Fall season busy with dual sports

Though trying to play two sports in one season has had its ups and downs, Center Grove sophomore Nick Wilson isn’t ready to give up on either one.

A left back for the Trojans’ junior varsity soccer team, Wilson was the No. 1 runner for the cross-country team when the season began.

He’s since slid to No. 8 runner — a result of spending more time practicing with the soccer team, where workouts are often centered more around short bursts of speed rather than distance running.

“This is our first soccer kid to cross-country,” Center Grove cross-country coach Howard Harrell said. “Nick is a great kid who wants to contribute, but it’s a hard thing to see your No. 1 drop to No. 8. It doesn’t happen all that often.

“I was thinking being in good condition, he would be a good cross-country runner. Maybe we do things differently next year, if there is a next year.”

If Wilson has his way, there will be.

“I would like to try it again,” he said. “My advice to other (potential two-sport) athletes would be to talk to your coaches and see if it’s all right. You only have one shot at high school.

Harrell, who knows Wilson’s capabilities in cross-country, understands why the sophomore focuses more on soccer.

“Any ball team, it takes a lot of chemistry,” Harrell said. “He definitely practices with them more.”