This Week In Colorado High School Cross Country


Adventure calls your name at the Chris Severy Invitational Saturday in Aspen.

It's October. Championship season is nearing. In fact, it begins this week for a robust number of teams. Out-of-state travel meets are done, I think, for all of Colorado's teams. 

There are a few invitationals remaining, and some of those fairly large, this week and a smaller number next week, but many teams will be running sub-varsity squads at the remaining invitationals.

Here's a more detailed look at this week's schedule:

Tuesday

There is one Tuesday high school meet, and that's the Pat Amato FR/SO. Freshman/sophomore meets don't get as much opportunity in cross country as in track and field, but this one has a long history and usually has a very good turnout. Named after the Northglenn High School coach who fashioned a very strong program and a few state championships 30 or 40 years ago, it's also known for pulling in several varsity type runners. No doubt it will do the same this year.

Wednesday

The Pikes Peak Athletic Conference settles things among its member schools at Air Academy High School. And, if everyone gets on board with the idea, the convergence of Discovery Canyon, Palmer Ridge, Air Academy, Cheyenne Mountain, and the rest of a top-to-bottom solid league sounds like a very competitive meet. Discovery Canyon and Air Academy are just back from Arizona, though, and may be thinking they need more time to put the pieces back together than the timing of this meet allows. We shall see how that plays out. Tentatively, Robert Gonzales will be taking on his first Colorado Track XC assignment at this meet. We had him lined up earlier this year for the Air Academy Kadet until lightning knocked the meet off the calendar.

Thursday

The schedule starts ramping up for the weekend on Thursday. There will be two meets on Thursday and both of them fairly important meets.

Up in the Denver area, the 3A Metro League meet takes to Anthem Park in Broomfield to settle things among its member schools. It's been a while since we've seen a full varsity effort from Peak to Peak, so this one probably figures as a show of force for the Pumas. If the show of force happens, the Peak to Peak girls figure as a prohibitive favorite here. 

On the boys side, a rapidly-improving Jefferson Academy team meets the established powers of Faith Christian and SkyView Academy to see what will come of it. That has all the ingredients required to be a very interesting showdown. Both Faith Christian and SkyView Academy should be harboring serious 3A state title hopes. They are two very good teams. JA would be delighted to play to role of spoiler here.

And in Colorado Springs, Doherty hosts their annual affair at Bear Creek Regional Park, but it's now a meet with almost zero overlap of the state meet course since the latter shifted two years ago. It is, however, still a very large and competitive meet. At least it's as large and competitive as county parks regulations will allow it to be.

The reach of the Doherty meet is typically across one county line. But a few schools come from farther than that. This year's travel warriors at the Doherty meet include Alamosa, Pagosa Springs, Lyons, Cherokee Trail, Limon, Rocky Ford, and Garden City, Kansas. It's not difficult to figure out which team has the longest road trip of that group.

I'll be doing the Colorado Track XC coverage at this meet this year. It's been a while since I've been able to make it to this meet, and I'm looking forward to the opportunity.

Friday

Friday has a big bundle of meets.

Montezuma-Cortez and Delta split up the Western Slope crowd. If you want a tougher course, you point your bus to the Montezuma County Fairgrounds Cortez. If you want a screamer, you point your bus to Confluence Park in Delta. Montezuma-Cortez may get a school or two from New Mexico and Arizona at their meet, but the Utah schools are gearing into their championship season and will likely opt out of making that kind of trip.

The Front Range Friday slate of meets is all league meets, save for one. The Black Forest and Tri Peaks Leagues join forces at Monument Valley Park in Colorado Springs. Lamar and Salida figure to be dueling for the boys crown. It's been a while since anyone seriously threatened Salida for the girls crown. Peyton looks like the favorites where the Black Forest part of the meet is concerned, but it's not a done deal yet.

The Frontier League convenes on Broomfield County Commons, where Broomfield and Legacy have hosted invitationals earlier this year. I'm not sure which course configuration will be in play for this meet, or if the meet will go with a new configuration of its own.

The Northern League has their rendezvous at North Lake Park in Loveland, presumably using the same course used by the Loveland Sweetheart earlier this season. The focus of power has shifted dramatically to the south in the Northern League this season and this figures as a big showdown between Centaurus, Silver Creek, and Niwot, assuming all three programs load up their regular varsity squads for this one. 

The high profile meet for Friday, and arguably the meet of the week, is the Pat Amato Classic at Open Spaces Park in Northglenn. As a rule of thumb, the northern Front Range large-school programs that aren't headed to a league meet next week are headed to this meet. A few teams arrive from points southward as well. It's a mix of hard and soft surfaces (more soft than hard, but still plenty of hard) that tends to produce some very nice times. Bobby Reyes will be headed to the meet for coverage, with Sarah Porter taking on her first Colorado Track XC assignment behind the camera.

Saturday

If your legs are aching for one last grinder of a meet before the championship season, you need to be making your way to Aspen for the Chris Severy Invitational. The burn is real. This meet tends to ebb and flow a little in terms of attendance, so we'll have to wait and see what this year holds.

Palisade hosts a JV championships kind of meet for the Mesa County area schools.

Fountain Fort Carson will be hosting a smaller meet of mostly El Paso County schools on their campus. I'll be there for coverage.

The Patriot League will be convening in Estes Park. I'm guessing that means revisiting the same course that was used this past week for the Longs Peak Invitational. There is no word yet if the same elk will have to be chased off the course prior to racing this week. If he's smart, he'll bring buddies this time. As I look up and down the Patriot League season and roster of teams, there should be intriguing team and individual match-ups (with or without the elk) on both the boys and girls sides.

Keeping the streets and sidewalks around Englewood High School busy on Saturday will be the Windjammer Invitational. This meet always brings in a solid draw (predictably, it runs fast), and this year is no exception. I can't speak for how many schools will be bringing regular varsity squads, but it's a lengthy list of teams coming for a mutinous good time. Three trips around the school grounds for a PR and a little Pirate glory!