For Jace Pinvonka and his fellow Green Mountain Rams, there's reason to be hopeful about earning a state berth on Friday out of 4A Region 1. Photo by Alan Versaw.
I'll continue to post more start lists as they become available to me. When new start lists become available, I will update the title of the article to reflect that count of start lists posted.
Here is what we have thus far:
2A Region 1 Start Lists
This is the northeastern Colorado 2A region that runs in Lyons. As a 2A region, the count of complete teams becomes very important (though the count that counts is the one that finishes the race, not the one that shows up on the start lists). If the counts of complete teams hold at 9 (girls) and 11 (boys), the region will be advancing four girls and four boys teams to state. Chances of boys teams dropping below four are tiny, but if even one of the complete girls teams showing now does not finish the race as a complete team, the count of state-qualifying teams drops to three.
3A Region 3 Start Lists
This will be one of four regions competing at Lyons on Thursday and is comprised of teams covering the Denver Metro area, but perhaps tilted a little toward teams on the north end.
4A Region 3 Start Lists
4A Region 3 is made up of teams from south and east Denver Metro as far north as Erie, Niwot, and Frederick.
4A Region 4 Start Lists
4A Region 4 picks up where 4A Region 3 leaves off and includes the northern Colorado 4A programs from Longmont northward.
5A Region 2 Start Lists
Overland hosts this one at Aurora Sports Park. a course that's starting to see a lot more cross country action lately. The region is primarily southeast Denver Metro, plus the three 5A schools from the Grand Junction area. Bear Creek and Heritage are the programs that don't quite fit either geographic category.
5A Region 3 Start Lists
Northglenn is home of this meet, the same course as hosts the Pat Amato Classic. It's a bit of an eclectic mix of schools but is concentrated with northwest Denver Metro 5A programs.
2A Region 4 Start Lists
The Western Slope 2A programs converge on Delta to decide who advances to state. At least by count of entries, there are six complete girls teams and 11 complete boys teams set to take the starting line. It is therefore almost a given that four boys teams and two girls teams will advance to state. With only two girls teams advancing, there is a very strong possibility of a third girls team back-dooring their way into state.
3A Region 1 Start Lists
For a lot of Western Slope athletes this will be a first-ever trip to Pagosa Springs on Friday. Moffat County makes the longest trip of the bunch. Eleven schools, one without complete teams, will vie for five qualifying spots.
4A Region 1 Start Lists
This region is heavily represented with Jefferson County 4A teams and will run at the Rock Canyon High School course in Highlands Ranch.
4A Region 6 Start Lists
As with the Western Slope 2A schools, the Western Slope 4A schools are also pointing buses at Delta's Confluence Park. As regional meets go, this one boasts more than the usual level of quality.
5A Region 1 Start Lists
Denver's City Park gets the honor of hosting this one. Lots of grass, and--at least potentially--a fairly hilly course. The teams running here are pretty much distributed evenly from across the entire Denver Metro area--other than "Denver Metro," there is no unifying geographic theme.
5A Region 5 Start Lists
This region divides nicely between Douglas County (less ThunderRidge) and Colorado Springs schools. For the first time in a long time, these schools will be settling things somewhere other than Monument Valley Park. This time, the venue is Rock Canyon High School.