Over the past two decades, two teams have dominated 4A boys track and field in Colorado--Mullen and Harrison. Harrison's fortunes slipped a little last year, but Mullen was very much in the thick of things, claiming second place at the state meet.
Will the spring of 2008 see Mullen returning to their familiar position at the top of the heap? Can Cherokee Trail defend their state championship from last year? Will Longmont, returning its core of scorers from last year, slip by both Cherokee Trail and Mullen? Or, will the title go to a darkhorse? As loaded as the Cherokee Trail, Mullen, and Longmont teams appear to be, it would seem that a victory by any other team would figure as an upset of substantial proportions. If there is a team that can do it, however, put Sierra at the top of the list of candidates. Put more succinctly, it looks like last year's top four will once again be a tough group to break into.
If Cherokee Trail is to repeat, Ajai Ashby, Scott Ingram, and Ryan Walker appear to be the go-to guys. Like last year, however, they will need some continuing support from a solid set of relays. Longmont, on the other hand, did it last year almost entirely without relays. Matt Butcher will, once again, be critical to the Trojans' hopes. Beau Brittenham could lend some substantial support in the triple jump. For Mullen, it has always been a case of being good across the entire spectrum of events. This year appears no different, though Andrew Berberick and Elliott Beski both seem capable of scoring points in bunches. Sierra is coached by Teenan Anderson, and relays have always been a hallmark of Anderson-coached teams. Kelby Dias just might end up being the best hurdler in the state, but for Sierra to challenge for a title, the relays have to come through.
With the emergence of Wes Rickman as a legitimate threat to challenge for the 3200 title this spring, Falcon appears to have an outside shot at competing for the title. For that to happen, Falcon will need big contributions from Keenan Ballage and Kevin Johnson. Cross country state champion Battle Mountain should make noise in the distance events, but has not enjoyed the same level of success at state in other events. Complicating that picture is the departure of two solid pole vaulters to graduation.
Intriguing individual matchups abound. Wes Rickman (Simplot Games 3200 champion by 15 seconds) vs. D'Evelyn's Kevin Williams (qualifier for world junior men cross country championships) in the 3200 may be the marquee matchup. Except for the fact that the 3200 falls on the second day of state, it would seem almost a given that the current 4A 3200 state meet record is doomed to become obsolete.
The 4A classication is likewise long in sprint talent. Joe Morris (Golden), Patrick Richards (Widefield), Matt Butcher (Longmont), and Keenan Ballage (Falcon) might each lay preemptive preseason claim to sprint titles in normal years. This will be no normal year. With three sprint titles to go around, someone will walk away without one--perhaps two or three will walk away without a sprint title.
Mesa Ridge will try to defend its dual horizontal jump titles--one each for Zach Little and Mykal Torres. It is never easy to repeat that kind of sweep, but don't tell the jumpers in purple and black that it can't be done. Erik Sutterfield of Rock Canyon, coming off a solid indoor season, seems likely to repeat his pole vault title.
Both throwing events return a clear favorite from last year. Ken Harriman of Pueblo South was several feet ahead of the competition in last year's shot up. Joe Hochanadel of Fort Morgan, though not quite as dominant as Harriman among the returning throwers, seems the clear early favorite in the discus. Hochnadel, incidentally, recently demonstrated mastery of leverage in a different venue by winning the 4A state wrestling championship at 215 pounds.
A pre-season top ten? No, thank you. But you can express your opinion in the new Colorado Runners poll. Vote for your favorite for the 4A boys' state championship!