Dark Horse: "A previously less known person or thing that emerges to prominence in a situation, especially in a competition involving multiple rivals."
The top three from last year's state meet graduated, leaving Jodzuel Juarez as the top-returner, and thus the favorite.
Add Micah Zeller to that short list of favorites - he was the 2018 runner-up, and finished sixth last year.
The lack of an outdoor track season definitely added to the difficulty in deciphering who fits this definition of a "dark horse."
So, to clarify: this list is subjective, and taken from the 2019 cross country season. The criteria used to come up with the following athletes was heavily based on how sharp of a curve a runner had from the beginning of the season to the end of the season.
And bare with me - some drastic leaps cannot be predicted. The following is simply a look as to who could most likely make a big splash on the cross country course this fall.
Next Page: Three runners to keep an eye on this fall...