Vanguard's Jeremiah Evangelista is one of only three returners from the top 10 2A boys at last year's state meet. Photo by Alan Versaw.
Probably no other gender and classification enters this fall surrounded by as much mystery as 2A boys.
Last year's state title came down to a single point between powers Rocky Ford and Wiggins. As Rocky Ford did in 2007 (in 3A), the Meloneers overcame a mediocre showing at regionals to come up big and take home the state championship trophy.
Graduation hit Rocky Ford hard, however, with front runners Victor Montoya and Santino Apodaca leaving the fold.
Wiggins also took big hits to graduation. Only one of the five Tigers who ran at state will be back this year, junior Losha Frihauf.
So, the door is wide open for a changing of the guard. What isn't so clear, however, is who has the inside track to being the team to beat.
Nobody should be writing off either Wiggins or Rocky Ford just yet. These two schools have long fielded strong cross country teams, and strong programs have a way of overcoming things like losses to graduation. Ron Shepherd and Mario Garcia are both experienced coaches who have learned a few things in their many trips around the block. Both coaches, however, will need to develop a lot of raw and inexperienced talent in a hurry to find themselves among the contenders again this fall.
And, if neither Rocky Ford nor Wiggins starts the season as a favorite to win the 2A title, you can blame Fountain Valley for that. Tommy Manning, the coach at Fountain Valley and an accomplished runner in his own right, has been quietly building a contender on the south side of Colorado Springs since taking over the reins of the program. This may be the year that the pieces come together.
Gone is Steven Stoot, the 2A 3200 meter state champion from this spring, but the other four runners from last year's team return. Morevoer, Fountain Valley, Ouray, and Wiggins were the only 2A teams to bring all five runners in at state under 20:00. Seniors Eric Hinkle and Ivar Backman should be leading the charge for the Danes this fall.
Other teams with good reason to think they're in the fight are Ouray, Center, Alexander Dawson, and Nederland. Mancos currently finds themselves one runner short of being a serious contender, but many teams "find" a runner or two over the course of a season. If Mancos is one of those teams, the Blue Jays will be in the mix as well.
Individually, the three returners from last year's top 10 form the nucleus of the contenders. Joel Villagomez of Center ran 16:47 at state, Jeremiah Evangelista of Vanguard ran 17:17, and Eric Lewis of Mancos ran 17:20. The next returning runner came in at 17:58. Clearly, there's some catching up to do if anyone is going to join the group of the three favorites. Of these three, Eric Lewis of Mancos probably enjoyed the most promising state track meet.
One intriguing possibility for joining the fray for the 2A individual title is Norwood's Ty Williams. Williams finished fifth in the 2A 3200 this spring at the state track meet but runs for Norwood. Last fall, Williams ran cross country for Telluride. If he does so again this fall, his progress in track season marks him as another one to watch in cross country this fall.
Vanguard's Jeremiah Evangelista is one of only three returners from the top 10 2A boys at last year's state meet. Photo by Alan Versaw.