Did anyone else happen to notice how deep Vista's girls team is? That's something worth mentioning. I think there is no questions about who will win NXN.
I’ll be driving the Trabuco Hills bandwagon the rest of the year, and I’m here to say that the way they ran yesterday should raise plenty of questions for any team trying to beat them.
Mountain Vista, with the depth you pointed out, is probably the favorite, especially in a race like NXN where 4-5 scorers take on an outsize importance, but I think it’s a bit premature to anoint them champions.
I’ll be driving the Trabuco Hills bandwagon the rest of the year, and I’m here to say that the way they ran yesterday should raise plenty of questions for any team trying to beat them.
Mountain Vista, with the depth you pointed out, is probably the favorite, especially in a race like NXN where 4-5 scorers take on an outsize importance, but I think it’s a bit premature to anoint them champions.
Trabuco very nice, but only their top 4 are strong, 5 is their weak link.
Trabuco very nice, but only their top 4 are strong, 5 is their weak link.
Vista goes 7 deep, Bethlehem 5.
I pick 1- Vista, 2- Bethlehem 3- Trabuco.
Their #5 (Watts) was a D-1 All Stater last year. She’s struggled this season like Holly did early on, but if she gets back on track like Holly did, they can definitely win NXN. They put the country on notice yesterday.
I’m just not sure trabuco will do well in the mud being from California whereas judging from last year, the CO teams thrive in the mud. I could be wrong though, you never know
I’m just not sure trabuco will do well in the mud being from California whereas judging from last year, the CO teams thrive in the mud. I could be wrong though, you never know
cant speak for the entire team but I recall from last year that Barker was one of the few Californians who ran well at NXN (along with Jaelyn Williams). so the stereotype that Californians cant run at Glendoveer is rife with exceptions even if based on some truth.
but everyone has been predicting doom and gloom for Californians based on weather conditions for the last 12 months. well its getting pretty close now. do we have any concept of how it may actually be looking weather wise leading up to that weekend? god forbid it actually be a nice day...
Both Blade and Ritz coasted today. These are qualifying races for them not championships.
Hedengren will still be favorite at NXN.
Coasted?? As in saving themselves? Sorry but that’s completely false. Everyone wants that win. Addy wasn’t even close. As much as Dathan fans would like to think the daughter is #1 she’s far from it.
Both Blade and Ritz coasted today. These are qualifying races for them not championships.
Hedengren will still be favorite at NXN.
Coasted?? As in saving themselves? Sorry but that’s completely false. Everyone wants that win.
You have no idea what you're talking about. Plenty of runners don't try to win an NXR or Foot Locker regional race and are just trying to qualify for the national race.
Regardless of the Desert Twilight conditions, 72+ and sunny is not ideal racing temperatures.
Let me help put Hedengren's run in perspective. Hutchins ran 15:58 at RunningLane, the same course where Sahlman and the Youngs went 14:03, 14:05, 14:05. The top boy in the. Southwest didn't even run the fastest time of the weekend, going 14:23.
When I saw her start, I said, well, she's winning by a landslide. She's that good and the reason she entered the #1 ranked runner in the country.
And, at NXN, appears we will finally get that matchup which has been brewing for years: healthy & fit Hedengren vs healthy & fit Englehardt.
The problem is the way her Wikipedia page reads; it conflates her 5000m track time with her cross country time:
“She holds Tennessee state records in the mile (4:43) and 1600m (4:44), and set an American U20 national record in the 5000m (15:34)[5] — the first-ever high school girls' cross-country 5,000 in less than 16 minutes.[5]”
Jenna Hutchins (born March 25, 2004) is an American long distance runner for the BYU Cougars. She was named NCAA First Team All-American in the 10,000m and All-Big 12 in the 5000m in 2024. Prior to college, Hutchins was twice...
I’m just not sure trabuco will do well in the mud being from California whereas judging from last year, the CO teams thrive in the mud. I could be wrong though, you never know
Why do you think it will be muddy this year.
Besides the mud of last year, the biggest “equalizer” that the strong California runners have typically faced through the years at NXN is the fact that they have to race a brutal schedule in successive weekends leading right up to NXN, unlike competitors from other parts of the country that get at least one week off.
This may be the chief reason the biased SpeedRating does not appear as deceptive as it is after the post-season smoke clears.
Let me help put Hedengren's run in perspective. Hutchins ran 15:58 at RunningLane, the same course where Sahlman and the Youngs went 14:03, 14:05, 14:05. The top boy in the. Southwest didn't even run the fastest time of the weekend, going 14:23.
When I saw her start, I said, well, she's winning by a landslide. She's that good and the reason she entered the #1 ranked runner in the country.
And, at NXN, appears we will finally get that matchup which has been brewing for years: healthy & fit Hedengren vs healthy & fit Englehardt.
That's a good matchup but it's too bad that Leachman isn't healthy and fit right now.
As far as Hedengren vs Engelhardt goes, the worse the weather is the better it is for Hedengren.
Wrong. When you're one of the best in the country a minor meet like CIF SS is not important.
If she were only an individual, you might be right. But you’re honestly trying to make the case that after taking the race out 5 seconds clear of the field at 1 mile, and then leading through 2 miles, she gets passed by 2 girls from the team her team is trying to beat and just says, ah well this is just a qualifier?
She probably had no idea of the destruction occurring behind her and as far as she knew her scoring 1 point vs 3 points could have been the difference between her team winning and losing.
If you’re making the case that the entire Santiago team viewed Section Finals as a “qualifier”, I think that would be too cute by half. These are high school kids not professional athletes, and Santiago has not shown themselves so much better than the field to be able to “run through” CIF Finals with an eye towards State and NXN.
There is a very real possibility that if they end up 3rd to Trabuco and Buchanan they’ll be on the outside looking in. And in that case a victory over Trabuco at CIF would have been a help to their at large chances.
Clearly Blade was not at her best on Saturday, but I think it defies the facts to say she coasted. Hopefully she and the rest of the team bounce back for this weekend. The Div 1 race could be an all time team battle if they, Buchanan, and Trabuco are all firing.
I’ll be driving the Trabuco Hills bandwagon the rest of the year, and I’m here to say that the way they ran yesterday should raise plenty of questions for any team trying to beat them.
Mountain Vista, with the depth you pointed out, is probably the favorite, especially in a race like NXN where 4-5 scorers take on an outsize importance, but I think it’s a bit premature to anoint them champions.
Trabuco very nice, but only their top 4 are strong, 5 is their weak link.
Vista goes 7 deep, Bethlehem 5.
I pick 1- Vista, 2- Bethlehem 3- Trabuco.
I agree, I don’t see how vista loses.
Ive got Bethlehem over Trabuco but it could go either way. I wouldn’t be surprised at all if Bethlehem wins on points but Trabuco has a decently lower team average.
The problem for Trabuco is thier 1-2 could be a full minute faster than bethlehems pack but in actual team scoring numbers that would still look like the two Trabuco girls in the top 4 and the Bethlehem pack going 15-20. Whereas the Bethlehem pack could be a minute in front of Trabuco’s 5 and she places around 90+.
Obviously these are estimations. If either team has a good day, they will take it.
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