Kearns cross country's Cody Glad has tougher competition this year.

Luckily for the defending Region 3 champion Cougars, it's his teammate Richard Obele.

In a sport that has individual as well as a team emphasis, the story between Glad and Obele is that of synergy. Together they can achieve and produce a combined greater effort than they would be able to do alone.

"There is no way I would be here where I am without [Richard]," Glad said.

"Yeah, same for me," added Obele.

It's been a process to get Obele to understand a strategy that works for him in cross country. And since he's figured that out, he has run the fourth fastest time in Cottonwood Complex course history.

"Last year, when the guns went off, I would take off real fast," said the senior who immigrated from Sudan in 2004.

"[Obele] was going out way too fast last year and I said, 'Look, if you want to beat [Glad] you just gotta run with him and outkick him because you got the better kick,'" said eight-year head coach Jim Flanagan.

The two seniors have gone 1-2 in their first three meets. Obele won the Premier XC Invitational and the Pre-Region 3 Meet and Glad won the Cougar Challenge Invitational. "We get to that last 400 meters, [and] whoever wants it more takes it from there," Obele said.

Kearns looks to win the regional team championship, a meet where it finished fourth last season and missed qualifying for the state meet by one spot.

"This year our goal is to take first in region," Glad said. "We have the team. We've put in the miles. If our team runs the way we have been in workouts, we can do it."

With Glad's knack for pace and Obele's power kick, the dynamic duo will be a threat. —

Big Game:

West at Hunter • Both teams, now 2-1, will look to shake off previous losses and rebound against each other. West lost to East 24-14 and Hunter lost to Brighton 7-3.