Kerri Lafferty earns top XC coach honor
KINGFISHER HIGH SCHOOL cross country coach Kerri Lafferty encourages freshman Katon Lunsford during the 2018 state cross country meet. KHS went on to win the state championship and Lafferty was rewarded last Saturday by being named the girls cross country
KT&FP Managing Editor
Add one more to Kerri Lafferty’s list of accomplishments that had never been done by her predecessors.
Lafferty on Saturday was voted by her peers as girls cross country coach of the year by the Oklahoma Cross Country and Track Coaches Association.
The award covers all classes in the state.
Kendra Hoover of Mooreland earned the honor for boys cross country coaches.
Lafferty, Kingfisher High School’s current cross country coach, was nominated for the honor by Alan Palesano, the former KHS cross country and track coach who is now at Grove.
“It’s such a great honor. I was thrilled and not expecting it at all,” Lafferty said.
In just her second year, Lafferty guided Kingfisher High School to the Class 4A state championship last October.
The Lady Jackets tallied just 86 points to knock off defending champion and top-ranked Plainview, which scored 92 in finishing as the state runner-up.
It was Kingfisher’s first state championship in cross country.
Four KHS runners - Maddie St. Cyr, Zoey Evans, Katon Lunsford and Madeline Loosen - placed among the top-15 individually, making them medalists.
St. Cyr and Evans were in the top-10 and earned All-State honors.
“I was really blessed with great runners who wanted to run and work hard,” Lafferty said. “They set a goal and worked together to achieve it.
“That’s what it takes - them working together as a team.”
Lafferty also praised assistant coach Tammy Themer and former head coach Shiloh Kannady, who still remains active in helping the team.
“They really put in so much time with our teams,” Lafferty said. “I really could not have won this without them and the girls.
“It’s really exciting for our program.”