Cross country meet may end in a few surprises
New powers may upset the usual pecking order
Mountain View's boys teams from the '90s dominated the scene for the better part of a decade, as expected. But on the flip side, Jordan's girls came straight out of the blue last year to capture the Class 5A title, giving eternal hope to the underdog. Heading into Wednesday's state meet, the question remains: Will there be an upset or will it go by the numbers?
In Class 5A, the competition has been narrowed down to Davis, American Fork, Skyline and Alta. There are dark horses in Weber and Bingham, but a champion could emerge from either Davis, Skyline or American Fork. The Darts have the deepest team in 5A and they're led by two experienced runners in Seth Gutzwiller and Spencer Anderson. The Eagles shocked Alta by taking the region title, and they shouldn't be discounted here. The Cavemen won Region 4 with the help of star runners Ben Felix and Robby Lee. American Fork will be in contention if its top five runners have a great perfomance.
Mountain Crest, in 4A, might have the edge on two very good Utah County teams, but only if its competitiors run like they did at the Region 5 championship. The Mustangs are very experienced and seem to be peaking at the right time. Led by Neal Ferrin and Kevin Dickey, the Cache Valley team will be challenged by Orem and defending 4A champ, Timpview.
All-stater Brian Fletcher leads the way for the T-Birds, who squeaked past Orem in the region championship by a single point. The Tigers will be in the mix, having won the Murray Invitational earlier this season. They should have enough gas in the tank to keep pace with Timpview and Mountain Crest. Individually, Springville's Spencer Gardner is the favorite to win it all.
Park City, Cedar City, Judge Memorial and North Sanpete are all contenders for the 3A crown. Ogden has also finished the year strong and could be a factor in the end. Judge's Luke Puskedra is favored to win the medalist honors and might very well be the fastest runner in the entire field. Park City and Cedar City have been ready to duke it out for the state championship all season, and now they'll get their chance.
On the girls' side, Davis is the favorite, and most coaches believe the Darts will run away with the team title. Candace Eddy and Natalie Haws lead a team that might be the best Darts team ever, but they'll need a championship to prove it. Timpanogos, Skyline, Spanish Fork and American Fork are all strong contenders, but none seems capable of beating a sound Darts team. Individually, Skyline's Shayla Kipp is the favorite to defend her state title.
Recent comments
I am a mainstream sports fan. But to all those who say cross country...
Sports fan | Oct. 19, 2007 at 3:01 p.m.
Hey Don't make me snooz...if you think XC is boring then why in the...
RE: Don't make me snooz | Oct. 19, 2007 at 7:27 a.m.
Whoever just said cross country is boring and to get real...you get...
This is your wake up call! | Oct. 18, 2007 at 3:54 p.m.
- Utah Co. man arrest in sex assault 5:30 p.m.
- S.Salt Lake mayor vetoes funding 5:29 p.m.
- Blazers offer Millsap 4-year deal 5:02 p.m.
- Eagle Mountain gets 5th well 4:44 p.m.
- Utah eligible for federal flu grants 4:05 p.m.
- Attempted murder case refiled 4:05 p.m.
- Cannon sued over unpaid bills 4:04 p.m.
- Women lose court bid to ski jump 4:02 p.m.
- Brandon Bass headed to Magic 4:00 p.m.
- Cowboys' roof replaced for 'aesthetics' 4:00 p.m.
- LDS seminary principal arrested
- Jazz talking Boozer trade?
- Reactions on Boozer speculation
- Stadium of Fire flag burning was fake
- Jazz in back of line for free agents
- A primer for the 6th Potter film
- Okur signs two-year extension
- Jazz won't meet Lopez on Europe trip
- Restaurant destroyed by fire
- Mall owner seeks to retain zoning
- Bronco collecting a galaxy of recruits
141 - Letters: Palin mistreated
141 - Teachers struggle with district cuts
137 - Jazz talking Boozer trade?
134 - Blazers may offer Millsap a contract
123 - LDS seminary principal arrested
118 - Stadium of Fire flag burning was fake
90 - Moon landing: Let's hear from you
82 - Fairness of BCS debated
81 - Chaffetz eyes challenging Bennett
74
Two California high school receivers have given the University of Utah
The recent Poly camp in Bountiful opened the eyes of recruiters to at...
Just borrow a few bucks from Geneva Corporation or your brother Joe. Quit...
Thank you! This BYU fan cheers for Utes success at the next level!
Innocent till proven guilty!!!
>how do we know if this girl was even telling the truth? Exactly. Research...
Sorry, I guess we'll "See Ya Later".
Let Milsap go and go to the Knicks with a trade for Boozer. They get...
If the Jazz use their head not their heart we have to let Paul go. That is...
I know this man and his wife and kids. I have known him for years and years....
to resign milsip boozer has to go make the 3 team trade get tyrus thomas...



