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Heartland Region Boys Early Season Rankings 2023Published by
Wayzata, Stevens Point Still On The Scene In Heartland Region By Doug Binder, DyeStat Editor Boys NXR Heartland Preview The two best teams at the end of last season in the Heartland region are the same two at the head of the list to open 2023. Stevens Point WI and Wayzata MN are essentially a toss-up as the new season begins. SPASH gets the slight nod to open the season due to its 1-2 punch up front with Aloysius Franzen and Bode Erickson. They are among the top three runners in all of Wisconsin, along with Onalaska junior Manny Putz, the defending state champion. Stevens Point brings back all five of its scorers from a 15th-place finish at Nike Cross Nationals last year and if this group stays healthy it could push for something much higher in early December. Meanwhile, Wayzata returns its top four from a 12th place finish at NXN and brings back six of its seven. The Trojans, who advanced to NXN for the 10th time last year, are in a prime position to go back for an 11th time. "Nearly all of our key returners had their best summer to date without question," Wayzata coach Mark Popp said. Stevens Point and Wayzata are expected to go head to head Sept. 22 at the Roy Griak Invitational. It will be difficult to top the excitement of the individual race last year at Yankton Trails, where Dowling Catholic's Jackson Heidesch nosed out the sensational Simeon Birnbaum of Rapid City Stevens SD by two-tenths of a second for a record-setting win. It took sub-15 to earn an individual qualifying spot last year and the top six from the race have graduated. Putz, who was seventh, and Jack Witte of Millard West NE, who was ninth, are the only returners from the top 10. An individual that does feature prominent this fall is Clay Shively of Wichita Trinity Academy KS, who has emerged as a standout miler (4:01.47) and could be dominant on the trails. He is also part of a strong team that could be in contention.
1. Stevens Point WI. Franzen and Erickson are one of the best 1-2 combinations in the country and the ability to put two low numbers on the board is a huge benefit for the defending Wisconsin Division 1 champions. Last spring, Erickson placed third in the 3,200 meters at the Wisconsin state meet (9:08.90), while Franzen was seventh (9:12.68). They are joined by junior Graham Ballard, junior Ethan Olds and sophomore Cooper Erickson. 2. Wayzata MN. One of the earliest measuring sticks of the season at Wayzata is the annual alumni meet, which happened on Aug. 19. The varsity won this year's meet 17-44 and the front foursome of junior Will Weber and seniors Daniel McCollor, Tyler Kissel and Hayes McMillan showed that they are ready to lead another strong team into the high school season. Senior Parker Dietrick and junior Dan Salatino are back from last year's NXN team. 3. Wichita Trinity Academy KS. Shively gives his team a low stick, but he needs four teammates who can back him up. And this year, it appears the Knights have that. Almost everybody is back from a team that dominated the Kansas Class 3A cross country final last year. Shively and fellow senior Jacob Hobson went 1-2 in that meet last year. Senior Samuel Ferguson and junior Caleb Tofteland were eighth and ninth in the state meet. Senior Wesley Ferguson and junior Grayson Payne also return from the state meet lineup. 4. Dowling Catholic IA. Competing as Buffalo Road Track Club last year at the NXR Heartland championship, this group finished third and as four points away from locking down an automatic berth to Nike Cross Nationals. Individual champion Jackson Heidesch and No. 2 Flynn Milligan have graduated, but a group of underclassmen returns and should be inspired by their example. Senior Max DeRocher, junior Jack Flori, junior Owen Wolfe and senior Matthew Bootman are all eligible to come back to try to defend the Iowa Class 4A title. 5. Madison West WI. Everything is lining up for a big season at Madison West with all five scorers coming back from a team that finished third at the Wisconsin state meet last year. Seniors Zach Temple, Truman White, Eli Pettit III and Jonah Simonson, and junior Liam Culp, should make the Regents formidable not only in the state, but in the region as well.
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