Or you can go check out some of our other coverage like the most Improved Athletes from State or vote on the best performance from the state meet:

Most Improved

Boys Results Merge | Girls Results Merge

Boys Best Performance Vote | Girls Best Performance Vote

Ok. On to the recaps. The 4A races were supposed to be tight battles all around and that's exactly what we saw.

4A Boys 

This race was one of the more exciting races of the weekend. And we saw back and forth battles all race in both the individual race and the team battle. Individually Cameron Collier came in as the favorite, and he definitely delivered in the end as he capped off his tremendous senior season with his first state title. But he was challenged the entire way, and early on it was Jacob Jacquot who was in front pushing the pace looking good. But there was a pack stalking him, and Collier sat in the pack, apparently calm and collected. And when I say pack, I mean PACK as it had to be something like 30-40 runners big in the "lead" pack. But the time they hit separation slope we had some idea of what was happening. Jacquot was still in the lead but the pack was down to maybe 10-15, but it was hard to tell who was still in it and who was being patient as the whole race was just a nice line behind them and there was lots of movement. Meanwhile Collier stayed within himself during that 2nd mile and then made his bid and opened up a gap. Jacquot dropped back and was met by Everett Sanders and Cole Minnich who were running a stronger race than I predicted as they were also starting to break away. The fight behind them was intense too as everybody looked to be just hanging on. But the band field on the 2nd loop, it looked like Collier had this thing well in hand and his move had broken the field. But the trip behind him stayed close and because they were in a battle they were able to gain on him. As they headed up the hill for the final time you just got this sense that it wasn't over. And when they crested it you saw Sanders start to pull away and gain enough on Collier to get you excited. In the end, Collier still had enough left in the tank to hold off a hard charging Sanders, but it was a great finish. Minnich was able to take a very impressive 3rd while Jacquot settled for 4th. Nate Pacetti and Chase Griswold were 5-6 after running a patient race together the whole way and finishing strong, which was also what kick started the excitement in the team race too.

I kind of had a feeling that this team battle wasn't just a two team race. You got the sense that there were at least 3 teams who could put themselves in position to take him the win. But you have to tip your hat to Westminster, this was one of their best teams ever and they put themselves up front very early. I'm not sure if they had the lead at the 1k because it was just so crowded, but they were close. And by the halfway, they definitely had the lead. Jones County was clearly sitting back, and it looked like Starrs Mill was the team that was the bigger threat. Westminster had the front runner, but the other two schools were a little stronger at 2. By the two mile I think this race was mostly down to a two team battle, and Starrs Mill looked incredibly strong. They were charging hard and their top 3 were looking really good. Having a big lead through 3 runners gives you a huge advantage. These teams were in almost a dead heat the entire 3rd mile but ultimately somebody has to win. And it turned out to be Westminster, by a mere 3 points. This thing was crazy close and both schools should be celebrated for a great effort. Jones County was able to hold on for 3rd place, a very strong finish for a good team. And in the battle for the final podium spot Marist was able to outlast Pace Academy in a very tight race that came down to just a few points as well. This team race was back and forth all day and nobody really knew the final outcome until the scores were tabulated. 

4A Girls 

If you thought the boys 4A race was exciting, then you had to be losing your mind during the girls race. This thing came down to the wire in both the team and individual battle. The ladies went back and forth all day with almost nothing to separate them and it was an instant classic. I have to admit that this race didn't go the way I was expecting it to go. The top girls all kind of ran as a pack and a more controlled effort, but they still broke away from all the girls who were in the chase pack. I didn't expect to see a gap. And then during the 2nd mile I really didn't expect to see Madsen Smith taking the lead at the mile and pushing the pace while opening up a small gap on the leaders. It wasn't until the end of the 2nd mile that we started to get some sense of what I expected to see in this race, as our top 5 girls all broke away from the chase pack and started battling for the win. It did end up being four of the five girls I was expecting to see battling up front as Ella Alberici was in control and looking to break away and win her first state title. She was looking the part for much of this, but the pack was still hanging around. As they crested separation slope the race was down to just four runners, and Alberici looked vulnerable. I'm not sure exactly where Grace Danser made her move, but she made it strong enough to open up a gap. And as she came down the final hill you knew she had a gap and was perhaps on her way to another state title. But Morgan Waddell was charging HARD behind her coming down that hill. Had this race been another 20-30m longer, I think Waddell would have been the champion. Ultimately Danser was able to hold on after running a smart race all day and timing her move perfectly. I underestimated her and she deserves to take her victory lap. Waddell was a strong runner up and Alberici was able to hold on for 3rd. Effie Ward was 4th after a consistent season this year where she showed up and ran well every race. And rounding out the top five was Caroline deButts who was doing everything to give her team as much of an advantage up front as possible. 

And this team battle was just like the individual battle. It was a back and forth affair that came down to the wire. Absolutely fireworks from these ladies who left it all on the course out there and should all be applauded for the show they put on. Early in the race it looked like Westminster was winning this thing. Then it looked like Harris County took the lead. Marist was clearly sitting back but the way they moved up during that 2nd mile had me confident that they would ultimately come away with the win. But both Harris and Westminster battled back and on the band field I had no idea who was in the lead. I could go check the tape, but just trust me that this thing was close. Coaches were frantic the entire last 400m and every single point mattered. In the end Westminster was able to do enough to hold on for the win over Marist by just two points and Harris County was another 7 points back from them. It was a crazy battle that really could have gone in any direction. What a race. For the final trophy St. Pius X was able to enough to go home with some hardware as they mixed it up with the top three teams through two miles and then held off a hard charging Blessed Trinity in the final mile of the race.