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Southwest Region Boys Preseason Rankings 2021Published by
Colorado, Utah Fully Loaded In Battle For Southwest Supremacy By Doug Binder, DyeStat Editor Boys NXR Southwest The competition for national championship berths out of the Southwest region figures to be as intense as ever, with deep and talented teams on both sides of the Colorado-Utah border. Picking a top five from the top tier of programs is a bit like shuffling a deck of cards -- Coloradoans in one hand, Utahns in the other. Until some of them go head to head at full strength it could be difficult to predict with an precision how this is going to unfold. To start with, the No. 1 ranking goes to the defending Colorado 5A champions from Mountain Vista High in Highlands Ranch. The Golden Eagles have participated in four of the five previous Nike Cross Nationals, placing third in 2017. It's too early to tell if this version of Vista Nation can link up as well as the 2017 squad did, but with four returners back from the 2020 state title team and eight guys who ran between 4:25 and 4:35 in the 1,600 last year, the 2021 team has a chance to be special. Another team that has reloaded is Corner Canyon of Draper, Utah. The third-place finisher at the 2019 NXN dipped to third at the Utah 6A meet last fall but are on the upswing again. Even so, it remains unclear if they are better than two other Utah teams -- Farmington and American Fork. Time will tell. Back to Colorado, Cheyenne Mountain of Colorado Springs is the team of the moment in Class 4A with a deep senior class that could unseat Niwot as the state champion and also provide a serious challenge to Mountain Vista at regionals. Outside of those two states, Desert Vista is the leading contender in Arizona and Los Alamos brings back a good squad in New Mexico. 1. Mountain Vista CO. A tremendous senior class includes Jayden Nats, Owen Nolan, Luke Urban, Charlie Geisler, Nate Harbert, Aaron Yocom and Brady Ford. At the season opening Arapahoe Warrior XC Invitational, junior Tyler Downs was the team leader and the five-man compression was 41 seconds. Truthfully, that may have been a modest start. The next chance to show what this group can do is Saturday at the Liberty Bell Invitational in Littleton. 2. Corner Canyon UT. Everybody is gone from the team that finished just 14 points behind Newbury Park CA at NXN in 2019, but a new wave has replaced the old. Senior Jackson Henstrom is one of three runners back from last year's third place finish at the Utah 6A meet but younger runners like Carter Cutting, Connor Whatcott and Grayson Milne have stepped up to join Henstrom and seniors Hayden Loeser and Eli Kimball. 3. Cheyenne Mountain CO. A convergence of talented seniors could lead to big things for this team, with Knox Exton and Erik Le Roux capable of landing a potent 1-2 punch and teammates Enzo Knapp, Kaden Levings, Jackson Warmack and Cedar Collins providing capable backup. No boys team from Colorado Springs has ever advanced to nationals, but this team should be in the mix and might be the one to break through. 4. Farmington UT. The Phoenix bring back four of the seven that captured the Utah Class 4A cross country title last year, but the group seems stronger from top to bottom heading into 2021. Seniors Britton Austin, Ethan Peterson, Ryan Bennett, Matthew Neuenschwander, Isaac Halverson, Drew Hildreth and Henry Prusse, and juniors Spencer Bradshaw and Aaron Miller -- all ran under 15:10 for three miles at the Top of Utah meet on Sept. 3. 5. American Fork UT. The most successful team from Utah over the past dozen years, the Cavemen have built an enduring legacy under coach Timo Mostert that continues to cultivate good runners and make them great. AF lost seven of its top nine to graduation, but returning seniors Nathan Jaster and Jayden Fitzgarrald are potential All-Americans and the group trying to keep up with them -- seniors Kaden Pack, Chase Evans, Jared Thomas and Will Merkley -- could keep the team in the hunt for a 10th NXN appearance. Watchlist More news |
