Colin Hayes is likely to be Jefferson’s most accomplished cross country runner this fall and he has fellow seniors Nicolas Whitehair, Mason Young and Samuel Craig to relate to about their last season with the Cougars.

But there are 18 aspiring freshmen on the team as the season opens.

How many of them will endure the heat and humidity of the early season is yet to be seen, but these are the candidates: Matthew Bertone, Colton White, Louis Wabnitz, Daniel Moylan, Josh Seaman, Shawn Wilson, Chris Pfaltzgraff, Jacob Neidig, Isaac Kessler, Max Hawley, Ryan Walker, Nikolas Runion, Shannon Thompson, Sean Corum, Matt Cockerham, Coleridge Kinsler, Nathan Starkey and Austin Skinner.

Returning from the 2015 squad is junior Asher Personett. The other juniors are Isaiah Crabb, Max Ober and Tighe Didden. The five sophomore team members at the beginning of school are Zach Kelly, Logan Rolfe, Ryan Barz, Vincent Herrell and Logan Keyes.

The Jefferson girls team has an equally large turnout of freshmen runners.

However, some of the returnees from the 2015 team are Grace Valentine, Madeleine Pitcher, Bailey Phillips, Madison Adams and Jordan Phillips. All of those runners are juniors. The other juniors also have some experience and they are Olivia Lana, Taylor Hawley and Morgan May.

There are no sophomores this season and only one senior, Samantha Gonzalez.

The large turnout of freshmen include Katie Cisar, Kaitlyn Cavill, Helena Bridwell, Maria McClain, Jenna Kennedy, Taylor Lewis, Eve Dahman, Olivia Romano, Genevieve Sturrock Ott, Aimee Ballard, Madison Hauser, Madeline Absher, Taylor Blanchette, Jessica Fisher, Vanessa Pratt, Allison Bennett and Claire Ford.

If youth can be served and any of the freshmen are among the top seven competitors on either team then the Cougars might again challenge Hampshire for Regional honors.

The much-changed Region has only Jefferson, Washington, Musselman, Hedgesville, Spring Mills, Hampshire and Martinsburg as its seven schools.