McElvain Takes Over Cross Country At Clay

Entering his second year at Clay County High School, established basketball coach Jermaine McElvain takes on a new challenge as the head cross country coach.

McElvain has spent nearly a decade holding various basketball coaching positions throughout the Upper Cumberland, he still serves as an assistant for the boy’s and girl’s at Clay High and is the head girl’s coach for Celina K-8. McElvain said when the opportunity arose to coach cross country, he remembered his time as a cross country and track athlete in high school.

“You never know how it can come around full circle,” McElvain said. “I just remember all the practices, the coaches, the camaraderie amongst your teammates, the school getting behind you and supporting you. And then a program like this, a small single A school just like how my high school was, a small single A school in Chattanooga, I just couldn’t say no to the opportunity.”

Clay’s athletic prestige has been on McElvain’s radar since his move to Cookeville in 2006. He said that the fit feels right and goes beyond athletics.

“The school is great, the faculty is great, I just love being here,” McElvain said. “The county is awesome, they’ve been very welcoming. I feel like I’ve been here longer than two years, honestly. And now that I’m in a position that I’m in for the Clay County cross country, that’s a program that’s done pretty good in the past, i just want to be able to help grow it and just do the best I can for the kids.”

Part of what McElvain is doing to help his kids, is a focus on the body. This summer he spent time studying human biology and sports medicine in hopes to maximize his runners performance and overall health in their daily life.

Being a basketball coach first, McElvain said he is used to scheming plays and studying film to help prepare his players. But now in cross country he said it is about finding a routine that works and sticking with it.

“Stretch, eat right, drink right,” McElvain said. “Not just one or two days a week, but this is something that has to become a daily habit, in taking care of your body and maintaining your body.”

And taking care of his athlete’s bodies is extra important to seniors Ethan Barnes and Mia Ledbetter whose 2023 season’s were derailed due to nagging injuries.

McElvain said both Barnes and Ledbetter are leaders of the team, both in their words and their performance. He said he expects big things from both seniors if they can avoid injuries.