Durlak fitting in just fine with Grant

Taking the reigns of a high school sports team can be a tricky endeavor for someone without previous head coaching experience. But for new Grant cross country coach Jeff Durlak, the first season has gone remarkably smoothly.

The reasons for his relatively seamless transition are myriad. First of all, Durlak is a 2002 Grant graduate who ran cross country during his time there. So, he's very familiar with the environment he's now working in. Second, and probably more importantly, Durlak had the good fortune of spending last season as an assistant to longtime Grant track and cross country coach Sam Spasojevich.

The respected coach and mathematics teacher retired this year after 28 years of service at Grant. And Durlak, 23, considers the tutelage he received from Spasojevich to be an invaluable resource for handling the task before him. Durlak is also a math teacher at Grant and was able to glean influence from Spasojevich in the classroom as well as the athletic field.

"There wasn't anybody better to learn under," Durlak said. "He was great with the kids and very committed. He was extremely organized and always there for the kids -- whether it was coming in early or staying late. He really put in that extra effort."

Spasojevich's selfless dedication to the program was an aspect of coaching that Durlak said he wasn't aware of while competing as a prep athlete.

"From an athlete's perspective, I didn't see the coaching side of things, the behind-the-scenes work," Durlak said. "That was a big adjustment but to see the way he did it last year, it's made things very easy for me."

Durlak now coaches an experienced boys team with whom he's very familiar. Several upper classmen lead the group of 17 runners with a few freshmen and sophomores poised to jump into the varsity mix as the season progresses.

The team almost lost its leader before the season ever began. Senior Derek Hall, the Bulldogs' top returnee broke his foot playing badminton during the summer but has recovered remarkably, according to Durlak.

"When I found out about the injury, my first thought was that he's a senior and what shame to lose your last year like that," he said. "But he has worked extremely hard to come back. Somehow, he's one of our best conditioned athletes already."

Durlak recalled that before last week when Hall was cleared to begin competing again, he spent countless hours on stationary bikes in an attempt to retain his leg strength and endurance.

"His work ethic and what he's willing to do are amazing," Durlak said. "He's already our top runner, but by the end of the year he'll be there among the top runners in the area."

Hall is currently followed in the lineup by junior Lance Littleton, a runner upon whom Durlak dotes for his improvement over last season.

"He was really coming on as a sophomore," Durlak said. "He really put in a lot of time this summer and it shows in the way he's running. He's been here every day and he's well ahead of his times from last year."

In the next three spots, the Bulldogs will look to a pair of seniors and a sophomore to get in where they fit in depending on the course and conditions. Sophomore Titus Lotz is in his first year of cross country after playing football as a freshman and has found running to his liking. He'll try to hold off seniors Josh Flores, another first-year cross country runner and Brad Williams who has been in the program for a while.

"Right now, we've got a bunch of kids with a lot of experience leading the way," Durlak said. "By the end of the year, maybe some of the freshmen and sophomores will jump up there. Who knows?"

The potent mixture of youth and experience seems to be the dominant theme throughout the early going in Durlak's first season as head coach at Grant. There's a new coach who's not really so new. There's a top runner who's trying to find his stride again after a freakish setback. And there's more than enough optimism for the present as well as the future.

"We don't have anybody who is running a 15 (minute 5,000 meters) or a 16 right now," Durlak said. "But that doesn't mean we don't have a hard-working group. They love to push each other and they're very competitive.

"We tell them to do the best they can all year and good things will happen."