It's State Week!
That means all the questions swirling around the 5A Colorado State Championships will finally be answered this Saturday!
We're rolling out previews of all classifications - team and individual races this week.
We'll start with 5A...
For those of you who can't make it to Penrose this Saturday -- MileSplit Colorado has you covered! We'll be live streaming the finish line: WATCH LIVE
BOYS TEAM
Ohh, we've got a battle brewing...
For the first time in years, there's no real big-time favorite. There are favorite(s).
This is the kind of race that looks soo close, it'll likely come down to who shows up on the day.
That day being Saturday.
The team race looks like a tight one between ThunderRidge, Valor Christian, Rock Canyon, Mountain Vista, and Grandview.
And this one is likely to come down to the single digits.
These squads have raced each other multiple times throughout the season, but with varying rosters, which makes this one hard to decipher.
If we look at regionals...
Rock Canyon recently downed Valor Christian 41-64 - Rock Canyon put three in front of Valor's two. Clearly, they've got momentum heading into Colorado Springs.
But what about Mountain Vista?
They're coming in off a tight 34-43 victory over ThunderRidge at the 5A Region 2 Championships. Vista Nation was one-step ahead of ThunderRidge across all five-scoring runners, but not by much.
What does this mean?
It means that we're likely to see a high-scoring affair here, separated by single-digits - a lot like last year...
BOYS INDIVIDUAL
Can anyone run with Benjamin Anderson?
So far the answer has been a resounding "No."
The Mountain Vista junior has raged through the season with an unblemished 7-0 record. His biggest - or fastest - win to date was the Liberty Bell Cross Country Invitational, where he ran 14:48.
In addition to that, he picked up big wins over stellar fields at the St. Vrain Cross Country Invitational, Pat Patten Invitational, Continental League Championships, and Colorado 5A Region 2 where he cracked 15-minutes again.
A year ago he had a rare off day at the 5A Colorado State Cross Country Championships, where he finished 38th.
If his 2023 season has told us anything, it's that he's seeking redemption.
Anderson heads to Colorado Springs as the favorite to claim the individual title.
Though he'll likely have challengers in Rock Canyon's Owen Whitney, and ThunderRidge's Owen Casselman.
This trio has raced each other several times this season, and Anderson has come out on top each time.
In the mix could also be Chaparral's Brennan Draper, and you can never count out Valor Christian's Dane Eike.
Eike has been a little quiet this season, though last year he proved to be a force right in time, claiming the regional title before finishing fourth at State. Add that he is the defending 3,200 state champion, and the top returner from last year's State Cross Country Championships.
The boy's 5A race is scheduled for 2:20 p.m.