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Southwest Region Boys Early Season Rankings 2023Published by
Utah In The Spotlight To Open Cross Country Season, With Herriman And American Fork Nearly A Toss-Up At No. 1 By Doug Binder, DyeStat Editor Boys NXR Southwest Preview One season after both teams finished in the top five at Nike Cross Nationals, Herriman and American Fork seem poised to draw even more attention this fall. These are likely the top two teams in the country. Herriman, in its second year under the direction of coach Doug Soles, is hot out of the gate already in August with a 14-deep roster and an improved William Steadman leading the way. The senior has big shoes to fill with the graduation of standout Noah Jenkins and William Horne. Herriman's 25-second spread on its scoring five in a 39-point performance at the UIAAA Invitational serves notice that the team is ready. American Fork might have even more talent in its lineup, and is led by the best runner in the country in senior Daniel Simmons. The Cavemen return their top three and six of the seven who helped the team take fifth at NXN. Chase Pack, Ben Jaster, Ben Bradshaw, Kaden Evans and Bridger Karren all return for a team that is loaded. Coach Timo Mostert said one early concern is "getting everybody healthy," and if they do then the clashes with Herriman could be epic this fall. Surprisingly, no team from the Southwest region has ever won NXN. The talent in Utah doesn't stop with those top two. Riverton, led by Samuel Ghiz, put five runners under 16 minutes at the Park City Twilight last weekend. And Lone Peak, led by Nathan Rummler, had four runners under 16 minutes at the UIAAA Invitational. Valor Christian, the defending Colorado 5A champion, returns senior Dane Eike and junior Kaeden Dendorfer, both of whom finished in the top 10 at last year's state meet. With four of its top five back, Valor Christian remains dangerous. The rapid rise of Benjamin Anderson is one of the reasons why Mountain Vista could challenge for the top team in Colorado. The sophomore improved dramatically during his sophomore season and finished second in the state 3,200 meters final, behind Eike. Battle Mountain boasts two sub-9 3,200-meter runners in seniors Porter Middaugh and William Brunner that could be the best 1-2 punch in the U.S. New Mexico champion Rio Rancho brings back four runners who finished in the top 13 of last year's state meet. They should remain in a close competition with Volcano Vista to retain the state title.
1. Herriman UT. After a podium finish at Nike Cross Nationals in his first season coaching at Herriman, Soles continues to build an elite program in Utah. At the recent UIAAA Invitational, nine runners on the team ran 15:40 or faster for three miles. The team is actually more like 14 deep and it made substantial progress during the track season last spring. Steadman has emerged as a low stick and is running up to a minute faster than he was a year ago. Junior Tayshuan Ogomo, junior twins Jonah and Micah Tang, senior Maxwell Hofheins, senior Hyrum Wood, senior Andrew Marks and senior Jack Beckstrom and junior Noah Manwaring help to comprise one of the deepest teams in the U.S. Whether that will be good enough to beat American Fork remains to be seen. 2. American Fork UT. Simmons is likely to be the No. 1 runner in the country all season and has a chance to join AF legend Casey Clinger (2015-16) as a national champion at Glendoveer Golf Course. And with support from Jaster and Bradshaw, this could turn into one of coach Timo Mostert's best teams. When everybody is healthy, AF could have more talent than Herriman. Maxwell Orr, Chase Pack and Bridger Karren are all important pieces for one of the country's top teams. 3. Riverton UT. Riverton is located on east side of Herriman and both of those cities are 20 miles north of American Fork. The Silverwolves finished fifth at NXR Southwest last year and were just 11 points away from third-place and NXN qualifier Mountain View UT. Ghiz, seniors Andrew Ludwig, Luke Horner and Gage Helm and junior Corbin Randall are all back and looking to move up. 4. Lone Peak UT. Lone Peak is located just north of American Fork, adding to an incredibly rich collection of high school running talent in Utah. Junior Cooper Bybee and senior Mark Bybee are among the four member of the return who return from last year's regional lineup. Seniors Bryan Glutz and Brent Clark are also back. Rummler, who is off to a hot start this fall, won one of the open races at the regional meet last fall and has made a huge leap over the past year. 5. Valor Christian CO. Even with Utah teams crowding the top of the regional rankings, it doesn't mean that cross country is cooling off in Colorado. Eike is the top returning individual from the regional meet besides Simmons. Last year's team that finished 13th at NXR Southwest had five sophomores in the lineup - Dendorfer, Porter Warren, Cory Gilbert, Judah Crooks and Enzo Swan. This team is poised to make a big jump this fall. WATCHLIST More news |
