Freshman Caroline Kawula was the top finisher for a vastly-improved Kent Denver team at the Cheyenne Mountain Stampede. Photo by Alan Versaw.
With the opening of each new season, we find a few teams that have been flying beneath the radar but intend to do so no longer. This year's opening week was no different. Here we take a look at several teams that exceeded opening week expectations.
Alamosa Boys - Alamosa did finish second to a 2A team in the 2A/3A race at they Cheyenne Mountain Stampede, but Lyons is no ordinary 2A team. Potentially, Lyons is the best 2A team we've seen yet in the five years of the classification. The usual suspects of Ty Koenig, Nick Molina, and Gavin Palmer were roaming out and about on the course, but the Mean Moose got a significant lift from Chance Canty, who finished 41st in 20:17. Chance Canty is an entirely new name on my radar screen, but my history with San Luis Valley sports suggests Canty is a freshman joining Ty Koenig in coming up fr...