The girl's 5A landscape is incredibly loaded.
We're talking quality and quantity.
And on top of this list is Valor Christian.
Jocelyn Millican and Taylor Whitfield have broken 18 minutes already, with Millican running 17:53, and Whitfield just a few seconds back in 17:58.
But what makes Valor the team to beat is their depth - their top five have broken 19 minutes (18:42 or faster in fact). And their sixth-fastest runner - Suvina Heidt is just four seconds away from joining the sub-19 club. (Add Isabella Prosceno's 19:15 and Valor has seven runners faster than everyone else's five.)
They've got a 1-5 average of 18:14, and a 1-5 split of just 49 seconds.
The only team with a better 1-2 punch is the defending state champs - Arapahoe.
Ava Mitchell and Emily Lamontagne have both run 17:48. And if we go one runner more, Arapahoe has the best 1-2-3 punch with Ava Escorcia, who has run 18:08.
They've got a 1-5 average of 18:26, and a 1-5 split of 1:44.
When Valor and Arapahoe met at the Heritag...