It's a long list of names positioning for a place on Rocky Ford's varsity roster next fall, but Brandon Cardenas has a place on that list. Photo by Alan Versaw.
We've talked about next year's prospects for this year's state champions. The time has begun to start casting an eye toward the teams that didn't win this year but look to be making a surge next year nevertheless.
And, no matter how you come up with that list, one of the first teams you're going to look for to be making a surge next year is the Rocky Ford boys. Mind you, Rocky Ford is already a good team, and they have been for some time. They also have some cross country tradition on their side, owning team state championships from 1974, 1994, 2007, 2008, and 2009, plus a few individual titles along the way.
Success is no stranger to the halls of Rocky Ford High School, and it's been invited back for next year. This is nothing new.
The returning cast of runners for Ron Shepherd's Meloneers is solid enou...