year's squad. Meanwhile, juniors April Gerber, Brittney Miller, Kailyn Erbe, Melanie Shimko, Peyton Gilbert and Sarah Maue will help out.GREAT EXPECTATIONS... The Lady Raiders will return two state qualifiers from a year ago in Carroll and Maue, which Kanger is happy to have as leaders by example. "We are hoping to compete for the division and league titles again and also attempt to improve on our district results from last season," Kanger said. "Hopefully, the younger girls will be able to jump in and contribute early on and we can improve as the season goes along."STAY WITH THE GROUP... With so many runners on the Tamaqua roster this season, Kanger is content with what he has seen thus far, saying, "With a larger number of runners on the team, we have more group training, which tends to improve runners' abilities."WEATHERLYWRECKING BALL... Second-year head coach Paul Schertrumpf is looking at this upcoming cross country season with anticipation, as the Lady Wreckers begin the 2017 campaign. "The outlook is exciting for me," Schertrumpf said. "We have many returning runners and a few new additions to the team that will show immediate results."ONE-TWO PUNCH... This year's roster will have nine runners, including incoming freshman Ashley James, who will make an impact to the lineup immediately. Schertrumpf is looking to her and junior Abby Hernandez as the team's potential top runners.WHERE'S THE BEEF... The middle of the roster will be 'beefed up' by freshman Makenna Bankes, Elizabeth Marshman, along with juniors Megan Peifer and Lindsey Hoffman. The second-year coach is hoping the combination of these four will produce quality times for the important overall team scores.MITIGATED LOSSES... Rounding out the roster, and hoping to focus on improving their own and their team performances, are sophomore Cassia Hinkle, senior Gillian Hinkle, along with newcomer Jillian Bartel, who are all hoping to replace the integral losses of Breena Coxe and Morgan Gower, who graduated a year ago.Capsules compiled by TJ Engle, Andy Steinmetz and Justin Carlucci