Girls Team
North Gwinnett has been an easy #1 pick all year, and they approach the State meet as clear favorites to repeat their 2009 victory. They have front runners and they have depth….quite a potent combo. This year’s squad appears to line up pretty closely with the 2009 version. They averaged 19:22 at Carrollton last year and scored 63 points (winning by 28), and seem poised to post similar numbers this year.
On paper it doesn’t look like anyone has closed the gap enough to challenge for the top spot, although Brookwood, Collins Hill, Harrison, Milton or Walton may have the firepower if North Gwinnett is not on their game. Brookwood seems to have “Mo” on its side, with a nice win at Coach Wood and a comfortable margin of victory at Region. Collins Hill has the obvious ammo up front but they’ve not clicked yet at their 4+ spots. Harrison…not sure why I did not have them in the top 10 pre-season….they are clearly very good and would look very much at home standing on the podium Saturday morning.
Milton has been superb this year, led by transfer Annie Kelly and senior Lauren Jones. They had a nice win at Region over a tough 6AAAAA line-up. Walton too has been impressive but has struggled with fielding a full-strength line-up over the last month. Front-runner Alexa Womack was back in action at Region so hopefully that bodes well for their chances.
Just behind these “Super Six” are some spoilers-in-waiting, including Roswell, Centennial, Alpharetta (all 3 within striking distance of Milton at Region), Parkview and Marietta. Roswell and Centennial seem to have come on particularly strong late in the season.
Girls Individual
It’s been a while since there has been any drama on the AAAAA girls individual side. Nicky Akande (2009), Amanda Winslow (2007 and 2008), and Jackie Drouin (2004 – 2006) were all expected to win and did not disappoint. Collins Hill looks to extend their remarkable streak of 6 straight individual titles with frontrunners Chloe Whitworth, Sidney Williams and Vicky Winslow. Whitworth seems to have the better late-season form, posting a win at Region 7AAAAA. Newcomer Katherine Yost of Norcross has been the breakout story of the season, pushing Winslow to the wire at Gwinnett County and finishing just a step behind Whitworth at Region. Up front with Yost and Whitworth will likely be sophomore Marcie Merriman of Lassiter. Another relative newcomer to the elite scene, she is undefeated since Berry and could give her Gwinnett County counterparts all they can handle (or vice versa).
Jordan Humphrey of North Gwinnett should also challenge up front. Brooke Koblitz of Centennial had a nice win at Region 5AAAAA over a strong field. Some great late-season news is the return of Dylan Hassett of Alpharetta, second to Koblitz at Region in her first appearance of the season. Recall that she is the top AAAAA returner from the 2009 meet. Caroline Kissell will lead Brookwood, while freshman Morgan O’Toole leads the Woodstock charge.
Others in the mix will be Rose Howell (North Gwinnett), Kelly Meyer (Centennial), Mara Canning (Walton), Annie Kelly (Milton), Taylor Roeck (West Forsyth), Morgan Jackson (North Cobb), and Kaylee Isaacs and Maria Boff (both of Harrison)
Boys Team
Brookwood versus Parkview could be one for the ages. Both have tradition and trophy cases full of Carrollton hardware, and the two programs have raised the bar for boys cross country in Georgia and the southeast. Parkview got the pre-season nod, then backed that up with an early 2 point win at Berry. Then Brookwood won handily at Gwinnett County to swing the pendulum. Parkview then snagged Region last week but one gets the feeling that neither team showed all their cards there. Brookwood might be a tad better at their 5-7 spots, while Parkview has a very strong top 4. If Alec Klassen is able to pull off the win, scoring-wise it’s effectively 4 guys versus 5.
No predictions here, other than what we’re left with is a good old-fashioned cage match on Saturday at 10 AM.
Lurking just outside the cage and hoping to sneak in also on Saturday is Peachtree Ridge. After a quiet mid-season, they’ve rounded into form with nice wins at Wesleyan and Region 7AAAAA. One has to believe they’ve got the 2008 results posted somewhere on a bulletin board, as a nod back to a team that wasn’t supposed to win, but did anyway. Don’t be shocked if it happens again.
And then there’s the on-paper battle for the 4th and final podium spot. The 3 teams above seem like pretty good bets, but 4th could be the battle of the day. Marietta is a good candidate for the spot…they have the front runners in Cole Robertson and Ben Pleak, and a great supporting cast. So, too, is Woodstock, with their 3-headed monster…but they’ll need help from their 4 and 5 guys. Walton…steady and quiet this season but still very good. Take a look at the last 35 years of state results and you’ll see that Walton knows what to do in November. Mill Creek will have Boetje up front and a solid crew behind him. One gets the feeling that Collins Hill is ready to make some noise also.
# 6 men: “Stand Ready!
Boys Individual
Given the number of team titles shared between them, it seems remarkable that neither Brookwood nor Parkview has ever had an individual champion in XC. Alex Klassen of Parkview is the favorite on the boy’s side, and appears poised to break that infamous streak, having posted wins this season at Berry, Gwinnett County and Region 8AAAAA. He ran 15:58 at State last year, and the Parkview senior will be looking to give his Panthers that all important “1” in the team scoring. Sophomore Josh Brickell of Peachtree Ridge had an early season set-back, but has come back strong posting a 15:44 on the River Green course at Region. Others likely looking for top 10 spots include Jackson Wearn, Michael Giuliano and Morgan Malanoski of Brookwood, Andy Gonzalez of Collins Hill, Steven Spevacek and Joe Weiler of Parkview, Austin Boetje of Mill Creek, Nat Estes of Harrison, and Nick Washizaki of McEachern. Any of Woodstock’s trio of Jared Richmond, Alex Broome and Brett Carter could also sneak into the top 10. Sean Brennan of Brookwood raced last at Gwinnett County (2nd to Klassen) in mid-September, and clearly has the talent to be up front assuming he’s back in action.