Dakota Ridge's Daniel Carney enters the summer as one of the top 5A boys favorites. Photo by Alan Versaw.
There is no mistaking the fact that 5A boys generate, year in and year out, a disproportionate share of the interest in cross country each fall. That much won't be any different this fall.
Sorting out the meaning of the results from this spring and last fall, however, takes a bit of doing.
Before we engage in any sorting out, let's take a look at what the results were. First, for state cross country last fall:
2 Danny Carney JR Dakota Ridge 16:03.53 2
4 Stephen Chipman JR Mountain Vista 16:12.88 4
10 Chris Davis JR Arapahoe 16:34.08 10
11 Keifer Johnson JR Thunderridge 16:36.53 11
12 Griffin Hay JR Fort Collins 16:37.58 12
13 Tait Rutherford JR Fort Collins 16:42.28 13
15 Matt Zitzmann JR Heritage 16:47.88 15
16 Grant Fischer SO Poudre 16:48.23 16
17 Kyle Ames JR Smoky Hill 16:48.78 17
19 Desmin Rameriz SO Pomona 16:49.98 19
21 Jake Dysart JR Rock Canyon 16:56.13 21
22 Kirk Webb JR Monarch 16:56.18 22
23 Eric Steiner SO Mountain Vista 16:56.93 23
24 Andrew Walton FR Mountain Vista 16:57.68 24
25 John Patterson JR Fort Collins 16:59.88 25
27 Ed Cleary JR Fossil Ridge 17:03.28 27
29 Alec Brudzinski SO Cherry Creek 17:06.38 29
30 Morgan Jones JR Regis Jesuit 17:07.83 30
32 Ben Goodman SO Palmer 17:14.63 32
33 Daniel Vavrik SO Arapahoe 17:14.68 33
35 Duke Rauh JR Cherokee Trail 17:15.63 --
And then the top several returning 3200 times from this spring:
1. 9:18.24 Keifer Johnson CO ThunderRidge High School 2012
2. 9:30.71 Daniel Carney CO Dakota Ridge High School 2012
3. 9:35.00 Tait Rutherford CO Fort Collins High School 2012
4. 9:36.86 Griffin Hay CO Fort Collins High School 2012
5. 9:39.71 Kyle Ames CO Smoky Hill High School 2012
6. 9:46.29 Christopher Davis CO Arapahoe High School 2012
7. 9:47.99 Ed Cleary CO Fossil Ridge High School 2012
8. 9:52.64 Taylor Anders CO Greeley West High School 2012
9. 9:53.00 Brandon Williams CO Bear Creek High School 2012
10. 9:53.06 Alec Brudzinski CO Cherry Creek High School 2013
11. 9:54.74 Garrett Lee CO Heritage High School 2012
12. 9:56.45 Jefferson Abbey CO Fort Collins High School 2012
13. 9:56.45 John Patterson CO Fort Collins High School 2012
14. 9:57.48 Duke Rauh CO Cherokee Trail High School 2012
15. 9:58.50 Andrew Walton CO Mountain Vista High School 2014
16. 10:01.45 Stefan Lowe CO Bear Creek High School 2012
17. 10:02.44 Kyler Brown CO Fruita Monument High School 2013
18. 10:02.51 Garrett Sapakoff CO Littleton High School 2012
19. 10:02.99 Michael Claffin CO Liberty High School 2012
20. 10:04.07 James Kadolph CO Chaparral High School 2013
Let's start with those who had a better cross country season than the state results would indicate. Those would include, but aren't necessarily limited to Kirk Webb and Keifer Johnson. Stephen Chipman, on the other hand, never seemed to find his cross country legs back in track season. And, then, there is the question of whether Garret Lee was a junior (as shown in state track results) or a senior (as shown in state cross country results) last school year.
That's a lot to resolve. I'm inclined to table the Garret Lee question--allowing that he probably would be included among the guesses for top 10 if he is coming back this fall, but leaving that as an issue to be settled later.
So, here's what one person's guesswork delivers for a top 10:
1. Daniel Carney - Carney didn't have the best track season of the bunch this spring, but he did have an outstanding cross country season in the fall that ended at NXN. His position at #1 isn't exactly safe, but it's where I'm stationing him for now.
2. Keifer Johnson - It's tough to ignore the kind of track season Johnson had this spring. Pencil him in as the first guy to be applying trying to wrest the leader's mantle from Carney.
3. Tait Rutherford - Rutherford was still figuring out his place on the Fort Collins cross country team last fall. He developed nicely in the spring and pencils in as #3 on the list for now.
4. Griffin Hay - Hay hasn't slipped so much as Rutherford has made enormous strides. In any case, Fort Collins is loaded up front. Stay posted.
5. Kyle Ames - After a very nice cross country season in the fall, Ames continued to make progress in the spring. Having a runner at or near the top is nothing new for Smoky Hill.
6. Chris Davis - Davis had a stellar cross country season last fall when the Warriors desperately needed some on-course leadership to take the place of an injured Connor Winter. Davis's spring, however showed little improvement from his fall campaign. The leader of the pack role falls to Davis this fall, and he should be the guy to step up and show the way.
7. Kirk Webb - Webb clearly prefers shorter distances in track, but his state cross country meet last fall was an aberration. Webb is one of the better distance runners in the state and should be reasserting himself this fall.
8. Ed Cleary - Experience, senior season--it should add up to Cleary having a very nice season this fall. Not all of the talent in Fort Collins wears purple.
9. Andrew Walton - Here's my surprise entry for you. Only a sophomore this fall, Walton enjoyed a meteoric rise as a freshman. You don't see many sub-10 3200s from freshmen. The fact that Walton reached that level says a lot about the potential that's there.
10. Kind of a toss-up between Stephen Chipman, Matt Zitzman, Jefferson Abbey, Grant Fischer, Dezmin Ramirez, and probably a few more. The question here boils down to one of who is going to step up most assertively.