For Henry Stevens-Carty, the wait is over.

Stevens-Carty returns to action on the cross country trail this season at Allatoona after sitting out the 2008 season following his transfer from Kennesaw Mountain.

With his arrival, Stevens-Carty gives the fledgling Allatoona program, beginning only its second season, a big boost. The senior is among the top contenders for not only the county and Region 7AAAA titles, but the Class AAAA state title as well.

Stevens-Carty is full of ambitious plans as he enters his first and only season at Allatoona.

"I'm really excited about the season," Stevens-Carty said. "I have a lot of goals I have set for myself. This is my senior year and I want to make the most of it."

As Allatoona's first cross country standout, Stevens-Carty is eager to take the leadership reins for the young Buccaneers.

"It is a bit of a responsibility, but I totally accept it," Stevens-Carty said. "I want to help Allatoona have a great season and I want to put the school on the map in cross country. It's a bit of a responsibility, but I look forward to the challenge."

Stevens-Carty prepared for the cross country season this summer by competing against some of the best track and field athletes in the world in his age group at a couple of international meets - the World Youth Games in Bressalone, Italy and the Pan American Games in Rio de Janiero, Brazil.

Competing in the 800-meter run in both meets for his native country of Bermuda, Stevens-Carty finished sixth in the semifinal round (1:53.01) at the World Youth Games and placed ninth in the preliminary heats at the Pan American Games.

"It was a great experience competing for my country of Bermuda," Stevens-Carty said. "To compete against the best athletes in the world in my age group helped my development as an athlete. It was an eye-opening experience."

Stevens-Carty spent the first two years of his high school career at Kennesaw Mountain, where he finished 15th in Region 5AAAAA and 63rd in the state in Class AAAAA as a sophomore in 2007.

After the 2007-08 season, Stevens-Carty decided to transfer to the brand-new Allatoona, where the chance for a fresh start at a new school and the presence of his Kennesaw Mountain coach Dave Ravenscraft were factors in his decision.

"I felt more comfortable being at Allatoona and making a fresh start there," Stevens-Carty said. "It was a good fit for me."

Stevens-Carty was forced to sit out the season after his transfer to Allatoona, in accordance to GHSA rules, though he was allowed to run in a few unofficial open races during the '08 season.

For Stevens-Carty, the year off from competition was a positive experience.

"It helped me mature as an athlete and a student," Stevens-Carty said. "It gave me a chance to focus more on school. While I wasn't running, I was able to sit down and watch other runners and I learned so much about strategy and technique."

Stevens-Carty gave a possible preview of things to come for the cross country season when he ran a personal-best 16:18 at the Foot Locker Southeast Regional in Charlotte, N.C. last November.

Now, Stevens-Carty hopes to apply what he learned in his quest for region and state titles in his senior year.

"I want to accomplish a lot of things," Stevens-Carty said. "I want to win the region title and the state title. We have a pretty good team and I want to help my team become a huge success. It's going to be a great year."