I somewhat agree. I think more the angle that some are taking is defending against the "Well, Mason just has better coaches and a better culture than other teams" and completely discounting the fact that they have the largest pool of kids in the state.
THAT SAID... we can certainly turn the focus back to the race. I mainly focus on D1 boys, so here are my props to individuals who raced out of their mind that day.
Ackley - well duh. Dude finally gets his title. Would love to see him make NXN.
T. Rice - glad he went for it, going with Ackley at 1.2 when he broke away. Rice tried to win, but paid for it at the end, getting outkicked by Sam. Would love to see him make NXN.
Richuitti - helluva kick/finish. The favorite next year. Good call dropping soccer.
Gabelman - I didn't think he'd be fourth, but this guy shows up when it counts. He might be the only one who could give Sam a run next fall.
G. Allwein - Another guy who really showed up. 8th in the Troy region ---> 7th in the state. Nice upgrade there. Watch out for him in the 1600 in May.
L. Bork - is there anyone more steady & smart than this guy? 35th at the mile, 20th at 2 miles, 12th at the end.
E. Zuckett - I had him 30th in my prediction, and I thought it was a stretch. 15th is much better than I expected considering his regional race (26th!). You're officially better than your brother, Elliott.
W. Day - 17th is much better than I thought he'd do, considering he's almost always 2nd fiddle to other guys in his conference - Smith, Gabelman, Miller, Bracken, etc. He's gotta be the favorite for "Most Improved".
A. Bracken - Speaking of... nice run for 24th.
J. Razor - moves up 22 spots in last mile to make All-Ohio (19th). Well done! For reference purposes, Razor was 58th at the preview meet (!).
BUT... the award for the "holy hell where did that come from" goes to...
Trevor Lanoy - 6th overall !?! For a guy who was only 7th at Regionals, and who ran 4:18 & got (famously?) outleaned by two guys at track districts last year, failing to advance... to this? Awesome. Just awesome. I can only imagine being up on that podium with your brothers too. Getting 3rd as a team isn't too shabby either. Memorable day for the Lanoys, especially Trevor.
FOR the "Well, it was not your day but we still remember you" spotlight...
Saketh R - 16th a year ago and a 9:09 guy, but lost a shoe and never recovered (44th). He'll be back.
R Smith - 3rd in his region, beating Gabelman and one of Milesplit's potential favorites to win it all. Not sure what happened when he dropped out (DNF). He'll be back.
E Cope - leader on that TSF team who seemed to fade later in the season (52nd). He'll be back.
S Miller - not a horrible race (35th), but maybe could've/should've been top 20. He's beaten Day, all of the Lanoys, Bracken, Tesfaye Young, others, and won NXR 9/10 a year ago (over Zuckett, others). He'll be back.
D Wood - had top ten potential (9:16 3200). Faded late and really struggled on the final stretch (31st). He'll be back.
FUTURE STARS...
Landon Kimmell - All-Ohio in his 1st state meet. It was perhaps immature to predict a top ten this year for him, but he's a future state champ imo. Ballsy as hell going out with those guys up front.
Mick Temple - He'll give Kimmell a run in '24 & '25. He's got a lot of growing to do, but that stride is already silky smooth.