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| Arizona 2005 XC Preview & Coach's Poll |
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Boys
Preview - Boys
Poll
The arrival of the 2005 Arizona high school cross-country season will be attended by the novel delineation of Class 5A and Class 4A into two divisions. Accordingly, six state championship races will be contested on November 5th, 2005 at Cave Creek Golf Course in Phoenix: 5A Division I, 5A Division II, 4A Division I, 4A Division II, 3A, and 2A/1A. Notwithstanding this revised
state championship format, several familiar teams and individuals return
to challenge for state supremacy. Girl's Class 5A – Division I Perennial contenders and rivals Mountain Pointe and Desert Vista appear to be the premier teams in 5A-I. Mountain Pointe returns five (5) of its top six (6) scorers from the 2004 5A State Championship race and is very secure in the leadership of defending 5A individual champion Kristin Phillips. Desert Vista returns four (4) of the top five (5) from its 2004 3rd place team and looks to a core group of talented sophomores to complement its senior leadership. Teams such as Buena, Salpointe, Red Mountain, and Xavier return established front-runners and thus hope for contributions from up-and-coming individuals in order to support their respective quests for state prominence. Individually, Phillips returns after a runner-up finish in 2003 and a dominating state championship performance in 2004. The savvy, battle-tested senior has enjoyed a productive, healthy summer and appears well poised to complete her journey toward back-to-back individual titles. Her premier competition will likely come from Desert Vista's Patricia Barela, Horizon's Chelsea Chauvet, Buena's Jami Perez, and Salpointe's Nadia Menchaca. Girl's Class 5A – Division II Flowing Wells staged a truly memorable performance in narrowly defeating 3-time defending 5A champion Mountain Pointe in 2004. 2003 State 5A champion Ellen Mork has graduated and moved on to continue her running career at The University of Arizona. Nevertheless, Flowing Wells returns a very strong group of young yet proven student-athletes very capable of claiming a second state championship. A similarly young but rapidly improving Sandra Day O'Connor team seeks to challenge Flowing Well's hard-earned supremacy. O'Connor returns three top-50 finishers from the 2004 championship highlighted by 1,600-/3,200-meter state track-and-field champion Lindsay Prescott. Centennial moves up to Class 5A and brings a strong foursome that could compete with both Flowing Wells and O'Connor for state championship honors. Individually, sophomore Prescott may be the elite runner in Class 5A. Her prolific racing skill belies her youth, and she appears exceptionally well prepared to challenge for her first individual state cross-country championship. Flowing Well's Tristany and Kirsten Leikem, teammate Tara Erdmann, Marcos de Niza's Abby Pierce, and North Canyon's Ala Glencoe each have proven top-5 individual potential. Girl's Class 4A – Division I Catalina Foothills and Pinnacle each return proven 1-2 combinations and thus appear to be early-favorites for 4A-I supremacy. Individually, Nogales' Susan Melendez is the sole returnee with a top-10 finish in the 2004 4A championship. Marana's Melinda Marks appears to be the premier challenger to Melendez in the quest for an individual state title. Girl's Class 4A – Division II By contrast, 4A-II sees the return of several outstanding teams and individuals. Defending champion Flagstaff returns its #2 - #6 runners and is deservedly favored to successfully defend its series of team state championships. However, Page returns its # 1 - #4 runners while Chinle returns its #1 - #6 runners and thus both squads could provide very stiff challenges to Flagstaff's sustained 4A dominance. In addition, Bradshaw Mountain is poised to challenge these established 4A programs. Bradshaw Mountain's challenge will be spearheaded by defending cross-country and track 3,200-meter state champion Kelsey Greathouse. Greathouse will enjoy both support and competition from teammate Sophia Timunen. Katrina Lee of Page and Kate Aitchison of Flagstaff will not only contest for team honors but also challenge Timunen and Greathouse for individual accolades. 2004 Arizona high school cross-country Runner-of-the-Year and 3A state cross-country/track-and-field champion Kari Hardt of Queen Creek High School makes the transition to Class 4A. Having run the fastest time (18:12) across all classes at the 2004 state cross-country meet, Hardt similarly hopes to challenge defending champion Greathouse. Girl's Class 3A Ganado returns its five (5) top scorers from the 2004 State 3A Championship and remains a prohibitive favorite for team honors. Winslow also returns its top five (5) scorers from the 2004 meet and appears to be one of the top two (2) 3A teams. Hopi and Alchesay also return proven squads yet need to establish strong 5th runners in order to challenge Winslow. In addition to leading her team's quest for a state title, Ganado's Alandrea Reid is the individual favorite for state honors. Window Rock's Tiffany Sorrell and Winslow's Janeen Yazzie are the premier individual challengers in 3A. Girl's Classes 2A/1A Powerful Northland Prep. and Yuma Catholic can be considered co-favorites in the 1A/2A state championship race. Northland returns four (4) top-50 finishers while Yuma Catholic returns five (5) top-50 finishers from the 2004 state championship race. Strong potential challengers include 2A powerhouse Valley Christian and Many Farms. Individually, Scottsdale Christian's Jillian Klassen returns to defend her 1A/2A individual state championship. While clearly the prohibitive favorite, Klassen finds hopeful challengers in Northland's Emily Rand, Benson's Dani Higgins, Tempe Prep's Carolyn Cann, and Valley (Sanders) Tracey Williams 1 Mountain Pointe 2 Flowing Wells 3 Desert Vista 4 Sandra Day O'Connor 5 Flagstaff 6 Ganado 7 Page 8 Salpointe 9 Catalina Foothills 10 Xavier 11 Centennial 12 Chinle 13 Buena 14t Red Mountain 14t Bradshaw Mountain 16 Hopi 17 Winslow 18 Mountain View (Marana) 19 Mountain Ridge 20 Yuma Catholic
Defending 5A state champion Mountain View (Mesa) loses leader Sandy Skousen to graduation. The perennial state championship contender does, however, return its #2, #4, and #5 runners from the 2004 championship squad. This threesome averaged 16:38 over the Anthem course at the 5A championship meet and, perhaps more impressively, posted a mere 22-second spread (16:30 to 16:52). The experience of this proven threesome in combination with Mountain's View's trademark depth establish the 2005 team as a strong pre-season favorite. 2002 5A champion and 2004 5A state runner-up Desert Vista seeks to challenge Mountain View's dominance. Desert Vista counters with proven frontrunners Matt Swift-Kraemer and Garrett Kelly. While Swift-Kraemer and Kelly provide a very strong 1-2 duo, Desert Vista will need similarly strong contributions from a group of talented yet untested sophomores in order to challenge Mountain View. Other top-5 contenders include Buena, Horizon, Salpointe, and Highland. Desert Vista's Swift-Kraemer and Kelly do indeed appear to be the clear pre-season favorites for individual honors. Buena's Scott Mayberry, Salpointe's Bryce Livingston, and Mountain View's 1-2 combination of Chris Huish and Justin Hackett should challenge the Desert Vista duo for individual state supremacy. Boy's Class 5A – Division II Carl Hayden returns a proven 1-2 combination in Marcos Labrada and Juan Quintero and thus appears to be early team favorite for the 5A-II title. Ironwood counters with a similarly proven 1-2 combination in Brandon White (16:34 5-K cross-country) and Marc Romero (4:31 1,600) and should provide firm competition for team honors. Marcos de Niza returns all seven varsity runners from its 2004 state 5A squad. Behind two senior leaders Rudy Anaya and Matt Petrucci, and a strong nucleus of juniors, the previously unheralded Marcos de Niza harriers bring maturity, experience, and an outstanding summer of preparation in their quest for state-level recognition and success. Individually, Paradise Valley's James Bogner returns as the prohibitive favorite. The 2004 5A individual runner-up brings sterling cross-country credentials including a 15:30 5-K performance in the 2004 race. Central's Charles Simon counters with 9:47 3,200-meter track credentials that suggest he is the most likely challenger to Bogner. Additional contenders should include Sunrise's Josh Gher and Ironwood's White. Boy's Class 4A – Division I Greenway is the pre-season favorite for state team honors behind leaders Jonathan Abel and Geoff Olson. Individually, Apollo's Philbert Mutuyimana brings a 15:56 5-K cross-country personal record that establishes him as the individual favorite. Notably, Thunderbird's Brent Pitts and Ironwood Ridge's Nicolas Belock both competed successfully against Mutuyimana during the 2005 track-and-field season and may pose a similar challenge for individual cross-country supremacy. Boy's Class 4A – Division II Defending 4A state champion SW#4/US#25 Page may be the premier boy's cross-country program in Arizona. Page returns five (5) top-40 performers from the 2004 state championship race. This veteran quintet averaged 16:09 for 5-K in the 2004 4A state race and appears poised to challenge for state, regional, and national recognition. Cactus Shadows loses Tyler Raspiller to graduation but returns a powerful 2-3-4 group that averaged 16:48 in the 2004 championship race. 3A transfer Rio Rico seeks immediate Class 4A success behind proven track performers Mark Molera (4:30 1,600), Bobby Evans (10:09 3,200), Mike Reyes (4:50 1,600), and Will Smith (10:23 3,200). Flagstaff seeks to reload behind sub 17:00-minute performers Sam Robison and Matt Vian. Individually, Page's Levi Lomeland is a compelling favorite based on his 15:10 5-K cross-country credentials. Lomeland need look no further than his own teammates in order to identify his strongest challengers for individual honors. Teammates Nathan Lee and Donovan Tsinnijinnie make a 1-2-3 state finish a very real possibility for this elite squad. Cactus Shadow's Sean Maroney and Bradshaw Mountain's Omar De Los Santos may contend to disrupt the potential 1-2-3 sweep by the veteran Page harriers. Boy's Class 3A Ganado, Tuba City, and Hopi each return the core members of successful 2004 teams. Ganado returns five (5) top-40 finishers from the 2004 3A championship race and is thus a slight 2005 pre-season favorite. However, Tuba City returns two (2) top-10 finishers among its five (5) returning top-50 finishers and should thus provide outstanding competition for Ganado. Perennial state title contender Hopi also returns two (2) top-10 finishers among its four (4) returning top-50 finishers. 16:01 5-K cross-country runner Matt Rowell from Blue Ridge is the deserving pre-season favorite for individual accolades. The 2004 state 3A runner-up complemented his impressive cross-country resume with a 4:26 1,600-meter personal record during the 2005 track-and-field season. Tuba City's Christopher Holve and Harold Smiley, Hopi's Matt Lamson and Vonn Secakuku, and Ganado's John Bigwater and Cody Tsosie not only provide leadership for their teams but also hope to challenge Rowell for an individual state championship. Boy's Classes 2A/1A 1A Northland Preparatory returns five (5) top-30 finishers from the 2004 2A/1A championship and thus appears to be a legitimate favorite for yet another team championship. However, 1A St. Michael returns two (2) top-10 finishers among its five (5) returning top-35 finishers from the 2004 race and should consequently challenge Northland for state superiority. Perennial 2A powerhouse Valley Christian also returns five (5) top-50 finishers and duly seeks to challenge these proven 1A programs. Other potential contenders include 2A Red Mesa and 2A Scottsdale Christian. Individually, 2004 2A/1A champion Weston Jones from Red Mesa High returns to defend a well-earned cross-country title. Jones is fairly described as a co-favorite due to the return of Northland's Tolan Thornton. With a 4th place finish in the 2004 championship race and, more recently, a 9:09 3,200-meter personal record at the 2005 Nike Outdoor National track-and-field meet, Thornton has the credentials and motivation to become the elite, high school male runner in Arizona in addition to seeking regional and national recognition. Benson's Matt Gustafson and St. Michael's Craig Curley and Myron Rintala are also proven cross-country performers who can realistically expect top-5 individual finishes in 2005. 1 Page 2 Mountain View (Mesa) 3 Desert Vista 4 Cactus Shadows 5 Salpointe 6 Highland 7 Hopi 8 Horizon 9 Buena 10 Carl Hayden 11 Tuba City 12t Ganado 12t Flagstaff 14 Brophy 15 Northland Prep 16 Rio Rico 17 Ironwood 18 St. Michaels 19 Greenway 20 Shadow Mountain |
DyeStat |
John Dye - founder and editor in chief |