Passing the torch: Hildebrand takes over PHS cross country

Posted 8/11/20

Cliff Boos spent more than 40 years at the forefront of Powell High School’s athletics program, and became a legend in the process. As the school’s cross country head coach, a position he …

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Passing the torch: Hildebrand takes over PHS cross country

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Cliff Boos spent more than 40 years at the forefront of Powell High School’s athletics program, and became a legend in the process. As the school’s cross country head coach, a position he held for more than 20 years, Boos won three state titles on the girls side and came close several other times.

Now, he’s passing the baton to his apprentice — longtime assistant Ashley Hildebrand.

Hildebrand spent 23 years at Boos’ side, coaching alongside Boos and helping the program sustain success. While she’s excited for the new endeavor, not having Boos as a colleague will be a somber reality when the season begins.

“It was really bittersweet when I heard the news that he was going to retire,” Hildebrand said. “I knew it would happen eventually, but we were such a duo for so long that it will be different for sure. I’m going to miss him so much.”

During her years as the assistant coach, Hildebrand learned countless lessons from the PHS icon. Most importantly, Boos taught her the key principles of building chemistry with the runners.

“I think he’s really prepped me by being a great example,” Hildebrand said. “A lot of coaching is just the relationships with the kids and building those relationships: The kids are first. He’s been such a mentor to me as a coach and a runner and a wonderful human being.”

While the program will look different without Boos at the helm, the now-retired coach looks forward to watching how the program develops under Hildebrand. For years, they led the team together, sharing the same goals in academics, competition and more.

This gives Boos confidence that Hildebrand will be a strong leader when she takes over the program this year.

“It’s going to be a nice transition,” Boos said. “She has a good imagination and knows how to make things better at times. She loves the kids and has a great enthusiasm. Ashley is very encouraging and always really involved.”

It is now Hildebrand’s turn to steer the program. And this shift in leadership couldn’t have come at a stranger time, with the COVID-19 pandemic impacting practically everything in the sports world. Meets will look much different in 2020, with masks required before races and additional other considerations to avoid spreading the coronavirus.

But one thing that hasn’t been affected is her team’s preparation for the upcoming season.

“I sent out a training plan in the summer; this summer, I actually met with kids once a week,” Hildebrand said. “So I have a good core group of kids that have been running this summer, so hopefully I’ll have that nice base built up once we start the season.”

Last year, the team had roughly 40 runners, a solid number for a Class 3A program. Hildebrand expects a similar figure on this year’s squad, with a handful of seniors entering their final season.

“It’s not like I’m going in with a whole new group of kids,” Hildebrand said. “I’ve taught here forever, so that makes me more comfortable.”

She also predicts that several newcomers — with no prior cross country experience — will join the program. If that’s the case, Hildebrand said she will help them develop steadily.

“We’ll ease them into it,” the coach said. “I’ll need to talk to each kid individually on the first day of practice to know exactly where they are to kind of develop each practice based on where those kids are, kind of differentiate from where they are.”

Just like any other cross country coach, Hildebrand’s ultimate goal for the season is to be successful. She hopes the team places at state and sees athletes reach new personal-best times throughout the year. With a strong crop of returners and Hildebrand’s decades of experience coaching at Powell, these seem like reachable goals.

But she also has a simpler objective.

“I just hope to make it through the season,” Hildebrand said. “That’s not a typical goal, but I really hope that we can get all of the kids through the season and they can stay healthy. Hopefully we can bring home some hardware, but we just want to get through the season safe and healthy.”

Cross country practices began next week.

Powell High School, Panther Cross Country

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