National Top XC Boys 2017

Add Connor Wells to this list for Loudoun. Another Dad-to-Pentagon move. He ran 9:40/4:28 as a freshman but was injured last year.

VA Coach wrote:

Add Connor Wells to this list for Loudoun. Another Dad-to-Pentagon move. He ran 9:40/4:28 as a freshman but was injured last year.

What a joke. All-Star teams are pathetic.

Who else is transferring to the Pentagon?

Easy there PA'd Coach. This isn't like AAU basketball where parents get a "kick-back". Dad has to transfer...one of their kids has a unique skill (could be a pianist, could be a swimmer, could be a kid with a special need...)...parents look to find a place for that kid to flourish. Typically those distance athletes went to a few schools in Fairfax County because it is closer to the Pentagon. Now Loudoun County is getting some of these kids...so now the balance of power is, well, more balanced.

VA Coach wrote:

Easy there PA'd Coach. This isn't like AAU basketball where parents get a "kick-back". Dad has to transfer...one of their kids has a unique skill (could be a pianist, could be a swimmer, could be a kid with a special need...)...parents look to find a place for that kid to flourish. Typically those distance athletes went to a few schools in Fairfax County because it is closer to the Pentagon. Now Loudoun County is getting some of these kids...so now the balance of power is, well, more balanced.

This^

I couldn't agree more. Unless someone from Loudoun County schools or an XC coach or parent had something to do with the dad getting a transfer, this is not an all-star team. If I were transferred to the pentagon my kid would run at Loudoun County too.

Old Wrestler wrote:

VA Coach wrote:

Easy there PA'd Coach. This isn't like AAU basketball where parents get a "kick-back". Dad has to transfer...one of their kids has a unique skill (could be a pianist, could be a swimmer, could be a kid with a special need...)...parents look to find a place for that kid to flourish. Typically those distance athletes went to a few schools in Fairfax County because it is closer to the Pentagon. Now Loudoun County is getting some of these kids...so now the balance of power is, well, more balanced.

This^

I couldn't agree more. Unless someone from Loudoun County schools or an XC coach or parent had something to do with the dad getting a transfer, this is not an all-star team. If I were transferred to the pentagon my kid would run at Loudoun County too.

I agree. It's all about having that proper power balance. If dad has to commute 50 miles each way to work so Sam can have a shot at winning a national title, that's worth it.

1. 11 Colton Bogucki 4:14.86a May 5 Dogwood Classic

2. 10 Jacob Hunter 4:17.15a May 5 Dogwood Classic

3. 10 Jacob Windle 4:24.47a May 5 Dogwood Classic

4. 11 Peter Morris 4:27.36a Apr 29 Apple Blossom Invitational

5. 9 Kevin Carlson 4:32.81a May 12 Millbrook Last Chance

6. 10 Brayden Cassidy 4:34.67a May 12 Millbrook Last Chance

7. 10 Jack Tracy 4:36.45a May 5 Dogwood Classic

8. 11 Chase Dawson 4:45.66a Apr 21 Wolverine Classic

9. 9 Kellen Hasle 4:50.83a May 16 VHSL Conference 21

10. 9 Jeremiah Mussmon 4:51.47a May 12 Millbrook Last Chance

11. 9 Josh Walker 4:53.39a May 12 Millbrook Last Chance

12. 9 Eliot Peterson 4:53.42a May 12 Millbrook Last Chance

13. 10 Clayton Lundberg 4:55.94a May 12 Millbrook Last Chance

14. 2 Scotty Hill 4:56.80a May 16 VHSL Conference 21

15. 10 Joseph Cannata 5:04.26a May 12 Millbrook Last Chance

3200 Meters

1. 11 Peter Morris 9:12.65a May 5 Dogwood Classic

2. 11 Colton Bogucki 9:13.25a May 5 Dogwood Classic

3. 10 Jacob Hunter 9:27.40a Apr 21 Wolverine Classic

4. 9 Kevin Carlson 9:39.27a May 5 Dogwood Classic

5. 10 Jacob Windle 9:41.87a May 12 Millbrook Last Chance

6. 11 Chase Dawson 9:48.96a May 5 Dogwood Classic

7. 9 Kellen Hasle 10:11.04a May 16 VHSL Conference 21

8. 10 Jack Tracy 10:11.56a May 12 Millbrook Last Chance

9. 10 Brayden Cassidy 10:15.64a May 16 VHSL Conference 21

10. 9 Eliot Peterson 10:24.94a May 16 VHSL Conference 21

11. 10 Noah Peterson 10:33.34a May 16 VHSL Conference 21

12. 9 Jeremiah Mussmon 10:41.74a May 16 VHSL Conference 21

13. 10 Colin Donohue 10:42.40a May 12 Millbrook Last Chance

14. 2 Scotty Hill 10:44.14a May 16 VHSL Conference 21

15. 11 Adam Broshkevitch 10:44.52a May 12 Millbrook Last Chance

16. 9 Josh Walker 10:46.94a May 16 VHSL Conference 21

17. 11 Falkon Ellis 10:48.13a May 12 Millbrook Last Chanc

So you are thinking possibly that the LoCo schools, a high school coach or a parent could trump the US Military in their decision on where to transfer a soldier. I hope no one in the military reads this thread...they would be extremely offended.

Also, Loudoun County is both a County and a high school. In fact, Loudoun County has produced Patrick Joseph and Tommy Curtain, among others. Loudoun Valley is a different high school in Loudoun County.

Sorry, but Wells dad is NOT a transfer, he is already there and has been for a number of years. He's simply moving to Loudoun Valley because it's LV

Another Coach wrote:

Sorry, but Wells dad is NOT a transfer, he is already there and has been for a number of years. He's simply moving to Loudoun Valley because it's LV

Therefore, it's an all-star team.

This is for those of you complaining that LV is an "All-Star" team, because families are choosing to MOVE into the school district. If you were the coach/principal/AD of this school and athletes and their families wanted to be part of it, enough that they CHOOSE to move into the district, would you tell them to go away and not do it? How would that work exactly? "Thanks, Mr. and Mrs. Wells, but we don't want you and your kid to move to town. It will displace other kids on the team and look like we are recruiting athletes." "Thanks for your interest, Mr. and Mrs. Affolder, but please move to Fairfax county instead and go to Lake Braddock because they are probably expecting you since that is usually where good military kids end up who move to the area." Would that be the appropriate response? These people have not broken any rules. They have chosen to move into an area that feeds into LV, because LV has a good distance program AND it is a good school.

In other school districts, with different rules, it is perfectly acceptable to go to a school outside your zoned school. And yet, I don't think those teams are called "All-Star" teams. What about schools that have a wonderful academic program and people choose the school for that? Why is that OK and this not OK? What about choosing a school that offers ROTC when you are a very good volleyball player, and that school has a great volleyball program which you can be a part of if you join ROTC because you can go to school there if you do? Is that any different? I can think of quite a few examples of these situations.

"Sorry, but Wells dad is NOT a transfer, he is already there and has been for a number of years. He's simply moving to Loudoun Valley because it's LV"

This is exactly what state associations discourage; transferring on athletically motivated grounds. Why is this different than a kid wanting to transfer for academic reasons? Because academics are the foundation of our educational institution, not athletics. If he was transferring for academics than it would make much more sense if he were choosing one of the five other schools ranked ahead of Loudoun Valley, such as Stone Bridge, the top ranked high school in LoCo and only 12 miles from Freedom versus the 25 miles to LV, then maybe that would be logical.

It is in fact not different at all than the aforementioned thinly veiled transfer of a great volleyball player to a school that has an ROTC program and just so happens to have a great volleyball program as well. That sort of thing happens all the time and it goes against the spirit of the rules.

If Wells has not moved than he is not eligible to run for LV until his senior year per VHSL rules anyway.

Say your kid is a robotics prodigy and, by the way, happens to love robotics. The school in the next town is know for their robotics program. Would you not want your kid to go to that school; would you not maybe even move to get your kid into that program? I believe that is what is going on here...no recruiting, no under the table payments. Not completely sure of the eligibility rules but if the families in question do not move to the Loudoun Valley school district then they should not be allowed to compete for LV. If they do move to the LV district, no issue. I think what we have here is a jealous or scorned coach maybe? Coach - I would find out the addresses of these families (not hard to find), camp out in front of their [new?] homes on the first day of school and see if these kids get on the bus (I am actually somewhat serious here)! If you catch them cheating, you will be a hero. If not, go back to what you love to do...coaching kids.

State associations may want to discourage families from moving into a school district for athletic reasons...I don't know if that is true or not. But if it is true, I am not sure why. If you look at this from the perspective of the athlete and their parents, why in the world would you NOT want to be at a school with good programs in your child's area of interest or skill, whether it is sports, band, drama, debate, robotics, whatever? Especially if the academic programs are reasonably equivalent from school to school. Some schools have perfectly adequate extracurricular programs for the average kid, whatever their interest may be. Others have really poor programs which don't help average kids develop and certainly don't help talented kids reach their potential either. These are usually led by adults who just don't have a passion for the activity, in my experience. I don't understand why any parent who had the choice of moving to a different school for a particular program, whether athletic or otherwise, would be vilified for that choice, or even discouraged from making it.

This assumes that parents are making these choices for the right reasons. Associations, for better or for worse, don't want all of the control in the hands of the parents. "My kids needs to start at QB or we are transferring." Fall would become tryouts for football, basketball and hockey. It would happen. Most states stick by the one year of ineligibility standard for a transfer that does not include a move. Most also have an appeals process to decide if there might be another legitimate reason. On the surface the statement "students should be able to transfer for sports" makes sense. Anyone who has worked with transfers knows that it is not at all as simple as it seems.

I understand what you're saying about providing your child with the best opportunities. Would I move to allow my robotics wunderkind the chance to study in a great program? Maybe I would, maybe I wouldn't, but either way it doesn't change the rules outlined by most state associations, including Virginia's.

I believe the primary difference between transferring for athletic reasons and transferring for academic reasons has to do with the fact athletics are not seen as a viable career in the eyes of high school governing bodies.

I agree that giving your kid the best opportunity, whether academically or athetically, is something that many parents look to do; however, if it's done behind the losing school coach's back while a the same time front facing talking about the future of the team, pretending to be excited, then not even having the respect for that coach and telling them at the end of the school year (aka the last day of school) that they are moving...that is something else entirely. According to VHSL rules, a move of a parent/guardian must occur from one school district to the other, for the athlete to participate in a season. If no move occurs, then they can apply for a move of school HOWEVER the athlete must sit out 365 days and not participate in ANY sport at the new school. Of note, this kid sat out all of the last season (outdoor track) (as a sophomore) due to a serious injury; at least that is what they said.

So we have established a virginia all star team and that great oak will give them a run anyway. Who else nationally can compete with these 2 teams? Roosevelt and Dana Hills, as well as Loyola should compete in the top 10 in the country out of CA. Any good Utah teams this year? Illinois, where you at? Green Hope got a chance to be top 10 out of NC this season? Who you got? Who we missing?

Davis

American Fork

Bozeman

Mountain View ID

Other teams that could challenge for a spot on the podium at NXN are Wayzata from Minnesota and Carmel from Indiana.

Springville is currently a strong Utah team based on what they return from last XC season and the 3200 times.

Downers North Grove is a strong program from Illinois with its impressive 3200 times.

The Woodlands is another great team that is returning 4 runners from a team that finished 8th at NXN last year. They have great depth also.

CBA once again had great 3200 times this spring and always has had strong XC programs but they haven't performed their best at NXN since 2013.