Battle Mountain
A year ago Battle Mountain finished seventh at State. And while they return just three of their top five from that day, they return a ton of depth.
They're the third-fastest returning squad this season, and the No. 7 team from the state meet across all classifications.
Nico Piliero was their top finisher at State last year, and he is their fastest returner with a 16:01 PR. In fact, their entire returning top five have all broken 16:45, including Sullivan Middaugh, Jake Allen, Andrew Rogers, and Deagen Fahrney.
On paper, they've got a 16:27 team average based on PRs, and a 41-second 1-5 split.
Cheyenne Mountain
Cheyenne Mountain is another team with some serious potential...
A year ago they finished sixth at the state meet. While they only return three from that day, all three were freshmen.
Erik Le Roux gives this squad some real firepower up front, as he is the No. 3 returner in the state this fall. Nicholas Huger is their No. 2 returner from last year's state squad, and he's their second fastest with a 16:21 PR from last year.
This is where Cheyenne Mountain hints at how good they can be...
Austin Smith was their No. 5 runner at state last fall, but he was their seventh fastest returner this year. Enzo Knapp, Gabe Prata, Cedar Collins, and Drew Getty did not line up at the state meet last year, but they've all recorded season bests faster than 17:05.