Kyle Ames and Sam Lewis strike a pose in their winners' headgear. All photos by Alan Versaw. Free content.

Can Sam Lewis make it three in a row as national junior snowshoe champion? Her opportunity to accomplish that will come right here in Colorado. Photo by Jim Lewis.

Great relay races are a highlight of almost any track meet, but nowhere more so than at state. Colorado Track XC file photo.

Greta Sloan should be the top returner for Cheyenne Mountain's girls next fall, but she will be far from the only weapon in the arsenal. Photo by Alan Versaw.

Coach Stan Lambros: Fit and Ready (via Snowshoe Magazine)

With only a quarter mile to go, Sydney Scott keeps her race out in front of her pursuers. Photo by Jeff McCoy.

Ben Forsee gets to stare down his biggest cross country opportunities yet on Saturday. Photo by Alan Versaw.

Despite a little lead bike misdirection, Kirk Webb recovered for the win at 5A Region 3, followed by Greeley West's Evert Finger. Photo by Jeff McCoy.

A lone runner (who may be Evan Fortney--the form looks like his--but I'm not certain about that) negotiates the trails of the Pat Amato Classic on Friday. Photo by Cliff Jurgens.

Monarch's girls and a few bold enough to run with them pass under the shade of an enormous tree at Saturday's Pat Patten Invitational in Boulder. Photo by Jeff McCoy.

At 2.1 miles, Alfredo Lebron and Josiah Valenzuela were still neck-and-neck. Over the next mile, however, Lebron would open a nearly 30-second gap. Photo by Alan Versaw.

You already know who you think the top teams are. Check out who our panel of coaches felt were the top teams in each classification. Free content.

With Ben Forsee closing the gap on 4A's top talent, Broomfield is emerging as one of the top teams in the classification. Colorado Track XC file photo. Free content.

Colorado Springs has been home to a lot of top cross country talent for a long time. Hannah Everson and Bryce Gregoire run in that tradition. Colorado Track XC file photos.

Rebecca Hermann has been part of three consecutive state titles at Nederland. It's Hermann's sayonara season this fall. Can the Panthers make it four? Photo by Alan Versaw.

Taylor Floming returns to help key another very strong Monarch team this fall. Photo by Alan Versaw.

Despite a big win in the 4x400, the Glenwood Springs girls came up just short of a state title. Photo by Alan Versaw.

Cyler Miles is part of a Mullen sprint group that is as deep and as talented as any this state has seen in a good, long time. Photo by Alan Versaw.

Valerie Allman has been winning meet titles everywhere she goes this season. Photo by Jeff McCoy.

Double Trouble: There aren't many places to hide when Markesh Woodson and Solyde Bankston take the track together. Photo by Alan Versaw.

And they're off... the Colorado 2011 high school state snowshoe championships.

Though fast enough to score state points in both the 100 and 200, Tyler Pigford runs as relaxed as any sprinter you will find. Photo by Alan Versaw.

Remember the big stories of 2010? This should help jog your memory.

Andrew Walton came on strong for Mountain Vista this fall, strong enough to be named the Colorado Track XC Male Freshman of the Year. Photo by Alan Versaw.  

David Garcia and Griffin Hay helped take Fort Colllins from a state title threat to the #4 team nationally in a little over two months. Photo by Alan Versaw.

Niwot had a solid 2010 campaign with Elise Cranny leading the way, but could be even better in 2011. Photo by Alan Versaw.

Gus Waneka is back next year as a senior after leading Thompson Valley to its most successful boys season ever. Photo by Alan Versaw.

A little bit of Portland in Phoenix... Tait Rutherford negotiates the water hazard at Toka Sticks Golf Course. Photo by Alan Versaw.

They're back, and they're relentless. They're the Fort Collins girls. Photo by Alan Versaw.

Cheyenne Mountain's boys executed a near-perfect patient pack strategy to dominate the Colorado 4A boys state championship. Photo by Alan Versaw.  

If you want to shout encouragement to Spencer Wenck on the course, it's best to do it quickly. Photo by Jeff McCoy.

Allie Parks heads toward home en route to her second consecutive 4A girls state title. Photo by Jeff McCoy.

Eye black was out in force at yesterday's state meet. Custer County's Valerie Stark (left) took things up a notch and did a Tim Tebow. Photo by Jeff McCoy.

Danny Carney and Will Kincaid battle for position late in the 5A boys race. Photo by Alan Versaw.

Kirk Webb leads Monarch's boys to a regional title and into the state meet. Photo by Jeff McCoy.

Check out the final coaches' poll of the season!

Colleen Koenig's third-place finish helped to lead Arapahoe to the Centennial League title on Thursday. Photo by Alan Versaw.

Although Allie Morgan's teammates have been hit hard by injury, Morgan remains one the top-ranked individuals in 4A. Photo by Alan Versaw.

Desmin Ramierez, Alex Pawlak, Gerardo Rodriguez, Nic de Herrera, and Jack Burger mix it up at the front of the pack at Friday's Pat Amato Classic. Photo by Kelli Noto.

New leaders in 4A and 5A girls highlights the changes in this week's rankings.

Rio Rancho's Caleb Rubalcaba had the weekend off, but has been running the competition ragged in New Mexico this fall. Photo contributed by Sal Gonzales.

Just a few guys you should be seeing a lot more of as the month winds down. Photo by Alan Versaw.

Some of the year's surprising programs are working their ways steadily upwards in the rankings.

Action from this weekend's Glenwood Springs Invitational, where Durango ran away with the girls' title. Photo by Mike Schneiter.

Boulder brings an excellent pack time and favorite status into the Division I girls race at Liberty Bell. Photo by Alan Versaw.  

Teams are starting to settle into places in the rankings just as Liberty Bell threatens to disrupt it all.

Columbine's Will Kincaid made it look easy at the Lori Fitzgerald Memorial. Photo by Alan Versaw.

Check out where coaches across the state have top teams ranked!

Mike Cernoia returns for his senior season as the classification's top-ranked runner. Photo by Alan Versaw.

Cheyenne Mountain drops the first sub-8 4x800 of the season at the Coronado Cougar Classic. Photo by Alan Versaw.

It will be a new set of legs going by next fall, but it's still the same sport scored the same way. Photo by Alan Versaw.

Unlike some other competitors at this weekend's state meet, Ty Williams gained some experience with adverse conditions at his regional meet. Photo by Diane Krieg.  

Unlike some other competitors at this weekend's state meet, Ty Williams gained some experience with adverse conditions at his regional meet. Photo by Diane Krieg.  

The start of the 3A boys State race from 2008. You should be seeing a few of these guys again on Saturday. Colorado Track XC File Photo.

Still undefeated on the season, Boulder's Kelsey Lakowske posted a huge win at the Front Range Conference meet in Loveland. Photo by Jim Lewis.  

Chris Zirkle, after finishing fourth at the Chris Severy Invitational, will be counted on to lead a much improved Moffat County team into the championship season. File photo by Alan Versaw.

Cheyenne Mountain's Mitch Kasyon barrels toward the finish line with an extra load of frost in his hair. Photo by Alan Versaw.  

An interesting phenomenon this week--every girls #1 team is a unanimous pick. Only Rocky Ford (2A) is among the boys.

Coronado's Dusty Solis and Arapahoe's Connor Winter break away from the pack at Thursday's Coronado Cougar Classic. Photo by Mark Weeks.

Cheyenne Mountain HS coach Stan Lambros is borrowing an idea made popular in Virginia, running a cross country race after dark.

Can Pueblo West's Anna Marshall become the next individual state titleist from Pueblo? Photo by Alan Versaw.

While Melissa Roberts, far left, figures to skip all upcoming 4A races, the rest of the field from early stages of the Dave Sanders meet looks like a Who's Who of the 4A girls field (photo courtesy of Ken Regan).

At a meet where most competitors were running okay, but not spectacular, times, Joseph DeMoor took the Tri-Peaks League championship with a 15:51.

Lance Knight (Cheyenne Mountain), Tabor Stevens (Canon City), and Erik Williams (Doherty) were the chase pack before Knight broke and nearly caught Jawaro Abdi of Denver South (photo by Mark Weeks).

Moffat County's Alicia Nelson and Thompson Valley's Liz Tremblay battled for the lead through much of the 4A girls race. In the end, Nelson took the victory by a narrow margin of about two seconds (photo courtesy Ken Regan).