With Newbury Park Out Of The Picture, Who Emerges On Top?
You've probably heard about this boys race from RunningLane last week, right?
In what turned into the fastest cross country race in high school history -- time-wise at least -- the Newbury Park (CA) boys put on an absolute show. Led by Colin Sahlman, who ran the quickest 5K ever in cross country by a high school boy in 14:03.29, Newbury Park put just 29 points on the board to capture the national team title.
The California state champs took the top three spots and four of the top six, as all seven runners broke 15 minutes. It was a moment for the history books.
But with the Newbury Park boys in Alabama, it meant they weren't in California for the Eastbay West Regional to qualify through to nationals. Instead, the boys field could look relatively more wide open without the likes of Sahlman or Leo or Lex Young in the field.
Who's ready to emerge?
Northeast Region champion Gavin Sherry (CT) is clicking at the right time. Fellow Northeast boy Marco Langon (NJ) was right there with Sherry at Regionals and he could be ready for a statement. But the Midwest's Zane Bergen (CO) and Riley Hough (MI) should be right in the mix, fresh off sandwiching themselves in that Newbury Park pack at RunningLane. West region champion Tyrone Gorze (OR) can't be slept on, either.
We won't be seeing low-14s on the board as these boys cross the line, but we'll still get a very fast and very competitive race with plenty of boys that can make a legitimate claim to the top spot. No one has broken 15 on the course since 2015, when Drew Hunter ran. Will we see that on Saturday?
