PACK MENTALITY MAY WIN THIS RACE
Alejandro Chavez 1st Region 1-1A
Who Teams: Saltillo, Cumby Miller Grove, Comstock, Sanderson
Why: Saltillo boys had a :24 second 1-5 split at its regional meet with its five runners finishing in the top thirteen. Saltillo's tight pack was led by Dakota Patridge and Lyle Bench.
However, Saltillo will have to hold off regional rival, Cumby Miller Grove. Cumby finished second to Saltillo by just 13 points at the Region 3 Championship race. This squad led by Albert Serrano and Luke Brignon will likely be looking for revenge after losing State last year by one point. They'll need a strong showing from their fifth runner, however, to finish at the top.
Two teams from Region 2 will also be in the hunt for a podium spot. Look for strong runs from Comstock and Sanderson. Comstock finished 6th last year at State with six of those runners returning this year. Sanderson finished second at the Region 2 meet just 21 points behind Comstock.
Individuals: Austin Zirkel is the defending State Champion who recently won the Region 4 meet by more than a minute. But he will surely have stiff competition from Hartley's Alejandro Chavez who ran 16:24 to win the Region 1 Championship. Region 1's second place finisher, Dustin Dominey (16:38) should expect to be a podium contender as well, especially coming off his McNeil victory earlier this season. You can't forget Cumby Miller Grove's two juniors, Albert Serrano and Luke Brignon. They finished one and two at the Region 3 meet. They missed the podium at last year's State Championship finishing 4th and 5th.