There was a point this season when Bingham cross country coach Jeff Arbogast thought his boys team might have a real shot at capturing the Class 5A title. After some unexpected turbulence, that championship talk has been quelled.

Make no mistake about it, the Bingham boys are still the cream of the crop in Region 3, but at the state level Arbogast says the loss of team captain Logan Clark has stunned the Miners.

"We had a real strong (and) deep team, but we've had some setbacks," Arbogast said. "We've got some regrouping to do."

Clark had been a key member of the team and suddenly quit the program earlier this season. However, with fliers like Nate Jewkes and Jason Sara still running strong, the Miners should be able to win the region title but the 5A championship just got a whole lot tougher.

Copper Hills has come on of late, leaping over Riverton, West Jordan and Kearns. The Grizzlies were able to place three runners in the top 10 of last week's region meet at Kearns.

"They have surprised me," said Arbogast. "You know, if we're not careful, we'll go right from thinking we had a shot at state to losing the region."

Still, if you ask the Copper Hills coaches, they'll tell you that the Miners are head and shoulders above the rest of the league. The region championship should produce a tight finish between Riverton, Copper Hills, West Jordan and Kearns, but only three of these teams will advance to the state meet.

(Hunter's program continues to falter, as only a few runners are participating for the Wolverines.)

Bingham's girls have apparently rebounded from last year's third-place finish.

Making the jump to region favorite is all about team chemistry. Arbogast said the last couple of years, his girls teams has just been going through the motions. This year's team started quick and hasn't let up.

Led by Rebecca Barnes and McKenzie Moore, Bingham is the region favorite and could have a top five finish at state.

West Jordan is led by a trio of solid runners and will be dangerous at the region championship. Riverton and Copper Hills will qualify for state but only by default since both Kearns and Hunter are down and won't field competitive teams for the region title meet. With the end of the season on the horizon, here's the Region 3 cross country roundup:

BINGHAM: Nate Jewkes has yet to lose a region race this year. The senior set a new course record with a time of 15:45 at the Cottonwood Complex earlier this season. The old mark of 15:49 was set in 2003 by former Jordan runner, Jared Beinlien. Jason Sara and Sean Bullock are also having strong seasons for the Miners. Both runners have consistently finished in the top 10 at region practice meets this year. The team's depth will be tested as the unexpected departure of team captain Logan Clark could derail the Miners state title hopes.