Santiago Corona senior Rylee Blade\'s and Mercer Island (WA)\'s Owen Powell win girls and boys sweepstakes races, set meet records at the 43rd Woodbridge Classic.
Crater senior Josiah Tostenson and Washington standout Owen Powell took their battle to the tape late Saturday night at the Woodbridge Cross Country Classic in Irvine, California, with each breaking
Herriman, Hamilton, Rock Canyon and Shadow Ridge go 1-4-7-10.
Hamilton is legit. One of the strongest AZ times in recent history. Still likely on the outside looking in when it comes NXR time but still, they showed they have a seat at the table.
Rock Canyon has reloaded well. This is a team that has been just outside of greatness for years before winning 5A state last fall. They lost a lot from graduation, but their performances this fall show they may be here to stay.
Shadow Ridge. Nevada has been a XC wasteland for years. This team beat some nationally ranked teams - impressive.
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Niwot is somehow under that radar and is possibly the only team in the country that can run with Herriman. They can match Herriman up front and with incredible depth. What they just did at St. Vrain was incredible - going 1 through 6 vs. a loaded field that contained multiple 9:05 guys is no small task.
American Fork and Coronado also likely take 2nd in this meet.
Mountain View, Riverton, Taylorsville, Valor, Cheyenne Mountain, and Thompson Valley are all SW teams that either have beaten or could beat Rock Canyon.
That's up to 12 SW teams that could possibly qualify for NXN if they were just in another region.