The Oakville Senior High School boys’ cross country team has one of Missouri’s premier runners in camp as the 2010 season opens.

The difference this year is that head coach Mike Bishop may have a team to go with his premier runner.

The Tigers will be led by junior Jake Bast, a two-time Suburban West champion and two-time All-State distance runner who appears ready to repeat those performances.

“Hopefully, our two through six runners will form a pack,” Bishop said. “Hopefully, they’ll be close to Jake this year. If that happens, we’ll be a really strong team.”

With more than two dozen runners in training, Bishop is happy to enter every event this season with a full slate of varsity, junior varsity and freshman competitors.

“In the ’90s we had the teams. Since then, we’ve been short on numbers,” Bishop said.

Senior Lucas Beckman is returning for his fourth year of cross country. The Tigers’ third runner, Bishop expects him to in that same spot this year.

Senior Nick Creahan also will be in Bishop’s top three or four runners. Junior Brian Whaley, who qualified for the state championships as a freshman, figures to be back in the top echelon of Tiger runners.

Sophomore Ben Reed figures in the team’s plans as well.

This year’s distance squad benefits from Ervin and Elvir Sarajlic, freshman brothers who have come to camp this fall with a good training base.

“We look for them to be among our top runners,” Bishop said.

Two years ago Oakville qualified its entire team for the state final event.

“The year before we had the whole team qualify for state and we had high hopes of returning,” Bishop said. “We were stronger than the year before, but a lot of other teams were too. The kids that were on that team, several of them are seniors and juniors now.

“I think this is the best of the past three years. If everybody stays healthy, we might have a state-qualifying caliber team.”

Bishop’s belief is shared by the athletes this season as well.

“A lot of these kids ran all summer long,” he said. “There is a nice little group that showed up for fun runs all summer.”

Oakville Boys’ Cross Country

Sept. 1 Tune Up Meet A 4 p.m.

Sept. 3 Lutheran South Inv. JB 4 p.m.

Sept. 9 Webster Invitational A 4 p.m.

Sept. 16 Parkway Central Inv. A 4 p.m.

Sept. 21 Fox Invitational A 4 p.m.

Oct. 1 Ladue Invitational A 4 p.m.

Oct. 7 Zimmerman Inv. JB 4 p.m.

Oct. 9 Conference A 4 p.m.

Oct. 14 Parkway Invitational A 4 p.m.

Oct. 23 Districts A TBA

Oct. 30 Sectionals A TBA