Getting Started

Ok!  Ladies and gentlemen, it is time for what you have all been waiting for!

Or not.  But I have always wanted to try this.  It's a blog.  From me.  To you.  About running.  And random stuff that happens on a daily basis.  Even if you don't like running that much, I promise, you will find some of my posts very much entertaining.  Because I can.

For starters... some Kansas High School Cross Country, specifically 4A, but a little bit of random observation thrown in there.

4A Boys
El Dorado:  Andale takes the cake... on a tie breaker over Hugoton.  I was very impressed by Andale getting their top 3 under 17:00... I didn't see that coming.  I figured on Jacob Wallace winning (just a sophomore boys and girls), but I didn't expect him to run 16:07.  Kudos.  I think the big surprise of the day was Mulvane failing to qualify despite putting 3 runners in the top 15.  I don't know how Ulysses snuck in there to steal that number 3 team spot, but somehow, they pulled it off.

Concordia:  No big surprise that Wamego takes gold.  The course at Concordia is very tough from what I've seen of results over the past few years, so I pay no heed to the times.  I still rank Wamego as the favorite at State.  Hiawatha I think is a hit or miss team.  I'm not overly surprised that they qualified for State, but slightly surprised that they were Regional Runners-up.  McPherson surprised me by qualifying, honestly, as I expected Concordia to take advantage of their home course and get themselves in.  Apparently not, as they fall to 5th.  Hesston was another team I expected to be in the mix, and in fact they were, finishing 4th.

WyCo:  I called this one as far as teams go, but DeSoto won over Baldwin.  I don't see either team performing as well at state as they traditionally do, but I think that you'd have to be goofy to not pick Angel Vasquez as the 4A favorite after he goes 15:42 (still a junior).  Tonganoxie also looked very good to me, and I was surprised that they weren't ahead of Basehor-Lindwood, the 4th place team, by more than they were.

Ottawa:  I expected Chanute to take the W.  No surprise there.  I expected a runner-up finish from Labette County behind that 1-2 punch of Drew Baum and David Geren.  Now what I didn't expect was for Paola to be Iola.  I guess that's why they run the meet instead of looking at some college kid's predictions.

Best Team to NOT Qualify:  Mulvane.  Obviously.  I know they aren't the team of old, but shoot.  I think they'd still be pretty competitive at State.  We'll never know.

Overall Thoughts:  Depth.  Dang.  10 boys under 17:00 at El Dorado, one runner under 16:00 at WyCo... Baldwin and DeSoto NOT automatic assumptions for top 3?  What is going on here?  Btw, at ElDo, the times that would have easily qualified when I was in high school were placing in the 30s.  :O  My guess is that Andale won't be as strong at State as their Regional finish would suggest, but the State preview isn't going up until I get a chance to research a little more.

4A Girls
El Dorado:  Maize South with the W.  No surprise.  1-3 are very strong, but their 4 and 5 really prevent them from being a serious State contender, in my opinion.  The big talk of the day is Pratt's Cheyenne Becker going 14:41.  DANG.  Can you say State favorite?  Rose Hill qualifies as runner-up behind Emily Terrell, but imo showed better depth than Maize South.  Pratt mainly qualifies via the "Stud Effect" (where one runner drags the team score down by being up so high in the individual rankings).  Andale isn't overly close in 4th, 12 pts behind.  Even without Becker, the Greenbacks still get the nod.

Concordia:  The home team's ladies are finally making themselves a presence, knocking off Wamego for the second consecutive week.  Does this continue at State?  Hmm, we shall see.  Buhler swings into the third spot, not surprising.  I expected more of a fight from Haven, though.  The big surprise to me is Hesston froshky MiKala Heddin beating up on middle distance star Emilea Finley of Colby, a 20 second gap!

WyCo:  Here was another Regional where I was a little surprised.  Baldwin and DeSoto go 1-2, yada yada, no surprise there, but Topeka Hayden doesn't qualify?  Facepalm.  St. James gets the nod.  To be fair to St. James, I am told they had an off performance at the Wamego Invitational in September, explaining the trouncing they took.  So nothing else to report here, really.

Ottawa:  I nailed these teams.  Paola, Chanute, and Pittsburg work their way in, Girard and Independence both coming up just shy of the bronze.  Nothing huge to report individually, but I will say that Paola was far better than I predicted.

Best Team to NOT Qualify:  Topeka Hayden.  Sorry to rub it in, ladies, but you laid an egg.  I really felt like the Wildcats were Top 5 material at State.  Wait... Wildcats?  Mulvane is the Wildcats, too... maybe it's a Wildcat curse... Haven was fourth, also the Wildcats... hmm...

Overall Thoughts:  Not too sure I really have any major ones to put forward on this lady's side... I think it is going to be more traditional with Baldwin and DeSoto close to the top, throw in Wamego, Concordia, and Maize South... plus the stud effect coupled with depth for Rose Hill... hard saying.  I look forward to seeing results.

Other News:  In 5A, I actually missed less teams than I did in 4A, which was quite a shocker to me.  I don't have a lot to report on there, as my expertise lies more in the 4A realm.  I was a little surprised at the Bishop Carroll Regional, where Winfield girls are the runner up.  Kudos to 5th runner Courtney Griffiths.  She'd struggled some at some past meets, making me worry if Winfield would even qualify in 5A, let alone take the Regional Runner-Up.  The boys also qualified, thanks to Josh Hanna, Colby Kromminga, and the Stud Effect.  Bishop Carroll girls won, Goddard Eisenhower third.  I think we see 3 of the top 5 or 6 at State here.  But I think BC has some serious competition for State in Lansing (two runners under 15:00, three more under 16:00) and Saint Thomas Aquinas (6 between 15:03 and 15:35).

Also, I must just say that Jacob Morgan of Washburn Rural is an uber stud, and that Jonah Heng of Shawnee Mission West will be his closest competition.  Close is a relative term.  I expect up to 5 runners under 16:00 at 6A State.

Kudos to Wichita North, who has really impressed me this season.

Also, this week's Sign of the Appocalypse is that Wichita South qualified for State...?

Random Thing for the Day:  While doing some heritage research, I discovered that I am widely of a Welsh background.  Huh.  There's a heritage you don't hear people bragging about very often.  I'll take it.  Cause I'm unique.

Bible verse of the Day:  Matthew 6:33 Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given you as well.

Happy Monday, and God bless.