The Grandview boys cross country team won several races during the 2023 season — including league and regional championships — and if things go right, it could be in contention to win its last one Oct. 28.
The Centennial League champion Wolves claimed the Region 1 championship Oct. 19 at the Arapahoe County Fairgrounds in a race in which coach Brian Manley tried to get them smart and with the ultimate goal — performance at the Class 5A state championship in Colorado Springs — in mind.
Grandview took the regional title by four points over Regis Jesuit to book its trip to the Norris Penrose Event Center — for the boys race at 2:20 p.m. — and at minimum aim for the highest result in program history.
The Wolves were paced by seniors Owen Zitek and Lucas Blevins in fifth and sixth, respectively, while the finishes of juniors Evan Valencia (12th), Josh Tobin (17th) and senior Danek Colson (19th) combined for a winning score of 59 points. Junior Colton White and sophomore Brennan Hiland will also run at state for Grandview, which believes it could make a run at the medal podium as a team.
Zitek is set for his fourth state meet, while Colson will appear for a third time and Blevins (who is back after he ran in the 2021 race as a sophomore), Valencia and White will all be there for a second time.
A total of 63 points was enough to get Regis Jesuit into the state meet as a team for a second straight season. Seniors David Flaig and Liam Sullivan and juniors Braeden Focht and Caleb Aex were also there last year and earned their way back by finishing in front of Cherry Creek and Cherokee Trail in third and fourth, respectively.
Focht posted the top regional result as he placed fourth, followed by Aex (10th), Flaig (11th) and Sullivan (18th), plus newcomer Carson Schuler, a senior who placed 20th at regionals. Senior Zane Wilson and sophomore Liam Martin also are state-bound.
Cherokee Trail made state as a team for a fifth straight season despite the loss of the majority of last season’s team to graduation.
Brady and Dylan Smith are the only two returns for the Cougars and both posted top-15 regional finishes (Dylan took eighth, Brady 15th), while senior McKay Larsen (13th), freshman Tanner Larsen (14th) and senior Gino Palombi (22nd) scored well enough to give Cherokee Trail a 16-point margin over fifth-place Chaparral.
Juniors Andrew Crippen and Andrew Kittell round out coach Chris Faust’s state contingent.
The 2A boys state race is scheduled for 10:20 a.m. and the field has a pair of local representatives in Lotus School For Excellence junior Biruk Begashaw in addition to freshman Ayuub Hassan. Both will run at state for the first time.
Courtney Oakes is Aurora Sentinel Sports Editor. Reach him at sports@aurorasentinel.com.Twitter: @aurorasports. IG: Sentinel Prep Sports
