Excelsior Springs is in position to beat the heat and get its cross country season underway Saturday.

The Tigers are slated to open with the Tim Nixon Cross Country Invitational at the Capitol Federal Sports Complex in Liberty. Activities are slated to begin at 8 a.m., Excelsior Springs School District information states.

As of Monday, the forecast for Saturday was a low in the mid-70s and a high in the mid-90s.

Jacob Ewer, who’s in his third year as a cross country coach overall and his second at Excelsior Springs, likes opening at the invitational.

“It gives us an opportunity to see where we are while competing against a variety of programs, including some Class 5 schools that we will be racing against later in the season,” Ewer stated in his fall sports preview questionnaire. “One of the things I like most about cross country is also one of the biggest challenges: You never know exactly what you are going to get. Every course and every race is a little different, and you have to be prep…