Category: Boys Cross Country

  • Photos: Cross country regionals in Lyons

    LYONS — Photos from the cross country regional action in Lyons on Thursday.

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  • Photos: Monarch’s Charlie Perry wins cross country regional

    BOULDER —  Monarch’s Charlie Perry won the Class 5A Region 3 boys cross country race, hosted at Harlow Platts park.

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  • Cross country regionals: Schedules and info for all meets

    Liberty Bell cross country
    (Renee Patridge/CHSAANow.com)

    Cross country’s regional meets this season are on Thursday and Friday. Below is a schedule and other information about those meets.

    An asterisk indicates the school responsible for facilitating selection of regional site, time and director. Regional sites are alternated on a yearly basis.

    Regional team scoring:

    • 2A: Score a team’s top three runners.
    • 3A, 4A, 5A: Score a team’s top five runners.

    State qualifying procedure:

    • The top four teams will qualify out of each region.
    • All athletes who finish in the top 15 places qualify individually for state.

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    Class 2A

    Region 1

    • Teams: *Dawson, Byers, Clear Creek, Front Range Baptist, Front Range Christian, Heritage Christian, Highland, Lyons, Merino, Nederland, Shining Mountain, Twin Peaks Charter, Wiggins, Yuma
    • Date: Oct. 19
    • Site: Lyons HS

    Region 2

    • Teams: CIVA Charter, Colorado Springs School, Denver Academy, Denver Christian, *Ellicott, Evangelical Christian, Fountain Valley, Kiowa, Limon, Peyton, Pikes Peak Christian, West Grand, The Vanguard School, Denver Waldorf, Golden View Classical Academy, Lotus School for Excellence
    • Date: Oct. 19
    • Site: North Monument Valley Park (Colorado Springs)

    Region 3

    • Teams: Antonito, Buena Vista, Centennial, Center, Custer County, Del Norte, John Mall, Lake City, Lake County, Moffat, Rocky Ford, Rye, *Sargent, Springfield, Swallows Charter
    • Date: Oct. 19
    • Site: Pueblo City Park Elmwood Short Nine Golf Course

    Region 4

    • Teams: Colorado Rocky Mountain School, Crested Butte Community, DeBeque, *Dolores, Hotchkiss, Mancos, Meeker, Ouray, Paonia, Rangely, Soroco, Telluride, Caprock Academy
    • Date: Oct. 20
    • Site: Confluence Park (Delta)

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    Class 3A

    Region 1

    • Teams: Aspen, Basalt, Bayfield, Coal Ridge, Delta, Grand Valley, Gunnison, Middle Park, Moffat County, Montezuma-Cortez, Olathe, Pagosa Springs, Rifle, *Steamboat Springs
    • Date: Oct. 20
    • Site: Confluence Park (Delta)

    Region 2

    • Teams: Alamosa, Atlas Prep, Centauri, Colorado Springs Christian, Florence, James Irwin, La Junta, Lamar, Manitou Springs, Pueblo Central, Salida, St. Mary’s, The Classic Academy, *Woodland Park
    • Date: Oct. 19
    • Site: Woodland Park Shining Mountain Golf Course

    Region 3

    • Teams: Arrupe Jesuit, Denver North, Denver West, DSST:  Green Valley, DSST: Stapleton, DSST: College View, Faith Christian, Holy Family, Jefferson Academy, Peak to Peak, Pinnacle, Prospect Academy, Ridge View Academy, Skyview, *The Academy
    • Date: Oct. 19
    • Site: Lyons HS

    Region 4

    • Teams: Berthoud, *Brush, Eaton, Estes Park, Fort Lupton, Frontier Academy, Liberty Common, Platte Valley, Sterling, Strasburg, University, Valley, Resurrection Christian, Weld Central, Stargate Academy
    • Date: Oct. 19
    • Site: Monfort Park (Greeley)

    Region 5

    • Teams: Colorado Academy, *Conifer, D’Evelyn, Elizabeth, Englewood, Kent Denver, KIPP Denver Collegiate, Lutheran, Machebeuf (Bishop), Platte Canyon, Sheridan, SkyView Academy, St. Mary’s Academy, Aurora West Preparatory Academy
    • Date: Oct. 20
    • Site: Stenger Soccer Complex, Arvada

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    Class 4A

    Region 1

    • Teams: Battle Mountain, Eagle Valley, Evergreen, Glenwood Springs, Golden, Green Mountain, Littleton, Mullen, Palisade, *Summit, Wheat Ridge
    • Date: Oct. 19
    • Site: Frisco Peninsula

    Region 2

    • Teams: *Air Academy, Discovery Canyon, Falcon, Harrison, Lewis Palmer, Mitchell, Palmer Ridge, Pine Creek, Ponderosa, Sand Creek, Sierra, Vista Ridge
    • Date: Oct. 19
    • Site: North Monument Valley Park (Colorado Springs)

    Region 3

    • Teams: Alameda, *Arvada, Centaurus, Erie, George Washington, John F. Kennedy, Niwot, Standley Lake, Thomas Jefferson, Valor Christian, Vista Peak, Northfield
    • Date: Oct. 19
    • Site: Lyons HS

    Region 4

    • Teams: Fort Morgan, Fredrick, Greeley Central, Longmont, Mead, Mountain View, Northridge, Roosevelt, Silver Creek, *Skyline, Thompson Valley, Windsor
    • Date: Oct. 19
    • Site: Lyons HS

    Region 5

    • Teams: Canon City, Cheyenne Mountain, *Durango, Mesa Ridge, Montrose, Pueblo Centennial, Pueblo County, Pueblo East, Pueblo South, Pueblo West, Widefield
    • Date: Oct. 19
    • Site: Hillcrest Golf Course (Durango)

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    Class 5A

    Region 1

    • Teams: *Arapahoe, Arvada West, Aurora Central, Chatfield, Columbine, Dakota Ridge, Denver East, Eaglecrest, Legend, Smoky Hill, Thornton
    • Date: Oct. 19
    • Site: Northwest Open Spaces (Northglenn)

    Region 2

    • Teams: Bear Creek, Central (GJ), Cherokee Trail, Cherry Creek, Fruita Monument, Gateway, Grand Junction, Grandview, Heritage, Overland, Regis, *Westminster
    • Date: Oct. 19
    • Site: Northwest Open Spaces (Northglenn)

    Region 3

    • Teams: *Boulder, Denver South, Fairview, Greeley West, Hinkley, Lakewood, Legacy, Monarch, Pomona, Ralston Valley, Rangeview, ThunderRidge
    • Date: Oct. 19
    • Site: Harlow Platts Park/Viele Lake (Boulder)

    Region 4

    • Teams: *Adams City, Brighton, Broomfield, Fort Collins, Fossil Ridge, Horizon, Loveland, Mountain Range, Northglenn, Poudre, Prairie View, Rocky Mountain
    • Date: Oct. 19
    • Site: Adams County Fair Grounds (Brighton)

    Region 5

    • Teams: Castle View, *Chaparral, Coronado, Doherty, Douglas County, Fountain-Fort Carson, Highlands Ranch, Liberty, Mountain Vista, Palmer, Rampart, Rock Canyon
    • Date: Oct. 19
    • Site: North Monument Valley Park (Colorado Springs)
  • Dakota Ridge boys XC headline at 5A Jeffco championships

    D’Evelyn senior Lucas Jordan nears the finish line as he finishes 2nd in the 4A Jeffco boys race. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)

    LITTLETON — Dakota Ridge’s boys cross country team simply flew past the competition Thursday afternoon at Clement Park.

    The Eagles went one-two in the individual standings at the Class 5A Jeffco League championships and also took the team title. Junior Austin Vancil repeated his individual title by edging sophomore teammate Connor Ohlson at the line.

    “He (Ohlson) has been beating me the rest season,” Vancil said. “I had to get at least one on him. I pushed at the very end. It was pretty cool.”

    Besides Vancil and Ohlson, the Eagles had their next three runners — Mark Testa, Ben Piegat and Ben Morrin — place in the top-11. Dakota Ridge easily cruised to dethrone three-time defending conference champion Arvada West. A-West’s top runner was senior Andres Perez, he placed 5th.

    Lakewood junior Carley Bennett crosses the finish line after winning the girls’ 5A Jeffco League individual title. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)

    “Most definitely,” Vancil said when asked if the league dominance was what Dakota Ridge had in mind. “We haven’t won in something like the last seven years. We wanted to come in and take the win.”

    The Eagles now turn their attention to regionals next Thursday, Oct. 19 at Northwest Open Spaces in Northglenn. Vancil added that Dakota Ridge is zeroing in on a top-3 team finish at state.

    The 5A girls side also had a repeat individual champion. Lakewood junior Carley Bennett battled the 70-degree temperatures to cruise to an 11-second margin of victory over Arvada West senior Claire Pauley.

    “To defend the title felt amazing,” said Bennett, who added she is hoping for a top-10 finish at state in a few weeks in Colorado Springs.

    A-West girls did grab its third straight team title at the league championships. Pauley, Katie Doucette, Amber Valdez and Civianna Gallegos — all seniors — all placed in the top-7.

    “We love coming to league. This is always our most confident race. We are really proud of what we did today,” Pauley said. “It gives us more confidence going into regionals.”

    Standley Lake senior Cody Dewitt (3277) helped the Gators win the boys 4A Jeffco League team title. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)

    On the 4A girls side, Wheat Ridge junior Tiya Chamberlin’s time of 18:52 was good enough to give her the individual title a year after she was nipped at the line by Green Mountain’s Kasey Klocek.

    “It was very motivating,” Chamberlin said coming off her runner-up at the league championships a year ago. “I wanted to keep pushing that pace. I didn’t let myself drop at the line. I drove through the line.”

    Chamberlin said that running against the likes of Klocek, Littleton’s Addi Iken and Valor Christian’s Keely Jones has pushed her get better over the years. Iken placed 2nd, Klocek took 3rd and Jones finished 6th.

    Golden’s junior Mary Fox (4th) and freshman Jadyn Goodrich (5th) helped propel the Demons to the team title. Most of the 4A Jeffco teams will race in the 4A Region 1 meet in Frisco next Thursday.

    “It’s helped me a lot,” Chamberlin said running against talented girls in 4A Jeffco. “You can’t loose sight of girls and you can’t loose track of your own goals. You can’t be lazy. It’s an awesome mutual relationship we have. We really respect each other and are great friends on and off the course.”

    Standley Lake’s edged D’Evelyn and Evergreen to take the team title in the 4A boys’ side. Seniors Cody Dewitt (5th), Nicholas Shipe (9th) and junior Noah Hendrix (8th) led the way for the Gators.

    Valor sophomore Cole Sprout won the individual title being the lone 4A boys runner to be under the 16-minute mark.

    Runners head out after the start of the girls Class 5A Jeffco League championship race Thursday at Clement Park. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)
  • Arvada West cross country sweeps team titles at Wildcat Invite

    ARVADA — Arvada West’s boys and girls cross country teams successfully protected its home turf Friday, Sept. 15.

    A-West swept the team titles at the 9th annual Wildcat Invite. A-West hosts the 22-team meet at Stenger Soccer Complex, less than 2 miles away from Arvada West High School.

    In the boys varsity race, Eaglecrest senior Mason Brown won the individual title with a time of 16 minutes, 20 seconds. Jefferson Academy senior Ryan Lehmuth (16:27) took second and A-West senior Colin Berndt (16:30) placed third.

    “Obviously not winning it is always going to be upsetting, but it was good and fun for sure,” Berndt said. “I like this run.”

    Junior Drew Craig (6th), along with seniors Andres Perez (13th) and Jacob Valdez (23rd) and junior Nicholas Oliveira (38th) also broke into the top-40 to lead A-West to the team title over Overland. Standley Lake placed third and Ralston Valley took fourth.

    Jeffco’s A-West, D’Evelyn and Green Mountain place in the top-5 of the girls race. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)

    “We could have distanced ourselves a little more,” Berndt said of A-West winning the team title. “None of us really felt that good this week. I’ve been motivating everyone that we’ve got to pull it together next week.”

    Next week is the Dave Sanders Invite on Friday, Sept. 22, held at Clement Park, the same site of the Jeffco League Championships next month. Most of the top Class 5A Jeffco teams will be there to give a preview of what the league championships could look like Oct. 12.

    A-West boys are attempting to win a fourth straight 5A Jeffco team title this season.

    On the girls side, A-West senior Claire Pauley placed second with a time of 18:57 at the Wildcat Invite. Legacy sophomore Brynn Siles dominated the race winning by almost a full 50 seconds.

    “I’m pretty happy,” Pauley said of the race. “Place-wise was definitely good. Time-wise could have been better.”

    Seniors Katie Doucette (5th), Amber Valdez (6th), Civianna Gallegos (15th) and junior Maya Fairchild (32nd) gave the Wildcats a comfortable victory over Legacy (2nd), D’Evelyn (3rd), Denver East (4th) and Green Mountain (5th).

    Pauley said she is excited for the Sanders Meet this coming week.

    “With most of us being seniors we’ve built up our confidence,” Pauley said. “I think we have a pretty good realistic idea on what is going to happen.”

  • Photos: 40th annual Liberty Bell Cross Country Invitational

    LITTLETON — The Liberty Bell Cross Country Invitational, annually one of the top events of the season, was held on Friday.

    Rock Canyon’s Chris Theodore had the fastest boys time of the day — but narrowly. He won the Division 1 race in 15:23, narrowly ahead of Eaglecrest’s Mason Brown and his teammate Easton Allred, who both finished in 15:24.

    Legacy’s Brynn Siles was the fastest girls finisher, and won the Division 1 race in 17:29.

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  • Cross country roundup: Yonatan Kefle of Denver South takes Wash Park Invite

    (@DSOUTHAthletics/Twitter)

    Denver South’s Yonatan Kefle raced away from the field to capture the Wash Park Invite on Friday afternoon.

    The junior won in 16:29, ahead of Jefferson Academy senior Ryan Lehmuth, who was second in 16:52. SkyView Academy’s Ryan Butler was third along with Castle View sophomore Aidan Scott (both finished in 17:12).

    Castle View won the Invite on the boys side, with five runners placing in the top 13. Denver South, the host school, was second, and SkyView Academy placed third.

    Castle View also won the girls team race as their five scorers all placed in the top 21. The Sabercats were led by senior Erin Kraus, who won the individual event in 19:53.

    Brighton junior Kiran Green was second (20:21), and Dakota Ridge senior Skylar Lodice (20:32) finished third.

    Dakota Ridge was second in the girls team race, and Longmont finished third.

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    Devil’s Thumb Hill Climb

    Grand Junction freshman Dolcie Hanlon narrowly won the Devil’s Thumb Hill Climb on Friday, edging Rifle senior Sarah Wagler by 0.57 seconds to win.

    Hanlon won the race in 27:53.30. Wagler finished second in 27:53.87.

    Gunnison won the girls team race by having runners finish third through sixth, led by sophomore Bria Rickert (29:06.85). Rifle was second as a team.

    On the boys side, Gunnison senior Colton Stice led the field and won in 22:36.77. Rangely senior Patrick Scoggins was second in 23:01.11 — narrowly edging Montrose senior Evan Graff, who finished in 23:01.76.

    Gunnison also won the boys race. Paonia was second.

  • Cheyenne Mountain Stampede gives cross country runners a sneak peek at state venue

    (Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)

    COLORADO SPRINGS — Runners from all four classifications got a chance to test their race at the course the state cross country championships will be held in October.

    The annual Cheyenne Mountain Stampede was all day Friday at the Norris-Penrose Event Center.

    Running at the state meet venue “really helps us with our times, because you can set a mark for that state meet when you’re here,” said Rocky Ford’s Cody Danley, who finished second at state a year ago to Custer County’s Jerald Taylor. (Taylor has since graduated.)

    Danley won the Class 2A boys race with a time of 17:22.6, 30 seconds faster than Telluride’s Jaden Evans, who was second. Danley’s effort also helped pace his team to a win in the 2A boys division with 12 points.

    “We’ll know what to go for and try and beat and do our best to beat out there,” Danley added.

    While every team didn’t attend, the Cheyenne Mountain Stampede drew a large number of teams. Still, Danley said he knows more competition is out there.

    “I know there’s going to be a lot more competition at the state meet, and that’s what I’m looking for,” he said. “I like it. It helps me push.”

    (Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)

    Colorado Academy senior Anna Ponzio won the 3A girls race in 19:59.6. Alamosa’s Lilly Lavier was second in 20:40.8.

    The Holy Family girls won the 3A race, led by Alyssa Wells, a freshman, who finished third in 20:52.2.

    “I’ve been training really hard this summer, and I knew I wanted to get out fast,” Ponzio said. “My coaches told me to stay with the top group. I got out, and I was in the lead, and I just felt really good.

    “It helped me so much mentally, because I’ve been really struggling,” she continued. “After last year’s state (meet), I really want to come out and run a great race.”

    Ponzio was 15th at last year’s state meet.

    St. Mary’s won the 2A girls team race, led by seniors Hannah McReavy (20:08.5) and Ana Muehlbauer (21:35.1), who placed first and second, respectively.

    Lamar’s Blake Davis won the 3A boys race in 17:09.5, and Gunnison’s Colton Stice (17:20.3) took second place. Faith Christian won the team race, led by junior Macklin Brockmeyer, who was fifth with a time of 17:44.7.

    In 5A girls, Legacy sophomore Brynn Siles topped the field in 18:21.9. Thornton senior Stephanie Carrasco was second in 19:29.9. Rocky Mountain won the team race, with junior Julia Schlepp placing third.

    Battle Mountain was the top team in the 4A girls field, finishing with 49 points. The Huskies had five runners in the top 14, led by junior Lizzy Harding in seventh place.

    Air Academy swept the top two places in that race, with sophomore Tatum Miller (19:30.1) winning and junior Paige Embaugh (19:34.9) taking second.

    In 5A boys, Legend senior Landon Rast led his Titans to the team title by winning the individual race in 16:46.5. Douglas County’s Michael Long was second in 16:53.9.

    In the final race of the day, Cheyenne Mountain held serve at its own invite. The school won the team race, and senior Thomas Chaston captured the individual event in 16:27.4. Air Academy junior Cal Banta (16:27.8) was second.

  • Arvada West cross country continues to make great strides

    Arvada West’s cross country team returning nine all-conference selections from last season. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)

    ARVADA — Without question it’s a pack running mentality for Arvada West’s boys and girls cross country teams.

    “I teach the kids not to get really nervous or put a lot into any one meet. The focus is to get the job done,” A-West coach Todd Moore said. “If you are having a bad day hopefully someone will step up and take your place. I try to take all the pressure off the individuals. It’s a group mentality.”

    Moore’s group on the boys and girls side this fall has a ton of returning faces — including nine Class 5A Jeffco League all-conference selections from last year.

    Seniors Colin Berndt, Andres Perez, Jacob Valdez and junior Drew Craig are all back on the boys’ side. There is even more returning depth on the girls’ side. Seniors Civianna Gallegos, Katie Doucette, Claire Pauley, Amber Valdez, junior Sadie Haymond and sophomore Emily Burg were all 5A Jeffco all-conference selections last year.

    “I have never had these many kids coming back at one time, especially four senior girls that are all about the same,” Moore said. “Those top four girls can probably run with anyone in the state.”

    Berndt won the 5A Jeffco League boys individual title as a sophomore and finished second to Dakota Ridge’s Austin Vancil last season. Losing to Vancil at the conference championships at Clement Park is something that still sticks with Berndt.

    A-West senior Colin Berndt is focused on retaining the 5A Jeffco individual title. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)

    “That is actually my main goal,” Berndt said of retaining the 5A Jeffco individual league title.

    Berndt bounced back at state with a 10th place finish and is looking forward to making a move up the leaderboard at state coming up Oct. 28 at Norris Penrose Events Center in Colorado Springs.

    “I’m going to try as hard as I can. I want to be up really high at state. I want to be among the top-5 if possible,” Berndt said. “I’ll keep training as hard as I can and see what happens.”

    A medical diagnosis should help Perez lower his times dramatically this season. Perez as had problems breathing and was coughing after races during last spring’s track season. He was diagnosis with asthma and after using an inhaler he dropped his mile time to 4 minutes, 32 seconds and broke 2 minutes in the 800.

    “My junior year in cross country wasn’t exactly what I wanted,” Perez said. “This year I know this whole team will be underdogs and we’ll have fun with it.”

    Despite A-West’s boys team being three-time defending 5A Jeffco League champions and finishing 4th as a team at state, Dakota Ridge might have the inside track on dethroning the Wildcats.

    The A-West girls are two-time defending conference champs. The Wildcats placed 5th at state last year.

    “We are definitely aiming to win league and regionals again,” Doucette said. “Hopefully we’ll place higher in state then we did last year.”

    Gallegos, Doucette, Pauley and Valdez all finished in the top-8 at the Jeffco League championships and in the top-50 at state.

    “It’s really nice and our times are always really close together so we can push each other a lot,” Doucette said. “That really helps with training.”

    It’s not all business for A-West. The Wildcats make sure that the summer training sessions were productive and enjoyable.

    “It’s really fun because we all get along and know each other really well,” Valdez said. “Practices are really fun. We just always have fun.”

    Pauley said the team would train six or seven days a week all summer. Individuals came to the school by 7 a.m. as a team almost every morning.

    That dedication has built A-West into a cross country powerhouse.

    “They train all year-round. It has been one of those things were success breeds success,” Moore said. “Nobody wants be the one who lets the team down. Nobody wants to be the class that doesn’t get it done.”

    A-West will host its annual Wildcat Invite on Sept. 15 at Stenger Soccer Complex in Arvada this season. Moore designed the course with a snaking style where it’s easier to coach the runners during the race by seeing them multiple times.

    “It gives more opportunities for kids to compete in meets,” Moore said of his reasoning for A-West to host a meet. “Nowadays there is a problem because there aren’t that many meets because it’s hard to get a facility.”

    Clement Park will be the site of the Jeffco League championships Oct. 12. A-West heads to the Northwest Open Spaces Park for its regional meet Oct. 19.

  • Boys XC preview: Gunnison, usually an underdog, may emerge as state title contender

    Gunnison cross country has a habit of staying out of the limelight.

    Despite placing in the top 15 at the Class 3A boys state meet nine times in a row, which includes five top three showings, they don’t always get discussed as much as a few other traditional contenders.

    “We kind of like having an image of being a bit of an underdog,” senior stalwart Jon Wilkinson admitted. “We have so many hilly races that we don’t always put out the best times, so other teams on the Front Range who run more flat and fast courses may look at us and think of nothing of it.”

    When it comes to the state meet, the Cowboys often saddle up and show their clout, though. They finished in third place a season ago, following fifth- and fourth-place showings the previous two campaigns. It might be wise to keep these guys on your radar throughout the fall.

    For one, Gunnison features a one-two punch that could be unmatched in 3A this year. Wilkinson and junior Colton Stice both have their eyes set on podium finishes in the top 10-after placing 17th and 14th a season ago.

    “They are two really talented runners who had tremendous track seasons,” longtime coach Gregg Smith said. “I’m so excited to see what they’re going to be able to do this year. Over the years they’ve set big goals and this year their goal is to try to get into state and bring home some hardware.”

    Stice is one of the premier young runners in Colorado, posting swift 800 (1:57; fifth place) and 1,600 (4:25; third place) times at the state track meet. Wilkinson more than held his own in the spring, earning a state medal in the 1,600 (4:29, fifth) as well.

    The two veterans could challenge for an individual crown at the state meet, but they also hope to accomplish something that has never been done in school history — win a cross country team title.

    “I would be so incredibly honored my senior year for us to be the first team to win the state title in cross country,” Wilkinson said excitedly. “It would be awesome to win it also for our coaches, wonderful coaches who support us more than anyone else really. To give them a state title would be incredible.”

    With the training grounds around the area, sitting at 7,700 feet, Gunnison is confident they’ll once again be ready for the hills of the championship course.

    “We have mountains surrounding us, so we do a lot of pretty gruesome hill workouts all over the place,” Wilkinson said. “We also do a lot of intervals on beautiful trails. The fact we have all these mountains out our backdoor is a pretty good advantage for us.”

    A program that also draws inspiration from being in the same town as Division II powerhouse Western State, Gunnison will rely on competitors like juniors Garrett Butts and Wulf Stark this season, among others, to back up Wilkinson and Stice. Colton Stice’s brother Brennan might provide a spark as a first-year.

    The Cowboys have faith in their abilities, but they also know the strength of other programs in 3A. Alamosa graduated their top four runners, but being the three-time defending state champions doesn’t come without a reason. They’ve won five titles overall and “rebuilding” isn’t a theme. The Classical Academy, D’Evelyn, Peak to Peak, and Faith Christian are among a wide variety of teams with hopes of unseating Alamosa.

    In 5A, Monarch, Mountain Vista and Rock Canyon appear to be the most clear-cut contenders on paper. Monarch ended a four-year title streak by Vista last season. Rock Canyon senior Chris Theodore is one of the top individual competitors.

    In 4A, the Palmer Ridge Bears are in pursuit of their third title in four years. The depth of this program is outstanding. Silver Creek, led by James Lee (1:54 800 and state champion; 4:14 1,600) and Brock Dykema, has a special senior contingent that could factor into the national scene. 4A will be entertaining.

    In 3A, The Vanguard School snapped a four-year championship run by Lyons, but Lyons might be a slight favorite in 2A over Mancos and Heritage Christian Academy this time around. Isaac Roberts is a familiar name in Colorado running circles.

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    Boys Cross Country preview

    Important dates

    • Regular season begins: Aug. 24
    • Regional meets: Oct. 19-20

    State championships:

    • 5A/4A/3A/2A: Oct. 28, Norris Penrose Event Center, Colorado Springs, CO

    Defending champions:

    • 5A: Monarch
    • 4A: Palmer Ridge
    • 3A: Alamosa
    • 2A: The Vanguard School

    Returning all-state runners:

    • 5A:
      • First Team: Connor McCabe, Rampart, Sr.; Charlie Perry, Monarch, Sr.; Harrison Scudamore, Denver East, Sr.
      • Second Team: Colin Berndt, Arvada West, Sr.; Carter Dillon, Mountain Vista, Sr.; Yonatan Kefle, Denver South, Jr.
      • Honorable Mention: Beraki Awet, Palmer, Sr.; Jacob Dewey, Rampart, Sr.; Chase Dornbusch, Lakewood, Sr.; Derek Fearon, Rock Canyon, So.; Chris Theodore, Rock Canyon, Sr.; Austin Vancil, Dakota Ridge, Jr.
    • 4A:
      • First Team: Evan Graff, Montrose, Sr.; Cole Munoz, Widefield, Sr.; Cole Sprout, Valor Christian, So.
      • Second Team: Ben Highfill, Pueblo South, Sr.; James Lee, Silver Creek, Sr.; Ryan Matson, Palmer Ridge, Sr.; John O’Malley, Centaurus, Sr.; Matthew Roberds, Mesa Ridge, Jr.
      • Honorable Mention: Calvin Banta, Air Academy, Jr.; Cooper Brown, Centaurus, Jr.; Brock Dykema, Silver Creek, Sr.; Maxwell Herebic, Palmer Ridge, Sr.; Brandon Hippe, Palmer Ridge, Jr.; Dillon Powell, Air Academy, Jr.; Josh Torres, Northridge, Sr.
    • 3A:
      • First Team: David Fine, Elizabeth, Jr.; Canaan Lamberth, The Classical Academy, Sr.; Ryan Lehmuth, Jefferson Academy, Sr.
      • Second Team: Macklin Brockmeyer, Faith Christian, Jr.; Andrew King, Platte Valley, Sr.; Nate MacDonald, D’Evelyn, Sr.; Tyler Scholl, Middle Park, Jr.; Colton Stice, Gunnison, Jr.
      • Honorable Mention: Ryan Butler, Skyview Academy, Sr.; Blake Davis, Lamar, Sr.; Wyatt Lehr, Lamar, Sr.; Kyle McCabe, Holy Family, Sr.; Jon Wilkinson, Gunnison, Sr.; Jordan Wilson, Skyview Academy, Sr.
    • 2A:
      • First Team: Cody Danley, Rocky Ford, Sr.; Ben Kelley, Soroco, Sr.; Patrick Scoggins, Rangely, Sr.
      • Second Team: Jaden Evans, Telluride, Jr.; Levi Kilian, Highland, Jr.; Nick Lovato, Vanguard, Sr.; Isaac Roberts, Lyons, So.
      • Honorable Mention: Seth Bruxvoort, Heritage Christian Academy, Jr.; Keaton Case, Heritage Christian Academy, Jr.; Gary DeLeon, Rocky Ford, Sr.; Colton Jonjak-Plahn, Lyons, Jr.; Caleb Smith, Peyton, Sr.; Field Soosloff, Lyons, Sr.; Teslin Stecher, Mancos, Jr.