4A Region 4 Boys
4A Region 3, being the latecomer to the Lyons party, got the early time slot for their regional races, getting things started with their boys race. Coming into the race, the boys from Centaurus had been riding a bit of a hot streak, especially so after dismantling the rest of the Northern League two weeks ago. Statistically, the only team with much of a shot of dethroning Centaurus for the regional title would be Northern League foe Niwot.
It was apparent about halfway through the first loop of the Lyons course that this would be a day for Cougars and Warriors. Save for Cole Sprout from Valor Christian, nobody was in sight in the lead pack.
At the top of the last hill, things looked like they were going to end up pretty close, and the final kick did not disappoint. Ares Reading got the scoring started for Niwot, finishing second. Then Centaurus answered with Alex Hooten in 3rd, John O'Malley in 4th, Cooper Brown in 5th, and Torey Puckett in 6th. Through four runners, Centaurus scored a scant 18 points.
Niwot's answer was instant. Cruz Culpepper crossed next in 7th, Benjamin Bi was 8th, Ethan Steiner was 9th and Oskar Wells completed Niwot's team scoring at 10th. 36 points for Niwot with one scorer left to go for Centaurus.
The answer came a little sooner than Kelly Christensen's crew probably would have liked. Kyle Piper from Centaurus finished 11th. Centaurus, 29 points, Niwot 36, and another date for these two teams a week from Saturday in Colorado Springs.
Individually, Cole Spruot from Valor Christian crushed the field winning in 16:00, 20 seconds faster than second place. Sprout led the Valor boys to a third place finish. The last qualifying spot for boys teams went to Standley Lake, led by Cody Dewitt in 15th place.
As expected, this region was scant on individual state qualifiers. Scant does not mean non-existent, though. Jamison Cartwright from Erie finished 13th to extend his season one more week. Dustin Mullaney from George Washington did the same with his 12th-place finish.