New Carthage High School track, cross country coaches announced

(From Carthage R-9 School District)

The Carthage Tigers boys track team will have a new head coach for the spring, 2022 season. Retiring head coach Andy Youngworth will hand the reins over to current assistant coach, Logan Wilson.

Wilson hails from Neosho High School where he was an all-conference and all-district sprinter. He served as team captain his junior and senior years while at NHS. In addition to track, he played football for the Wildcats and was named all-district and was team captain.

After graduation from high school, he attended Missouri Southern State University where he earned his Bachelor of Science in Education. He also has earned his Master of Science in Educational Leadership from Northwest Missouri State University. He’s a member of the Missouri Track and Cross Country Coaches Association.

Upon graduation from MSSU, Wilson returned to his alma mater as an assistant track and field coach for one year. He spent a year at McAuley as an assistant track coach before being hired by Seneca High School as their head boys’ varsity track and field coach. He served in that capacity at SHS for three years until his arrival in Carthage in 2016.

In addition to his role as a current assistant coach for the CHS track program, Coach Wilson is the head 8th grade football coach at Carthage Junior High. He teaches physical education, health, and social studies. He will assume head coaching duties for boys’ track for the 2021-22 school year.

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Brian Crigger has been selected as the new Head Coach for the Carthage High School cross country program. Crigger currently serves the district as the junior high head coach, as well as lending a helping hand to retiring coach Andy Youngworth. He had also been an assistant under Youngworth before leading the Junior High Tigers.

Coach Crigger hails from Springfield where he was a standout runner for Parkview High School. His prep career with the Vikings saw him leave PHS as a record holder in cross country, as well as holding the school record in the 3200 meter run. Crigger credits much of his success to his former high school coach, Missouri Hall of Famer Don Keeton.

Upon graduation from Parkview, Crigger joined the Bears at Missouri State University. Running for another coaching legend, Coach Houston Franks (now at LSU), Crigger put in three full seasons with the cross country and track and field programs while pursuing his bachelor’s degree at MSU.

In 2006, Coach Crigger joined the faculty at Carthage Junior High School where he teaches 8th grade social studies. He has served CHS as assistant cross country coach for three years, and head cross country coach at CJHS since 2008. He currently is the head coach for the junior high track teams serving in that role since 2016. From 2006 to 2016, he was an assistant junior high track coach.

Crigger is also joining the CHS Tigers track team for the 2022 season as an assistant coach. His concentration as part of the track staff will be coaching the distance runners.

In addition to his coaching and teaching duties, he is an active member of the Southwest Missouri Cross Country Coaches Association. He has also been the race director or co- director for the Carthage Cross Country Invitational, Erick’s Run 5k, and the Boom Run 5k.