We've got plenty of questions that require answers in the all races of the 3A Colorado State Championships...
Both individual and team races have defending state champions that'll be on the starting line, though all four have seen new individuals and teams rise over the course of the past two months.
Let's dive into the 3A Preview, starting with the boys...
Editor's Note: We'll be live-streaming the finish line: WATCH LIVE!
Individual
This is already an interesting race...
Will this be Logan Gullett's year?
A year ago the Eaton senior stormed through the season, tallying eight consecutive victories - out of eight - before finishing second at the 3A Colorado State Cross Country Championships.
In other words: he won every race he competed in, until the State meet, where he finished second.
If that isn't fuel for the fire, I don't know what is. But clearly for Gullett, it has been.
He's run himself onto another level this season. On several occasion he's run up with the 4A/5A schools, and in the Sweepstakes race at Liberty Bell Cross Country Invitational, where he finished 11th in a personal best of 15:14 - that time currently leads 3A by over half-a-minute. He recently added the Colorado 3A Region 4 Cross Country to his laundry list of victories.
Similar to last year, Gullett heads to Colorado Springs undefeated against 3A competition.
But like last year, he'll likely have competition.
Because there's the defending state champion - Matthew Edwards - and his The Classical Academy teammate - Chandler Wilburn - that also look like they could take it the individual title.
Edwards' big race this season came at the Running From The Past Classic, where he ran 15:49 to take the victory over Wilburn. That has been Edwards' lone victory of the season, however, and the one time he's finished in front of Wilburn.
But -
Looking at last year, Edward toed the line at State with just two victories to his name.
And -
There is something that comes with winning a State title - and being the defending champ - it means you know how to race on the day that matters the most. Keep in mind - Edwards won last year's state title by 44-seconds...
Wilburn, however, has definitely made The Jump this season (actually, it was last track season...) A year ago he finished fourth at the State meet, and was consistently running as TCA's No. 2.
This year Wilburn has led his team four-out-of-five times, and more notably he's won the last three consecutive races. In other words: he's heading to State with a streak.
While TCA didn't run any insanely fast courses, Wilburn has a 15:59 PR from the St. Vrain Cross Country Invitational.
Edwards and Wilburn's 1-2 punch will be vital in the team race, but we'll come back to that, because there's another Logan to talk about.
On the topic of runners making The Jump, cue: Logan Goodman.
The Prospect Ridge Academy senior never broke 17-minutes last year, but this year he's run 15:45 - he's also dipped under 16-minutes twice, and 16:30 five times.
Goodman has four victories to his name, including his recent Colorado 3A Region 3 Cross Country title. What's additionally impressive is that of his six races, he's never finished worse than third.
Edwards and Wilburn have raced each other - with Wilburn owning a 3-1 lean, and Gullett and Goodman have raced each other, with Gullett owning a 1-0 lean. The one time Gullett and Wilburn raced - in the 4A/5A race at St. Vrain - Gullett took the lean 1-0.
Teams
Now, we'll look back on that Wilburn-Edwards 1-2, because that could shape the team race - any time a team has two front-runners scoring single-digits in a big race it's huge. Just look at last year - Edwards and Wilburn went 1-4-6, and TCA won the state title by 11 points over Salida.
So, right there, TCA looks to be in the prime position to defend their state title.
Add that they're coming off a perfect 15-point Colorado 3A Region 5 Cross Country title. Currently they are the only 3A squad that has five runners who have broken 17 minutes this season - though it's close with them not being the only team. So, they've got the 1-2 punch, and a solid pack.
But there's always Frontier Academy...
Frontier Academy is coming off a dominant team title at the Colorado 3A Region 4 Cross Country Championships. Like TCA, they've been known for peaking right on time, so you can never count them out. Frontier Academy has had an interchangeable lineup this season, making them always good. They've got four who have broken 17 minutes this season, and their fifth is just four-seconds on the other side if the mark, so they're similar to TCA in the sense of having a solid pack. Currently the main difference between these two squads is that TCA has that 1-2 punch.
After these two squads the team race looks wide open for the remaining podium spots.
Berthoud, Prospect Ridge Academy, and Holy Family appear to all be in the mix.
The boy's 3A race is scheduled for 10:20 a.m.
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