BEAVER FALLS — Alex Hall doesn’t look like an elite cross country athlete.

He just runs like one.

The Beaver River senior, coming off a 20th-place finish in the 2011 Class D state championship race, is expected to be among the top runners when the Frontier League dual meet season gets started today for all eight teams.

Hall, listed at 6-foot-2 and 193 pounds, has learned to use his unique size to his advantage in a sport that is traditionally dominated by smaller runners.

“The long strides always help,” Hall said. “But I’ve learned that I can look up and see what I’m supposed to be aiming for, see the competition ahead of me. And also, when I go down hills I can get sort of an advantage because of the incline.”

Hall’s size has created one problem — finding proper running shoes to fit his size-18 feet.

Hall can’t wear regular running flats, which are specially-designed, lightweight footwear used by a majority of runners.

Instead, Hall runs in regular sneakers, putting him at a slight disadvantage due to the added weight.

Hall was also unable to locate a pair of running spikes to give him better traction on some of the muddier race courses. Luckily, Beaver River coach Jay Steiner came up with a plan.

“Coach helped me out with that,” Hall said. “I couldn’t buy spikes anywhere, because they only go up to (size) 15, because obviously, guys with size 18s aren’t going to be running cross country usually. So what coach did is he took normal running shoes and he screwed spikes on the bottom.”

Steiner took his first crack at the homemade spikes last season, and said that he took a different approach this year to lessen the weight.

“Last year we took a set of cleats and actually molded them to the bottom of his shoes,” Steiner said. “This year we went to these different type of spikes that actually adhere to the rubber.”

It was the first time Steiner had come across such an issue, saying that he’s never had a runner with such large feet.

“Most of them probably average around a size 8 or 10 at the most,” Steiner said.

Hall, who is also the starting center on the basketball team, said that he was talked into the sport his sophomore year by some friends, one being teammate and senior captain Nathan Cobb.

“When I got started, I just got hooked,” Hall said. “It’s such a chemistry-bound sport and you have to get along with your teammates and work hard with them to win. I think I really appreciated that.”

Steiner said that, regardless of his size, Hall would have found success due to his mental strength. He referred to Hall as a “gamer.”

“He has the mental drive, he has the determination, he has the fire, he has the game when it comes to finishing races,” Steiner said. “He pushes himself to the max. I’ve never seen a guy that runs so hard in the last mile, last half mile, or last 200 meters. I think that’s the difference between him and a lot of cross country runners.”

The Beavers won the Section 3 Class D title and placed third in the state meet last season. Hall said the team’s goal this year is to win a state championship.

“We’re trying to work as hard as we can right now because everybody thinks we’re the top team,” Hall said. “But what I’ve learned is, nothing is given in this. We got to work hard every single day because we’re not going to win by just walking in there.”

Here is a look at the rest of the Frontier League.

BOYS

“A” DIVISION

Outlook: Indian River has brought back its cross country program, prompting the league to change to a two-division setup to determine the dual meet regular season champions. South Jefferson will enter the year as the favorite in this division, led by senior Nicholas Tyler who placed fourth in the Section 3 Class C championship race last year, and won the South Jefferson Invitational in his first race this season on Sept. 8. Nick Anderson will lead a young Carthage squad. Coach Bryan Zevotek said that the sophomore has shown great improvement after training extensively throughout the summer. Watertown has a new head coach and will rely on some of its younger runners to compete for the division. The Warriors, back from a long hiatus, are a question mark heading into the year. The team has great depth though, second only to the Spartans for total runners in the division.

Carthage Comets

Coach: Bryan Zevotek

2011 record: 3-3

Roster: Nick Anderson (So.); Isaac Arroyo (Jr.); John Collins (So.); Dylan Ellingsworth (Fr.); Nathan Loos (Fr.); Nate Sullivan (Jr.); Jacob Walls (Jr.); Matt Whitehurst (Fr.); Ben Whitehurst (Fr.); Anthony Cortez (Fr.).

Indian River Warriors

Coach: Vicky McCullouch

2011 record: Did not field team

Roster: Jared Chant (So.), Cole Coutermarsh (So.), Eric Crow (Jr.), Isaac DeLeon (Jr.), Xavier Ehresman (Jr.), Felix Garcia (Jr.), Evan Morine (Jr.), Erik Patrick (Jr.), Aja Peeke (So.), Emerlad Pfeffer (So.), Logan Running (Sr.), Xavier Turpin (So.), Shelton Williams (Jr.).

South Jefferson Spartans

Coach: Steve Rogers

2011 record: 5-1

Roster: Brian Babel (Sr.); Joel Banazek (So.); Collin Barber (Jr.); Quinton Cuzzocrea (Sr.); Morgan Deleel (So.); Tyler Deleel (Sr.); Alex Fee (So.); Matthew Fee (Jr.); Andrew Gosselin (So.); Bradley Gosselin (Sr.); Skyler Green (Sr.); Taylor Lucas (Sr.); Matt Mundt (Sr.); Xufeng Pan (Sr.); Taylor Petty (So.); Andrew Rockefeller (Sr.); Alex Rogers (Jr.); Chris Shelmidine (Sr.); Jared Tibbles (Jr.); Nate Tyler (Fr.); Nicholas Tyler (Sr.); Jordan Whewell (Sr.); Zach Zeltman (So.).

Belleville Henderson: Eli Patterson (So.).

Watertown Cyclones

Coach: Jessica VanCoughnett

2011 record: 4-2

Roster: Harry Bass-Terpstra (Sr.); Chris Bristow (So.); Jacob Catalina (So.); Steven Hatchell (Jr.); Brian Lake (So.); James Lamson (So.); Sam Maphey (Sr.); Haidon Moss (Sr.); Austin Myers (Jr.); Jacob Roux (So.); Josh Shannon (Jr.).

“B” DIVISION

Outlook: Beaver River will look to go undefeated in dual meets again this season, and has some of the top individual runners in the division with Hall, Cobb and Dustin Neddo. South Lewis could take a step back after the loss of last year’s Class C state championship runner-up, Sam Anderson, to graduation. Altmar-Parish-Williamstown will hope Zach Mosher can lead a group of young runners, while Sandy Creek will rely on its underclassmen to improve on its winless dual meet record from a season ago.

Altmar-Parish- Williamstown Rebels

Coach: Grant Decker

2011 record: 1-5

Roster: Jared DeMarais (Jr.), Andy Hale (Jr.), Anthony Haywood (Jr.), Zach Mosher (Jr.), Sage Bartlett (Fr.), Joe Karboski (Fr.), Matt Miller (Fr.).

Beaver River Beavers

Coach: Jay Steiner

2011 record: 6-0

Roster: Nathan Cobb (Sr.); Alex Hall (Sr.); David Ormsbee (Sr.); Dustin Neddo (Jr.); Alize Jarrett (Jr.); Andrew Purcell (So.); Lucas Schmitt (So.); Travis Edwards (So.); Troy Purcell (Fr.); Greg Virkler (Fr.); Brett Neddo (Fr.).

Lowville: Travis Bender (So.).

Sandy Creek Comets

Coach: Jim Pelton

2011 record: 0-6

Roster: Justin Haskins (Sr.); David Adams (Sr.); Steven Cooper (Jr.); Josh Kiltz (So.); Jacob Cornell (So.); Jon Dana (So.); Troi Harrington (Fr.).

South Lewis Falcons

Coach: Jack Bernard

2011 record: 3-3

Roster: Sam Benzing (Jr.), Leif Ostrum (So.), Cody Hoffert (Fr.), Caleb Rubar (Fr.), Derrick Hill (Jr.), Dan Kotary (Fr.).

GIRLS

“A” DIVISION

Outlook: Much like the boys team, South Jefferson is the team to beat in this division. Skylar Pastor and Jackie Miller are two of the top runners in the division, and placed second and third, respectively, in last year’s Frontier League championship race. Indian River, again, is a question mark due to the program’s long hiatus, but it should benefit from its depth with more runners than anyone else in the division. Carthage, rather than leaning on a standout, has a number of runners competing for its top spot. Zevotek hopes the well-rounded group can help the team challenge for the division. Watertown, which went winless in dual meets last year, will need its young runners to perform if it wants to improve on that record. Gabby Thompson, an unaffiliated junior from Immaculate Heart Central that runs with the Cyclones, is an individual to watch. She placed fifth in the Section 3 championship and the 17th in the state race in Class D last season.

Carthage Comets

Coach: Bryan Zevotek

2011 record: 1-5

Roster: Morgan Bernat (Fr.); Megan Bush (So.); Shelby Gill (Fr.); Alina Mace (Sr.); Cori Mainville (So.); Alexis Malcolm (Jr.); Daphne Pettaway (So.); Jessica Piatt (Sr.); Courtney Stepanek (Jr.); Caitlyn Stepanek (Fr.); Kayleigh Willis (Jr.); Jordan Winn (Fr.).

Indian River Warriors

Coach: Vicky McCullouch

2011 record: Did not field team

Roster: Misty Brown (So.), Niya Cardona (So.), Chloe Flaherty (So.), Katie Golden (Sr.), Kellie Golden (Fr.), Shannon Guler (Jr.), Alyssa Knarr (So.), Elizabeth Kolodgy (Sr.), Amanda Mullins (So.), Violette Pfeffer (So.), Destiny Sontag-Turner (Fr.), Kaylee Stewart (Jr.), Lydia Torres (So.), Malia Wallace (So.).

South Jefferson Spartans

Coach: Steve Rogers

2011 record: 5-1

Roster: Elanor Brooks (Jr.); Aubrey Harrington (Fr.); Brooke LaLone (Sr.); Amanda Lloyd (So.); Jackie Miller (Jr.); Skylar Pastor (So.); Brooke VanCoughnett (Sr.); Delaney Ward (Fr.); Megan Washburn (Sr.); Meriteth Ziembiek (Fr.).

Watertown Cyclones

Coach: Jessica VanCoughnett

2011 record: 0-6

Roster: Kayla Blair (Jr.); Kristyn Chiappone (Sr.); Lydia Fillhart (Fr.); Christina Miller (So.); Elissa Newhart (Sr.); Olivia Reff (Fr.).

Immaculate Heart Central: Gabby Thompson (Jr.).

“B” DIVISION

Outlook: Victoria Campanian, the decorated senior, is the league’s top girls runner and should help South Lewis compete for the division title. Campanian has won the last four league title races, is the defending Section 3 Class C champion, and has placed at states in each of the last four seasons. She will be aided by freshman Christina Platt, who placed second at sectionals as an 8th-grader last season. Beaver River lost some talent from last year’s squad and is as young as it has been in quite some time, but coach Cheryl Steiner believes the team has a good, all-around top five, which should help the team compete for the division title again. Altmar-Parish-Williamstown looks to Chelsea Cooper to lead a group of young, untested runners. Sandy Creek has the most runners in this division.

Altmar-Parish- Williamstown Rebels

Coach: Grant Decker

2011 record: 3-3

Roster: Emily Earl (Sr.), Amanda Barry (Sr.), Chelsea Cooper (Jr.), Geri Barber (So.), Sara Nelson (Fr.), Brianna Karboski (8th).

Beaver River Beavers

Coach: Cheryl Steiner

2011 record: 5-1

Roster: Nola Pominville (Jr.); Reganne Smith (So.); Rachel Steiner (So.); Ciera VerSchneider (So.); Victoria Rollin (Fr.); Kerrigan Mahoney (Fr.).

Sandy Creek Comets

Coach: Jim Pelton

2011 record: 2-4

Roster: Alyssa Akey (Sr.); Sara Allison (Sr.); Kerri Ridgeway (Jr.); Molly Horth (Jr.); Richelle Ranieri (Jr.); Freya Sergis (Jr.); Courtney Plumley (Jr.); Olivia Bauer (So.); Rachel Yerdon (So.); Maggie King (So.); Liberty Yalch (So.); Madeline Yousey (So.); Rosie Morgan (Fr.); Adaiah Bauer (Fr.).

South Lewis Falcons

Coach: Jack Bernard

2011 record: 5-1

Roster: Victoria Campanian (Sr.), Christina Platt (Fr.), Sierra Corbett (Fr.), Gaelyn Bronson (So.), McKayla West (Fr.), Heather Tripp (Fr.).

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