Mars's Bill Donovan finds himself in an unusual position among area cross country coaches.

With an amazing nine returning letterwinners, his team could be poised to make a run at the section title.

"One of our goals is to win the section championship," said Donovan. "Being one of the top four in the WPIAL isn't out of reach."

That scenario would send Mars to the PIAA Championships as a team. Sophomore Cody Kier, who qualified for the state meet last year, will lead the Planets.

Teams like Butler will try to replace some of their star power - the Tornado lost Zach Vavro, Ryan Edmiston and Andrew Voll; Slippery Rock lost Brent Niedergall and Karns City lost Dylan Parker - but Butler coach John Neff senses a pattern.

"A lot of teams seem down this year," said Neff. "We're not the only school to lose big-time kids. I don't think the WPIAL is weak, but it's not as strong as it has been."

The Keystone Shortway Athletic Conference will welcome some new schools, such as Rocky Grove, Venango Christian and Cranberry.

"The KSAC is going to be tough," said Moniteau coach Jim Metz. "Rocky Grove is in and they're always a strong team.

"I set our goals high and the kids do, too. We're going for the KSAC," Metz added.

The following are previews for the upcoming boys cross country season:

Coach:John Neff, fourth year2003 record:7-3 overallReturning letterwinners:Seniors James Rogerson, Ray Melder, Zach best and Chris HenryKey losses:Zach Vavro, Andrew Voll and Ryan EdmistonCoach's comment:"Last year, we had a really strong team. Those guys stepped up. This year, these guys are ready to mature. They have to. We have a really young team, but we can surprise some people."

Coach:Randy Huey, 18th year (after one-year absence)2003 record:5-4 overallReturning letterwinners:Juniors Ian Carrow and Jon McPheron and sophomores Oliver Flynn and Cy FlemingKey losses:Matt Gaudet and Kyle DayCoach's comment:"It's hard to tell what we can do, but the effort is not a shortcoming. The boys seem to pack together well. The one thing they'll have to do is to move that pack up a little bit to be competitive."

Coach:Wess Brahler, fourth year2003 record:13-9 overall, 2-5 in the sectionReturning letterwinners:Seniors Frankie Moxie and Eric Nebel; juniors Artie Black and C.J. Burns and sophomore Ben HuttererKey loss:Jeff KileyCoach's comment:"I think we'll be a lot better than last year. We lost a few guys, but we're filling in pretty nice. Artie, Ben and Frankie have legitimate shots to qualify for states. Having those three guys will make us competitive. We'll have to fill in with the other guys."

Coach:Bill Donovan, second year2003 record:11-5 overall, 5-2 in the section for third placeReturning letterwinners:Seniors Brian Beck, Calvin Brooks, Sean Fox, Dan Pierre, Adam Smetana, Mark Stenner and Karl Zellars; junior Devin Howes and sophomore Cody KierKey loss:Jon DiurbaCoach's comment:"I think we have a shot with that many returning runners and Cody out front. We also have a nice crop of freshmen. Cody was No. 1 as a freshman and looks strong already. One of our goals is to win the section championships."

Coach:Bob Livrone, seventh year2003 record:4-10 overallReturning letterwinners:Senior Shane Sarver, junior Brendan Reilly and sophomore Bryan TagueKey loss:Brady CrytzerCoach's comment:"Shane qualified for states last year by finishing 13th at the WPIAL meet. He's stronger this year and he'll have a shot at the top five this year. Brendan also has a shot at states, and Bryan gives us a strong base. How our team performs will depend on our newcomers."

Coach:Tony Consbruck, first year2003 record:12-2 overall, third in the MCACReturning letterwinners:Seniors Clint Orloski and Jeff Lyons, junior Rob Whitt and sophomore Chase ContiKey loss:Brent NiedergallCoach's comment:"We've got some new young men who are working hard. Some of our veterans are helping to put our philosophy into focus."

Coach:Mike Sample2003 record:7-3 overallReturning letterwinners:Senior Nick Konchar and sophomore Charlie BaerKey losses:Darren Holmes, Lenny Wilson and Ben HenselCoach's comment:"We're green. We have some talented athletes, but we're young. We have some first-year runners who have to get used to training. We have two guys returning. The rest of the team has run before but not varsity. The first couple of meets will be a test."

Coach:Don Loughry, 26th year2003 record:9-1 overall, KSAC runner-upReturning letterwinners:Seniors Travis Fiscus and Chris Prokay, junior Andrew Harmon and sophomore Travis HendellKey loss:Dylan ParkerCoach's comment:I'm optimistic about our team based on the District 9 meet of our top four returning runners. North Clarion will be strong again. Rocky Grove is in our conference now and so is Cranberry. Rocky Grove is strong but North Clarion is still the team to beat."

Coach:Jim Metz, fourth year2003 record:5-6 overall, 3-2 in the KSACReturning letterwinners:Seniors Neil Hartshorne and Doug Gebhart and sophomores Andy Weichey, Matt O'Malley and Aaron SmithKey loss:Cody CampbellCoach's comment:""We have five freshmen that are looking strong and three juniors and one sophomore that are out for the first time, and they're a great help. We want to improve on last year and want to keep stepping forward."

Coach:Randy Carmichael, third year2003 record:5-5 overallReturning letterwinners:Juniors Mike Brothers and Jason Custer and sophomore Brett MooreKey losses:Josh CusterCoach's comment:"Those guys have been with me since ninth grade. It's our third year and last year we were .500. We expect to go a little further. We'll see how the season goes. They've come along way in three years."