10 Questions State Will Answer

The start of the 3A boys State race from 2008. You should be seeing a few of these guys again on Saturday. Colorado Track XC File Photo.

Every state meet answers questions. And, for the most part, the answers yielded are final--at least for the span of another year.

So, here are the 10 biggest questions on my mind (at least those that don't primarily concern my own team) as the state meet draws near for the 2009 CHSAA cross country season:

1. How much snow is going to fall in Fort Collins on Wednesday and Thursday--and when will the system start moving out? Will we see a replay of the 2006 state meet scenario with its very sloppy course?

2. Can the Evergreen girls finish their season in the same manner they've completed the last eight weeks--running roughshod over everyone they've faced? The teams that appear to have the best shot at spoiling the Cinderella season have each raised their game considerably over the last couple of weeks--Cheyenne Mountain, Alamosa, and Thompson Valley.

3. Can Scott Fauble, Erin Kelly, and Kelsey Lakowske finish their seasons unbeaten? I believe these are the only three (truthfully, I missed Erin Kelly on the first pass, but a thoughtful reader sent me a note to indicate she also has an undefeated season going) remaining who have a chance to go through their entire seasons finishing first in every race they've entered. With a minor qualification, we should include Middle Park's Sam Berggren on this list as well. Berggren only resumed racing on the weekend of league meets, but is now 2 for 2 for meet titles in races she has run.

4. Like last year, 3A boys has a very interesting showdown looming. Last year it was Joseph DeMoor vs. Andrew Roberts. This year, it's Amos Bowen vs. Ryan Poland. Assuming one of these two wins (not quite a foregone conclusion, but pretty close), which one will it be?

5. Who is going to rise to the top and take 4A boys? Cheyenne Mountain quelled all resistance within their own region on what appeared to be a controlled effort last weekend. Can they do the same with Greeley West and Moffat County at state?

6. Can anyone in 5A derail the Regis Jesuit boys? Can the Fort Collins boys ratchet it up yet one more notch? Have people been dismissing Coronado too lightly? Was Cherokee Trail laying off at the regional?

7. Assuming course conditions are reasonably good, how many 5A girls will dip under 19:00? It is definitely not unthinkable that we could see in excess of 20. It doesn't seem that long ago that you could count this group (for all classifications) on your hands.

8. Who will step up and take control of the 2A boys race? Ty Williams? Jeremiah Evangelista? Eric Lewis? Someone else? It's going to take some courage to take the early lead in this one. I'm not very familiar with the racing patterns of any of the top contenders, but this one should be interesting.

9. There are a whole bunch of teams looking hard for someone to step up big in the #5 position (or #4 in 3A, #3 in 2A). Some of these teams become instant state title contenders if someone in this position puts up a big race. Where will those heroes arise on Saturday?

10. Is there a Molly Palmer out there in this year's field? Molly Palmer, as in the sophomore phenom from Coronado who rocked the world of Colorado high school cross country by coming (almost) out of nowhere and taking the 5A state title in 2004. To be fair, Palmer's season indicated she was legit, but nobody was giving her a chance to knock off Morgan Schulz, Maddie McKeever, Keara Sammons, Dani Parry, Ellie Rastall, and Laura Thweatt--all in the same race.