High school cross country: Alta boys win 1st-ever championship

On occasion during the past few years, Alta cross country coach Rob Murphy has taken his boys runners down to Alta High's gymnasium to gaze up at all the state championship banners that the Hawks have raised.

"He'd be like, 'Do you guys see anything special about this?"' recalled senior Jack Webster. "We'd look up and see all these state championship banners, and then Murphy would point out, 'There's not a men's cross country banner here, (but) you guys can do it."'

Led by a group of seniors who experienced many ups and downs over their four-year careers and bolstered by a phenomenal set of juniors, Murphy's prediction that Alta could win a boys cross country title became a reality on Wednesday.

On an afternoon that saw huge amounts of drama play out in Class 5A at the state cross country championships, the Hawks exorcised a whole bunch of demons with a performance befitting of the word "champions."

Alta's boys — Garrett Jones, Kyle Moffet, Webster, Brian Howell and Parker Syndergaard

— finished 3rd, 5th, 7th, 11th and 12th respectively to post a dominating win over American Fork, 38 places to 75. Dominance was also on display on the other side as Davis' heralded girls team got solid performances from its five scoring runners to beat second-place Jordan, 43-85, and repeat as 5A champs.

Individually, freshman sensation Danielle Menlove of Jordan won on the girls side, while senior Seth Gutzwiller of Davis capped a stellar prep career with an individual win on the boys side.

Coming into Wednesday's state meet, there were many questions about Alta's credentials in 5A. Many wondered if the Hawks could hold off peaking American Fork. Others wondered whether the Hawks could avoid letting last year's disappointing performance at state affect them. Still others wondered if Alta could get out fast enough at the start.

Most of all, people wondered whether they could put it all together.

The answer to all of those questions was a resounding yes — and then some.

Alta's five scoring runners bunched together near the front from the start of the race and stayed that way until they crossed the finishing line.

Murphy mapped out beforehand what the best-case and worst-case scenarios were for his team, and in just about every way they hit the best-case scenario.