Colony grads make run to next level

PALMER — Early in the careers of Brandon Schafer and Lyon Kopsack, Colony head cross country coach Mark Strabel saw a unique drive and ability.

“(I told them), you guys have the talent and dedication to go beyond just high school running. The sky’s the limit for them, both of these guys,” Strabel said.

Next fall, Schafer and Kopsack, both recent graduates of Colony High School’s class of 2014, will realize Strabel’s hopes off seeing the former Knights runners compete at the college level. Schafer has committed to Northwest Nazarene in Nampa, Idaho, and Kopsack will run for UAF.

“These are two guys you just want to have on the team. They always just made the team better,” Strabel said.

Both runners will join Division II programs in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference, the league that also includes UAA. Schafer is one of three recruits recently announced as an incoming freshmen by Northwest Nazarene.

“I think it’s a really good fit for him,” Strabel said. “He’s got a lot of raw talent. The first year will be real eye-opening, but he can build upon that. He’s going to make a huge improvement.”

Strabel said Schafer possesses a variety of attributes that can allow him to be successful.

“There are a bunch of little, small things, that all make him such a great person, athlete and runner,” Strabel said of Schafer. “He’s got a good head on his shoulders. He’s got the talent, motivation and drive, and is very coachable.”

Northwest Nazarene also sees potential in Schafer, who will also compete on the Crusaders track and field team.

“There is a lot of upside to Brandon, and he’ll be a great performer for us in cross-country and track,” NNU head coach John Spatz said in a press release issued by the school’s athletics department recently. “Brandon is competitive in a variety of distances and will bring depth to the cross-country team and good middle-distance experience on the track team.”

Schafer capped his senior season of cross-country running with a personal record time of 16 minutes and 44 seconds during the ASAA/First National Bank State Cross-Country Running Championships at Bartlett High School in Anchorage. He finished 15th in the 4A boys class. Schafer was also fourth in the Region III Championships, and won his race at the Mat-Su Borough Championships earlier in the season.

Schafer earned three top-9 finishes at regions in his high school career. He was third as a junior and ninth as a sophomore at the region meet.

Kopsack is part of a UAF recruiting class that features two Alaskans and two Europeans. Kopsack was the first cross-country recruit inked by UAF during the offseason.

“Lyon is a tremendous student-athlete, and we are excited to have him be a Nanook,” UAF assistant coach Joey Nunes said in a press release issued by the school’s athletics department. “He has not only shown success in competing at high school meets, but also at various other competitions around Alaska.”

Kopsack comes from a family of well-known mountain runners in the Valley. Strabel, who has known the UAF recruit since Kopsack was a toddler, said Fairbanks is a good fit for Kopsack.

“The moment he left Alaska he’d be homesick,” Strabel said.

Strabel joked that Fairbanks may still be too far away from Alaska’s tall mountains, but Kopsack is still driving distance from his home.

With his experience in mountain running comes a toughness that’s hard to compare, Strabel said.

“I’ve tried to figure out how tough he is, and where his breaking limit is,” Strabel said. “I’ve come close over the years. With Lyon, I just knew he was tough. I knew he would do anything you asked him to do.”

Kopsack, running in his first state meet, finished 20th as a senior, with a season-best time of 16:54. He was also eighth in regions as a senior. As a junior, Kopsack posted his career-best time of 16:44 at the Palmer Invitational.