There have been bumps along the road for all three teams, but when you look at the 4A season in total, it's difficult to argue that Falcon, Wheat Ridge, and Niwot have not earned their rankings as the top three teams in the classification. There is, however, a substantial chase pack just behind them (think teams like D'Evelyn, Rock Canyon, Castle View, Greeley West, and Fossil Ridge). Any one of about five or six other teams who has a truly superior performance at state just might find themselves posing for pictures with a trophy if the big three don't quite rise to expectations.
Wheat Ridge has been the most consistent of the big three. And the Farmers have a big three of their own--Scott Fauble, Dart Schwaderer, and Henry Cowhick. For this team, though, the big question is how strong will the support be from numbers 4 and 5? Wheat Ridge illustrates nicely the beauty of cross country. No matter how strong your top guys are, you aren't going to win a state championship without a solid fourth and fifth. If they win it, it will be on the basis of solid efforts from two guys who haven't shared much in the limelight. That would be cool.
Wes Rickman and Kevin Johnson are having spectacular seasons for Falcon, but a similar question nips at the heels of the Falcons. How strong will 3, 4, and 5 be at state? If Teeples, Mahaffey, and Barkey can reprise the kind of performance they enjoyed at the Colorado Springs Metro League meet last week, the picture could be very bright for Falcon.
Then there's Niwot. The Cougars win the title outright for having the most disruptions to their lineup through the season. While it's a real possibility that Niwot may not have any finishers in the top 10, they clearly have the potential to be the first team to brings its five scorers across the line--in fact, Niwot's shot at winning would almost seem to depend on it. If Niwot can bring its top five, or six, or seven--David Perry, Alex Paul, Luke Schuler, Kevin Harris, Sam Yulsman, Quinn Harris, and Zach Britt--to the starting line healthy on October 25, they have the potential to run away with this thing.
This one is simply too close to call. There is no margin for error here, and calling a winner at this point would be pure guesswork.
Individually? Nobody's breath has warmed the back of Joseph Manilafasha, at left, all season long. You can list the names of Rickman, Johnson, Schwaderer, Fauble, Cowhick, Kody Leach, Andrew Berberick, Aaron Friedland, and Ryan Haebe all day long, but none of these have approached the kind of season Manilafasha has enjoyed. This is probably the best field of 4A individuals ever assembled and it's a shame only one can win, as surely more would be a champion in most years.
The most wicked regional award in 4A boys goes to three regions. It's just that kind of year. Region 1 hosts D'Evelyn, Evergreen, and Wheat Ridge, plus individuals Manilafasha and Berberick. Region 2 hosts Fossil Ridge, Greeley West, Niwot, Roosevelt, and Thompson Valley. Region 3 hosts Castle View, Cheyenne Mountain, Falcon, and Rock Canyon. Some teams are going to have to go hard this weekend and trust they've trained smart enough to have something left in the tank for state.
Fasten your seatbelts--this one should be a doozy!