Cross Country Preview: 3A Boys

Last year's state champion, Rocky Ford, wasn't even a 3A school. That won't happen again this year, though, as Rocky Ford departs to the 2A classification. But, there shouldn't be a shortage of power at the 3A level. Several teams seem primed for outstanding seasons.

Looking ahead into this fall's action, here is what we see:

Top returning athletes:

Andrew Roberts, Lyons – won the state meet last year, and returns as a favorite to do it again this year

Sam Feldotto, The Classical Academy – pictured at left with Jackson Walsh of Pagosa Springs, fifth at state XC last year, second in the 3A 1600 in track

Jackson Walsh, Pagosa Springs – seventh at state XC last fall, showed excellent patience and looked strong while winning the 3A 3200 last spring in track

Joseph DeMoor, Buena Vista – one of the top returners in both cross country and track, had a memorable state track meet to help Buena Vista take home second place

Amos Bown, Brush – had a good, though not spectacular, freshman XC season, but came on very nicely in track. Brown would appear to be one of the faces in the next wave of leaders in 3A cross country.

Ryan Poland, Denver Christian – well back in the field at state XC last fall, but showed marked improvement by track season. Will he lead DC back to prominence in cross country? It’s been a while for the Crusaders.

Last year’s powerhouse teams:

Lyons – technically, were a 2A team last fall but are back among the ranks of the 3A teams this year. Although the loss of Colin Anderson to graduation will be felt, there is a strong returning core of runners. Lyons is a well-balanced team that should rank high among the contenders at season’s end.

The Classical Academy – the Titans were a young team last year and lost only Trevor Waliszewski to graduation, but that is still a substantial loss. If the new team chemistry takes off, they should be among the contenders.

Bayfield – loses two key seniors and a long-time coach from last year’s fourth-place team at state

Erie – If there is to be a banner year for this senior-laden team, this is it.

La Junta – Only one key contributor graduated off a team with a lot of depth. The Tigers are once again on the edge of having all the pieces in place.

Basalt – The two front runners have graduated. On the surface, this would appear to be a rebuilding year for the Longhorns.

Waiting in the wings:

Pagosa Springs – Slowy, steadily the Pirates have been building a serious contender under the tutelage of Scott Anderson. The team is mature and the talent is in place. Count on this team being in the mix at the end of the season.

Faith Christian – Although not as strong on paper as Pagosa Springs, this team shares many of the same characteristics—a maturing, improving team whose time to shine has come.

Changes coming in 3A:

Perennial power Roosevelt has migrated to 4A. With the departure of 2A to its own classification, there will be fewer teams qualifying for the 3A state meet. The new format is run 6/score 4. While a few teams may experience trouble initially filling the sixth slot, the extra displacer will bring an added measure of security at state for many more teams. Expect a field size of only 16 – 20 teams at state, so the fourth runner’s score is not likely to be quite as critical as it has been in previous years.

Key questions to be answered:

Can Lyons continue to build on their recent success in track and cross country?

Will the extra year of training and experience for the rest of its runners offset the loss of Trevor Waliszewski for TCA?

How will Bayfield respond to a new coach, the second coach ever in the history of the program?

Will the depth of Erie’s experience be enough to produce a state title?

Can the Pagosa Springs team overcome the disadvantage of a very long trip to the state meet to make a serious run at a state title?