Episode Two

Ladies and gentlemen, without further ado or excess exposition, or even astronomical amounts of alliteration, I hereby impart to you Skipper's State predictions for Saturday's 4A State championships in Wamego.

Boys Team
1st-  Wamego.  I can't pick against the home team here.  They've played second fiddle, second bassoon, second accordion, what have you, for quite some time now.  I think they're finally due to pull through on the home course to win Phlash Patton a State title.
2nd-  Hugoton.  Andale beat them on a tiebreak at Regionals, but I think they're made of tougher stuff than the Indians.
3rd-  DeSoto.  Angel Vasquez takes full advantage of the stud effect to overcome Baldwin.
4th-  Baldwin.  For the first time in my life, I can honestly say that Baldwin doesn't have the depth.
5th-  Andale.  I don't think they'll hold together as well on Wamego's hills.  Top 5 is still very solid, and a huge improvement for a team that didn't even go to State last year.
6th-  Tonganoxie.  I don't have much to say about this team, except that it seems like they have had some very good teams in the distant past, so perhaps this is a return to glory?
7th-  Ulysses.  The team that beat the best team to NOT go to State.
8th-  Hiawatha.  Could spoil my carefully crafted predictions, it all comes down to what Cale Heineger shows up Saturday- stud effect or pack runner?
9th-  Labette County.  I could see them as high as 7th, thanks to their guns at the top, but I think 9th or 10th is more appropriate.
10th-  Chanute.  Better pack than Labette, but not quite the same guns up top.
11th-  McPherson.  I still think they would be the worst team to make State if not for...
12th-  Paola.  I never expected Paola to field such a poor team, but since they got the Southeast Regional, they still snuck in. 

Girls Team
1st-  Baldwin.  Where the boys lack depth, the girls seem to have it.  Sienna Durr has been everywhere from 2nd or 3rd to 7th on this team, and not because of her own fluctuations in performance.  Regardless of whether the rest of the team passes her up or not, they're still handy favorites.
2nd-  DeSoto.  This is about as traditional of a top 2 as this state knows.
3rd-  Maize South.  This might be an ambitious ranking for the Mavericks.  I think they'll run into some trouble from their 3rd runner all the way down to the 6th runner. 
4th-  Concordia.  Two things pain me about placing the Panthers at 4th.  One of which is that they're behind Maize South, the other is that the streak continues, they beat the Red Raiders.
5th-  Wamego.  Red Raiders finish out of the Top 5?  Unheard of.  Stud effect be damned, I rank them ahead of Rose Hill and Pratt.
6th-  Rose Hill.  Courtesy of Emily Terrell and the stud effect, plus a fair pack effort.
7th-  Pratt.  Courtesy of Cheyenne Becker and the stud effect.
8th-  St. James.  The team that beat the best team to NOT make State is actually pretty fair themselves.  They've got a solid 1-2 punch up top, but their pack is far less potent than Rose Hill or Pratt.
9th-  Buhler.  Not much to say about this team, just that they pack up pretty well.
10th-  Chanute.  Runner up at Regionals, I say they beat Southeast Regional Champs...
11th-  Paola.  My magical formula places them behind Chanute at the big dance.
12th-  Pittsburg.  Pack up, but they'll be waaaay back.  Funny how all three teams from the Southeast Regional finish in the 3 last places...

Boys Individual
1.  Angel Vasquez DeSoto This fellow is a machine.  He's strong and dedicated, far more mature than when I first met him.  He wins by at least 20 seconds.
2.  Jacob Wallace Andale Man on a mission, only a sophomore. 
3.  Ethan Hartzell Baldwin Also only a sophomore.  Baldwin tends to perform well on the big stage, so I say third for the man who, last I saw of him, was rocking a mullet.
4.  Jacob Martin or Patrick Weaver Hugoton Whichever of these two are number one for the Eagles will be 4thish.  Ordinarily I'd say Patty, but Martin really seemed to come into his own at Regionals.  Very impressive.
5.  Patrick Rachford Tonganoxie This guy has quietly been having a solid season.
6.  Tosh Mihesuah Baldwin Senior goes out with a Top 10.
7.  Hudson Phillip Wamego Unique senior, to say the least, leads his team with a Top 10 finish.
8.  Joey Kenneson Rose Hill This kid has worked his butt off and consistantly improved throughout high school. 
9.  Caleb Porter McPherson Not his brother, but he's not too shabby himself.
10.  Jacob Koester Concordia He hasn't put up the times that the duo from Labette County have, but he seems to always race Wamego's Phillip pretty tough.  I think he continues doing so at State.

Girls Individual
1.  Cheyenne Becker Pratt Isn't she like 25 by now?  It seems like milennia since she took second behind Valley Center's Morgan Wedekind at State in 2009, shocking favorite Molly Milbourn of El Dorado, who settled for 3rd.  Anyway, her 14:41 at Regionals makes her the favorite.
2.  Emilea Finley Colby She lost at Regionals, but this salty middle distance star has a nose for the big time competition.  She'll go all out at State, you can count on that.  She gives Becker a run for the money.
3.  MiKala Heddin Hesston Froshky looks to beat Finley again, but I don't see it happening.
4.  Emily Terrell Rose Hill She may be tiny, but she's tough.
5.  Katie Jones Baldwin Leading the pack for the team champs.
6.  Alexa van Lerberg St. James Continuing the budding tradition for the... dare I say it... future powerhouse?
7.  Quinlynn Walcott Basehor-Linwood Who?  I'm not sure, but she impressed at Regionals, and she's got a Welsh surname.  Not to mention, she beat other members of my Top 10, so it's only fair she makes it in too.
8.  Rebekah Burgweger DeSoto Leading the Runners-Up
9.  Carrie Finson Jefferson West The Northeast Regional was CRAWLING with stars, she was tenth in her region, but she's 9th at State, the way I see it.
10.  Carol Whaley Baldwin Two in the Top 10 is a great indicator that Baldwin is the top team in 4A.

So, there you have it, my rankings.  But that's enough XC for today.  How about some Random Fun?

I have heard rumors in the scientific community that they have discovered a way to manipulate a virus in such a manner that it destroys cancer cells.  I hope it works.  But, can anyone remember the Will Smith movie that I absolutely loved as a sophomore in high school?  You know, I Am Legend?  Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe that it started out by saying that scientists had done the exact same thing... I remember my high school anatomy teacher making the remark some 3 years ago... "As soon as we see scientists claiming that they have a viral cure for cancer, that's when we need to begin preparing for the zombie appocalypse. "  Well.  If you need me, I'll be practicing my marksmanship.

This is the third consecutive night that I have been awoken by something odd at around 4:15 AM.  The first night, it was a pack of dogs attacking a herd of horses.  How dumb could they be?  Have you noticed how horses don't like to be messed with?  Fido lost, in case you were wondering.  Two nights ago, I was awoken by my bedroom door popping open.  On its own.  Alrighty.  Last night, I woke up to find my pillows laying at the foot of my bed.  Well.  What do you know.  I must be a wild sleeper. 

Speaking of sleep, that reminds me of a track related dream I had the other night.  I was asked to pole vault by my coach.  Why, I couldn't tell you.  But I did it.  And cleared 17 feet (obviously a dream).  The problem is, I missed the mat.  As I'm falling towards the track, I slip a naughty really, really loudly.  The funny thing is, they're doing a live television interview of some chick right next to the pole vault pit.  So I'm all over the news shouting obscenities and falling 17 feet to the earth.  Figures.

Oh, and a little thing I'm trying.  I call it Lemonade Culture.  I don't drink pop, so I can't really call it pop culture.  It's where I'll make some comment on celebs or that sort of thing.  Two things, real quick:  Based on the new Paramore songs we've been hearing, I think the new album due out next year sometime shall be phenomenol.  Also that Herman Cain add is one of the most ridiculous things I have ever seen.

Bible Verse of the Day:  Philippians 4:6 Be anxious in nothing, but in all things, through prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, make your requests known unto God.

God bless, maybe I'll see you at State XC in Wamego.