Niwot's Cruz Culpepper ran in the shadows through the early miles.
Cruz Culpepper stalked his prey the way a lion would in the wild, creeping between the tall blades of grass, waiting for the opportune moment to strike. He was quick off his toes, as if ready to strike at any moment. He cruised with relative ease as his patience for the anticipated attack was clear.
Only Culpepper wasn't stalking antelopes, zebras, wildebeest, or buffalo, he was stalking some of the best runners in the state.
Rock Canyon's Derek Fearon was giving it a valiant effort through the early miles, taking the pace to insure it was honest. Though it couldn't have been easy knowing Culpepper and Ares Reading were lions waiting to be uncaged.
It was only a matter of time.
And the time came just after the leaders rounded the first loop and headed up the long grueling hill between the road and all the colorful team tents.
Culpepper and Reading ran freely from their chasers, and the familiar script of a 1-2 Niwot finish looked likely.
As the race ran into the final mile it was clear that Culpepper was bidding his time. The junior was treading lightly and his arms pumped with fluidity. He made the hot pace look easy.
The time for Culpepper's final strike came in the final 600 meters. He pushed the pedal to the floor in a nearly unnoticeable surge and just like that, he was gone.
The Flatirons watched Culpepper run away with the victory, and they were the same Flatirons that watched over the elder Culpepper with long curly locks through a highly successful career at CU nearly two and a half decades ago.
Like father, like son.
The younger Culpepper took this day and powered down the final straight into the finish in 15:53. Behind him, Reading held on for a runner-up finish in 16:05 to give arguably the most dangerous 1-2 in Colorado another 1-2 finish. (Though I'd imagine Austin Vancil and Connor Ohlson may have something to say about that.)
Behind them, Cooper Brown gave Centaurus a much needed response to Niwot's 1-2 finish, as another storyline coming out of the meet was the No. 1 team in 4A taking on the No. 2 team in 4A.
But we'll come back to that...
Fearon held on for a fourth-place finish, just off Brown's shoulder. Both ran 16:16.
And then there was Isaac Roberts, who made a very clear case for why he deserves to be in the conversation for a 2A state title next month. Roberts went stride for stride to finish fifth in 16:20 - that's the second fastest time in 2A so far this year.
Back to that team race...
Brown's finish was the first hint of what we'd see in the team race: an upset.
It would be Centaurus who would spoil an all-Niwot kind of day in Boulder, as the No. 2 team in 4A came away with a decisive 54-point win, beating out Niwot's 72. Behind these titans of 4A, Fairview finished third with 113 points, just ahead of cross-town rival Boulder, who finished fourth with 118 points.