MN XC 2025 thread

So are you saying that Semling lives in Wisconsin? That does seem a bit odd.

Yes very well put, it's becoming an issue in class A. Not sure what else could really be done about it though, better to have a co-op than to not have a xc team at all.

I guess for Cotter, if you know you're going to have the top 2 runners in the state, might be more interesting to reach out to MSHSL and bump up to AA. Odds are Semling is just going to dominate again next year and Cotter eyeing the state championship, although Redwood looks good on paper too. For me, just not impressed with a private school or large co-op winning state. Teams like Redwood and Litchfield are very impressive, just like Perham was back when they were legit in class A.

GSL is an interesting none co-op school, they are two towns 7 miles a part, it would be like if Redwood had that Wabasso runner added to their team (2nd in section 3A, 59th at state). In the future, some of these high schools aren't being updated or rebuilt, a school like Wabasso could be one of those.

I agree - I'd rather see co-ops become more common and have more competitive teams all around. I know there are some consistently good small-school teams (Bertha-Hewitt, Wadena, St. John's Prep, Barnesville, Hawley, Pierz, Riverside Christian, Crosby-Ironton to name a few) that would be crazy good if they co-oped with another small high school near them. If Class A consolidated more and had more competitive team battles I think you'd see times elevate even more than they did this year.

I also agree Cotter should consider bumping up - it would be a lot better for Erik himself if he were running against higher stakes competition more consistently and it'll hold him back developmentally staying in Class A. He only had full-race competition at the St. Olaf HS Showcase and Griak. In my opinion, he'll be going into NXR underprepared and it's going to significantly reduce his chances of ever getting to NXN.

Erik has come on strong late in the season after underwhelming results early on. I'm out of the loop on Heartland runners, but I'd imagine a 2nd MN guy would have a shot at qualifying. Quentin and Fries a strong 1-2, then after that? I'll have to do some more research. Have to think Blaine has an outside shot after Sioux Falls Lincoln

How did Edina manage to make it into the championship race at NXR?

Link or it didn't happen

They finished 3rd in the most competive section in the state. Ran pretty well at Griak. Historically strong program.

To use IceColdXC terms, I'd call Erik "in the mix" for the last spot with guys like Stuwe and Flippen. If he has a great day he could have a shot!

probably region

The co-op conversation is interesting. Not sure the solution (if there is a problem), but having a co-op feels like a legal "cheat code" to stay Class A and widen the net of getting decent runners on the roster. We have mentioned it before too, but teams like Perham and Redwood Valley also have no soccer teams which is a huge bump for XC roster numbers.

There is zero chance that Cotter would try to bump up to AA. It is not like they are dominating the class each year- they have never won a state title and doing so next year is far from a given. They should try to enter meets during the season with better individual competition, but why risk the chance of not having future teams qualify for the state meet for the sole purpose of one extra race with better competition for Erik?

For NXR, Erik is very much in the mix. Solo 15:19 at state as a sophomore. He would need a great day but I think he has a better chance than Flippen.

If not this year, next year

Cotter boys team needs to focus on winning class A before considering bumping up

Not that odd when you consider Winona's proximity to small towns Wisconsin with no private school options.

His father was a Wisconsin small school state champion in the 90s.

Not all that rare. Coeur D’Alene ID has someone on the team who lives in WA.

Hah legal cheat code is a great way to put it. Yes and soccer is generally a huge hamstring for a cross country program.

Thinking more - Erik is still just plain better than the AA field though so I guess overall it's maybe not even a ton better than being in A and I do agree it's never going to happen. Third last year, second this year, you know what they're thinking for next year when they "only" lose Groth and have some great young talent and a history of improvement.

However, you want to see great talent maximize their potential and it's hard to do that when the next two finishers are your teammates and they're behind by 20-30 seconds. When you get to the NCAA system and start finishing 95th, how are you going to cope psychologically? Erik is a fantastic runner, and I hope he achieves all of his stated goals. I have got to imagine if you're that much better than your race, though, there's a big part of you that wanted to be in the AAA race on Saturday to see what you could have really done.

Great video of the Class AA boys race. My thoughts below:

• Loth winning was a shock. Only ran one 3200m this spring (9:46) and ran both 800m/1600m at state, but nothing special. Also didn't realize he legit led the whole race, not just in the lead pack but was leading the lead pack. Very impressived and hope he runs more 3200m races this spring. Really smooth runner.
• The 6:44 mark in the video shows Obst falling down the homestretch.Not sure if he wouldn't have beaten Loth, but strong race and season by him.
• Wirth was the other favorite who seemed to have an off day. Expecting to see him back in front next year.
• Team-wise, Como blew expectations out of the water. I was coming around on them as the #2 team in the field last week, but didn’t think they could beat Perham.
• Like I said in earlier post, Perham ran really well. Especially their 3 underclassmen. At Griak, they had their #5 in front of Como's #3 but at state Como beat them at each of the first four spots.
• Orono’s seniors ran great. Hallen matched every move up top until the final bit. Loberg didn’t have his best day but I don't think it wouldn’t have been enough to get 2nd.
• Becker ran okay- it was about what I expected with no huge standout performances. I thought Felton would place higher individually. Top 4 are all seniors, so will be tough for them to get back next year.
• Manakto East was solid with especially strong races from their #4/#5. They just have 1 senior (and 1 junior) so expecting them to be in the favorites talk next year.
• Belle Plaine and Cloquet ran better than expected. Bemmels for BP especially great race. Not as strong of a day for Minnehaha and Delano. Big Lake was a little farther back than I thought too with one of their scorers having an off day.

Overall, 9 of the top 14 and 18 of the top 30 are seniors, so there will be a lot of turnover for next year.

As I said it is a bit odd. Did I make myself clear?

Not sure what is odd about a kid commuting 10 minutes to attend a private school... There is a bridge over the river