What was McKay Larson doing in the JV race? He scored for their varsity at Liberty bell. Speed ratings were somehow lower than at Desert Twilight. Cherokee trail only had one person with a speed rating above 170 (strand, who ran a 182). With those speed ratings it’s impossible to make NXN from the SW region
Cherry creek was missing Addison Price and Kinley Wolfe
Possible Champion: Valor - Super strong top 3. Their 4-5 didn’t look that good at the regional meet, and they have to show up around CT’s pack to give them a chance at the win.
Possible Champion: Cherokee Trail - Strong frontrunner with Strand, lots of depth with mid 15 runners at Liberty Bell. If Strand shows up, and if their 2-5 pack finishes as close as they can to him, they look really good.
3-4th: Rock Canyon - Lots of depth on this team, beat Valor at the smaller regional meet, but they do not have a crazy fast front runner like Valor and CT do. Their entire pack has to show up if they want to podium.
3-4th: Mountain Vista - Super strong top 2, but their 3-5 have to show up if they want to podium.
So who are the top individuals in Colorado? Who's going to run the fastest times across all classifications at state/NXR?
Some names in the conversation for 5A boys (I think), without any superstars this season it's looking like some tight exciting races for individual titles:
Christian Groendyk from Fort Collins is having a great season, he won Liberty Bell and Desert Twilight and now Region 4. Will those performances on fast courses translate to the state course?
The two Chaparral boys are rounding into form, and Tanner Brown is the defending 5A state champion so he probably deserves to be in the conversation, but his teammate Brennan Draper has beaten him a couple of times this season, including regionals yesterday.
Tyler Downs and Benjamin Anderson from Mountain Vista, Downs hasn't raced much this season, and we haven't seen MV at regionals yet, but he's won everything he's run including St. Vrain and brings 1:52 800m speed to the table.
Hunter Strand Cherokee Trail, always in the mix and he's run some fast times, he seems like a solid bet for a top 5 finish.
Valor's top 3 could all be in the mix, but Dane Eike has consistently been one step ahead of his teammates.
Evan Kraus from Erie HS has been mixing it up with many of the above all season and run some solid times. He looks like another solid bet for a top 10 and maybe even a top 5 finish.
What about the lower classifications? Anyone from 4A and down going to put up faster times than these guys above?
So do you REALLY think Coach Kelly needs to walk up to Alan Culpepper and Dathan Ritzenheim and list all the reasons their children should go to Niwot?
It's understandable to be frustrated at how hard it is to compete against that.
But it's not OK to either assume or to flat out lie and slander about how they ended up there.
So do you REALLY think Coach Kelly needs to walk up to Alan Culpepper and Dathan Ritzenheim and list all the reasons their children should go to Niwot?
It's understandable to be frustrated at how hard it is to compete against that.
But it's not OK to either assume or to flat out lie and slander about how they ended up there.
I truly agree. There is a difference between choosing a school to go to and being recruited there
Some names in the conversation for 5A girls, like the boys, without Riley Stewart this year the girls race looks up for grabs:
Brooke Wilson Valor - returning state runner-up, won the Desert Twilight, looks to be her race to loose, but...
Bethany Michalak Air Academy - has been in the conversation all season, was second at Desert Twilight but just beat Brooke Wilson at regionals
Emma Stutzman Pomona - Is undefeated this season, she won Liberty Bell and just won Region 3 by 50 seconds, I don't think we've seen her on a hard course yet this year
Emily Lamontagne and Ava Mitchell from Arapahoe - 3rd and 4th place finishers at state last year, there's no reason to think they won't both be in the mix again this year. They haven't run regionals yet so we'll likely know more about their recent fitness after Saturday. Lamontagne had a great track season last spring, she has to be in the conversation for another top 3 finish in XC
Ella Johns Fort Collins - returning 5th place finisher at state, has consistently finished high at the big fast meets this season, she didn't run regionals, will she run at state?
4A girls: Ella Hagen Summit - Ella looks like the class of 4A, she has had an increadibble season and has beaten some of the girls listed above in 5A. She finished second at Liberty Bell and St. Vrain. She could very well put up one of the fastest times across all classifications when the dust settles next weekend, you certainly have to like her chances coming down from 9,000 feet to the hard state course.
Bella Nelson, Addison Ritzenhein, Mia Prok from Niwot - With Niwot's depth it's really hard to pick any favorites from their team from league or regionals, Mia Prok is the highest returning finisher in 4A finishing 3rd last year. My prediction is Niwot goes 2-8 or close to it with these 3 leading their team, but I don't see any of them beating Hagen unless she has a bad day.
3A girls: Isabel Allori Liberty Common - Isabel looks to be the class of 3A, she's undeafeted this season, including beating Ella Hagen of Summit twice. When all is said and done this season Isabel may end up being the top girl XC runner from Colorado across all classifications.
Katelyn Maley Basalt - She's the two time defending state champion in 3A, it's hard to bet against her this season and she hasn't raced Allori yet, she still looks like a solid pick for second in 3A and if Isabel has a bad day Katelyn might get the 3-peet.
Allison Pippert Stargate - She's been in the mix at some big meets and she's the returning state runner-up in XC and the long distance track races behind Maley and Allori respectively. Pippert seems like a lock for 3rd in 3A.
So do you REALLY think Coach Kelly needs to walk up to Alan Culpepper and Dathan Ritzenheim and list all the reasons their children should go to Niwot?
It's understandable to be frustrated at how hard it is to compete against that.
But it's not OK to either assume or to flat out lie and slander about how they ended up there.
Thanks coach kelly for your input! Don’t you have state to worry about tho?
4A boys look strong this year, we could see multiple 4A boys running faster at state than the 5A boys:
Will Brunner and Porter Middaugh Battle Mountain - These two really seem to be coming on at the end of this season, Porter was 3rd at St Vrain while Will was 6th, but Will has beaten Porter the last couple of weeks including Regionals though not by very much. Both of them have broken 15 minutes twice in the last couple of weeks in Colorado on a course that isn't Liberty Bell, which is no small feet. Brunner also ran the 17th fastest time on the state course ever at 15:39.40 back in September at the Cheyenne Mountain Stampede. It's not difficult at all to speculate that these 2 could go sub-15:30 on the state course at the end October, which only 5 other boys have done in Colorado history.
Dominykas Remeikis Summit - Dominykas started out the season on fire, beating Will Brunner at the Cheyenne Mountain Stampede in September with the 16th fastest time ever run on the state course and then a 7th place finish and fast time in the Sweepstakes race at Liberty Bell. He's slowed down some during the second half of the season, hopefully it's just heavy training and not injury that's effecting his performance. Like his teammate Ella Hagen you have to like his chances coming down from 9,000 feet in the mountains to the challenging state course, there's no reason to think he couldn't also go sub 15:30 on the state course at the end of October.
Jacob Bach and Lucas Bossinger Palmer Ridge - A similar story as Battle Mointain for Palmer Ridge; two boys running pretty close to each other towards the top of the standings. Jacob looks to be the favorite with the win at regionals and the faster time on the state course at the Cheyenne Mountain Stampede, but Lucas has the faster time from Liberty Bell.
Jacob Sushinsky Mullen: Jacob was only 2 seconds behind Will Brunner at Regionals this week and almost 11 seconds ahead of Dominykas Remeikis. With this single race he has put himself in the conversation with some of the best in 4A.
Rocco Culpepper Niwot: Culpepeper has had two convincing wins to finish his regular season. As a 9th grader he has managed to distinguish himself from the rest of the Niwot pack which is no easy task. He may not quite be ready to run with the absolute best in Colorado, but a top 10 finish at state seems almost a given and a top 5 finish in the relm of possibility.
3A boys:
Matthew Edwards and Chandler Wilburn Classical Academy - It's hard to get a feel for where these two guys are at this season, Classical Academy gnerally doesn't race fast courses. Chandler Wilburn finished 7th at St. Vrain in the big school race and was within a few seconds of the course record on the deKoevend Park course at regionals, but we haven't seen anything yet to expect something special come state. Then we have to consider that Matthew Edwards ran the 10th fastest time on the state course ever last year as a 10th grader winning 3A, and so far this season his teammate Chandler Wilburn has been beating him by just a little bit almost every week. It's entirely possibble that these two are about to drop two of the fastest times in state course history next weekend, Classical Academy has a history of running really well on the state course. Nothing we've seen so far this season points to that, but then again nothing last season suggested Matthew Edwards was on his way to running the 10th fastest time in state history.
Logan Gullett Eaton - Logan is the returning 3A state runner-up and was the 3A 3200m state champion last spring. He has been mixing it up all along the front range all season and has run some fast times at big meets like Liberty Bell and St. Vrain where he finished 5th beating Chandler Wilburn. Logan also handed Christian Groendyk from Fort Collins, a 5A favorite, his only loss of the season. If the Classical Academy boys are truely poised to do something special at state, Logan could have a great day and still end up in 3rd, but if they are not Logan could easily walk away the 3A state champion. Either way it may well take the fastest time of the day across all classifications to win the individual 3A state title.
So do you REALLY think Coach Kelly needs to walk up to Alan Culpepper and Dathan Ritzenheim and list all the reasons their children should go to Niwot?
It's understandable to be frustrated at how hard it is to compete against that.
But it's not OK to either assume or to flat out lie and slander about how they ended up there.
Thanks coach kelly for your input! Don’t you have state to worry about tho?
