The Lamar boys have been at the center of a lot of things lately and it is a reasonable guess that they aim to stay there. Photo by Alan Versaw.
By now, you're probably pretty accustomed to thinking of Lamar as being at the top of this pile. But--as good as Lamar figures to be--that could be in question for next year.
Before we get to the Tri-Peaks boys for 2015, however, I have a sidebar to dispense with. Exactly what are the "Tri-Peaks"? Taking nominations here, Pikes Peak looms large over Colorado Springs, Greenhorn Mountain towers over Rye (not officially a current league member, but they make the Tri-Peaks their cross country league home nevertheless), Fishers Peak dominates the Trinidad skyline. Two Buttes dominates the skyline for miles around from a little south of Lamar. Mt. Shavano commands the landscape over Salida, and Mt. Yale holds a similar position over Buena Vista, but highway between the two towns is dominated by Mt. Princeton. And, on a clear day, you can see the Spanish Peaks from a very large percentage of the real estate covered by the Tri-Peaks League. I guess La Junta doesn't really have peak to call their own. So, I ask, what are the three peaks alluded to by the league name? Inquiring minds want to know!
Until we get that resolved, we'll divert some immediate attention on the prospects for the boys Tri-Peaks league title for 2015.
Lamar figures as a pre preseason favorite, but Vanguard and Salida are definitely close enough to mess up some plans if the presumptive favorites aren't both careful and diligent. Vanguard is a team that coughed and stumbled a little down the stretch this fall and was better than what they showed at the end of the season. Salida is a team that should be just about coming of age by the time the next cross country season rolls around.
I've been around the Tri-Peaks a long time and have no recollection the Manitou boys coming as high as fourth in any league measure. But, look again, and there they are in the rankings of returning teams! Are we about to see the revival of Manitou cross country fortune? Have the Manitou boys ever had cross country fortune (that's not a rhetorical question--I really don't know the answer to that one)?
Anyhow, here's what it looks like from a long way away (like, maybe, the summit of West Spanish Peak):
| 1 | Lamar High School (CO) | 40 | ||
| 1) Jacob Rogers | 16:03.40 | 2 | ||
| 2) Kaleb Crum | 16:47.00 | 4 | ||
| 3) Blake Davis | 17:02.00 | 7 | ||
| 4) Cole Hiigel | 17:37.70 | 13 | ||
| 5) Matthew Hartshorn | 17:38.20 | 14 | ||
| Average Time: 17:01.66 Total Time: 1:25:08.30 1-5 Split: 1:34.80 | ||||
| 6) Wyatt Lehr | 19:14.00 | 28 | ||
| 7) Derek Oxley | 19:48.00 | 30 | ||
| 2 | Vanguard School, The (CO) | 42 | ||
| 1) Miles Hatton | 16:48.00 | 5 | ||
| 2) Harley Morgan | 16:54.00 | 6 | ||
| 3) Slade Kelling | 17:14.50 | 8 | ||
| 4) Andrew Briar | 17:30.70 | 11 | ||
| 5) Nick Lovato | 17:31.00 | 12 | ||
| Average Time: 17:11.64 Total Time: 1:25:58.20 1-5 Split: 43.00 | ||||
| 6) Alexander Eccles | 17:45.10 | 17 | ||
| 7) Tyler Gard | 18:14.00 | 19 | ||
| 3 | Salida High School (CO) | 55 | ||
| 1) Taylor Stack | 15:31.00 | 1 | ||
| 2) Seth Minor | 17:14.90 | 9 | ||
| 3) Russell Orris | 17:20.80 | 10 | ||
| 4) Morgan Fitzgerald | 17:39.00 | 15 | ||
| 5) Ian Olson | 18:28.20 | 20 | ||
| Average Time: 17:14.78 Total Time: 1:26:13.90 1-5 Split: 2:57.20 | ||||
| 6) Ike Timko | 19:03.00 | 26 | ||
| 7) Jesse Orris | 20:48.00 | 35 | ||
| 4 | Manitou Springs High School (CO) | 131 | ||
| 1) Jared Keul | 18:12.80 | 18 | ||
| 2) Bryce Vanderveer | 18:31.60 | 21 | ||
| 3) Seth Nolen | 19:02.00 | 25 | ||
| 4) James Kilroy | 19:58.50 | 31 | ||
| 5) Patrick Ortiz | 20:55.00 | 36 | ||
| Average Time: 19:19.98 Total Time: 1:36:39.90 1-5 Split: 2:42.20 | ||||
| 6) Noah Sobek | 21:12.79 | 42 | ||
| 7) Brian Hall | 21:52.60 | 45 | ||
| 5 | St. Mary`s High School (CO) | 132 | ||
| 1) Nathaniel Bodnar | 18:40.10 | 22 | ||
| 2) David Vangampleare | 18:46.50 | 23 | ||
| 3) Andrew Maal | 18:57.00 | 24 | ||
| 4) Andrew Beaudoin | 19:46.00 | 29 | ||
| 5) Grady Gosselin | 20:43.00 | 34 | ||
| Average Time: 19:22.52 Total Time: 1:36:52.60 1-5 Split: 2:02.90 | ||||
| 6) Luke McCarthy | 21:11.00 | 40 | ||
| 7) Colton Barta | 21:12.00 | 41 | ||
| 6 | La Junta High School (CO) | 156 | ||
| 1) Gage Mayo | 16:41.20 | 3 | ||
| 2) Lance Shoulderblade | 19:04.50 | 27 | ||
| 3) Manuel Villegas | 19:58.80 | 32 | ||
| 4) Johnny Lopez | 22:47.00 | 46 | ||
| 5) Theo Dutt | 26:48.00 | 48 | ||
| Average Time: 21:03.90 Total Time: 1:45:19.50 1-5 Split: 10:06.80 | ||||
| 7 | Rye High School (CO) | 194 | ||
| 1) Faris Blackhurst | 17:43.60 | 16 | ||
| 2) Sam Wolyn | 21:03.30 | 38 | ||
| 3) Zach Richardson | 21:18.93 | 43 | ||
| 4) Phillip Reed | 26:25.00 | 47 | ||
| 5) Russell Fleming | 29:35.00 | 50 | ||
| Average Time: 23:13.17 Total Time: 1:56:05.83 1-5 Split: 11:51.40 | ||||
| 8 | Florence High School (CO) | 202 | ||
| 1) Michael Bauby | 20:27.40 | 33 | ||
| 2) Cole Alford | 20:59.51 | 37 | ||
| 3) Kevin Stotler | 21:07.17 | 39 | ||
| 4) Charles Wanner | 21:33.87 | 44 | ||
| 5) Michael Rhodes | 27:46.00 | 49 | ||
| Average Time: 22:22.79 Total Time: 1:51:53.95 1-5 Split: 7:18.60 | ||||