BIG RIVER 2010 PRE-SEASON RANKINGS
08.18.10
For those of you who have followed our rankings over the past few years you know that these are just for fun and hopefully serve to give athletes a little extra motivation as the season rolls along. We will come out with the rankings every few weeks. For those of you who are new and checking out the rankings for the first time we hope you enjoy them and if you have anyone or any team that we missed let us know by emailing Ben at ben@bigriverrunning.com
**Coaches remember to sign up for the 2010 Forest Park Cross Country Festival on Saturday September 11th. The meet will once again be one of biggest and best meets in the Midwest featuring more than 2,000 athletes and 13 races. This year we will be doing a live meet preview show on PREPCASTS on Thursday evening September 9th. Make sure to tune in!
TEAM RANKINGS
TOP 10 GIRLS TEAMS
#1) LEE'S SUMMIT WEST – Every senior girl on the LSW team can lay claim to a pretty cool stat; they've never lost a State Meet! This year the Titans will go for four in a row and led by returning all-staters Chelsea Phoebus and Alex Moase there is a pretty good chance they will.
#2) KEARNEY – The two questions to ask when you're talking about pre-season rankings is how did you do last year and who do you have coming back? Well Kearney did very well last year taking home the Class 3 title and they return their top three and six of their top seven. That is a recipe for success.
#3) WEST PLAINS– Before Kearney fans get too excited the Zizzers were runners-up last year and return their entire top five and six of their top seven. We're throwing it out there right now that the Class 3 girls race is going to be one for the ages in November.
#4) ST. TERESA'S ACADEMY – St. Teresa's was fourth in Class 4 a year ago and they start the year at fourth here because they have the makings of an incredibly tightly-packed team. Their 1-5 split at State was a mere 35 seconds and they return four of those five as well as their sixth and seventh runners.
#5) EUREKA – As they would tell you the Lady Wildcats had an off day at the State Meet a year ago. We don't expect that to happen again coming off a State 4x800 title and returning their entire top seven including frontrunner Alyssa Rebecca.
#6) KIRKWOOD– This one may surprise a few folks but the ladies from Kirkwood put together one of the State's best 4 x 800 teams this spring, they have a huge team with 60 runners so depth is not a problem and they return their entire top five from State and six of their top seven.
#7) LINDBERGH – The Lady Flyers have a very similar story to the two teams above them. After a solid cross country season where they placed ninth at the Class 4 State Meet they had a big spring on the track and they return all seven from last fall. Look for Lindbergh, Kirkwood and Eureka to wage some big battles on the east side of the State.
#8) HERCULANEUM– 2009 was a very special year for the Herky girls. Not only did they dominate the Class 2 meet with a super-low 31 points but they were the second best team, regardless of Class, at the meet. It's tough to repeat a year like that but with super sophomore Kaitlyn Fischer leading the way they should be a power once again.
#9) KICKAPOO - Kickapoo was the Class 4 runner-up a year ago but they had three key seniors on that squad. They'll have to reload but if they do they could be dangerous with low-stick Liz Reida up front.
#10) LEE'S SUMMIT NORTH– Like Kickapoo LSN loses some important points to graduation but they have a potential big 1-2 punch in Tessa Riley and Taylor Hynes. When healthy Hynes can be one of the top runners in the State and Riley might not be too far behind.
.............................................................TOP 10 BOYS TEAMS
#1) LEE'S SUMMIT NORTH – Last year the LSN Broncos were a very close second in Class 4. This year, at least on paper, they look like a clear favorite to make the jump to first. Returning six from last year's top seven including the 1-2 punch of Kolton Sheldon and Collin Hubert, this year's LSN squad is capable of putting three runners in the top 15 at the State Meet. They will be heading to the Stanford Invitational at the end of September and we'll be pulling for them to show the West Coast what Missouri has to offer!
#2) SLUH – The Junior Billikens are the defending champs in Class 4 and we have no doubt they will be in the thick of things again this fall. They do lose #1 man Caleb Ford (2nd) and #3 man Tim McLaughlin (10th) from last year's winning squad. They have a lot in reserve though and look for Tim Rackers to lead them all fall in his bid to become SLUH's first individual State Champ since the 1960s.
#3) ROCK BRIDGE– The boys from Rock Bridge were third at last year's Class 4 State Meet and they will start the season at #3 here. Make no mistake though, they are more than capable of jumping up to number one. They return two all-staters in Caleb Wilfong and Jordan Cook, both of whom are capable of being top five this year. Mark your calendars for September 11th at the Forest Park Cross Country Festival where they will meet SLUH for a great early season test.
#4) WEST PLAINS – No Big River Rankings would be complete without the Zizzers! This year's West Plains squad has new leadership after losing super seniors Jacob Schultz and Josh Inman to graduation. The trio of Drew Kargill, Brandon Kintner and Chris Mitchell finished 26th, 27th and 28th at the 2009 State Meet though and should be ready to make the jump to the next level in 2010.
#5) LIBERTY - Liberty comes off a very solid 2009 campaign that ended with an extremely impressive showing at the Nike Regional Meet in Terre Haute, IN. Their low stick on paper is C.T. Smith who turned some heads by finishing number one on his team and 14th overall at the State Meet a year ago.
#6) LINDBERGH – This one may surprise some folks but trust us....we did our homework. When you look at every team and you score them based on each of their returning runner's average times from 2009 the Flyers end up looking really good. They are also led by a trio of seniors which usually bodes well and they are a squad that has been consistently getting better the last couple of years.
#7) LEBANON - Teams looking for revenge are teams to look out for! Lebanon narrowly missed going to State last year from a very tough Sectional. They are back this year with a solid group of seniors led by frontrunner Tony Crowder who was sixth in 2009.
#8) KICKAPOO - Kickapoo is always good or at least it seems that way. This year they will have to deal with losing State Champ Danny Thater to graduation but they do return all-stater Adrian Todd and a group of juniors and seniors capable of bringing the yellow and brown yet another State trophy.
#9) PARKWAY WEST- The Longhorns had a fantastic run at the 2009 State Meet to finish fourth and grab the last trophy in Class 4. We predicted it by the way! They return four from that top seven including the two, three and four men so another trophy run seems like a good possibility.
#10) LEE'S SUMMIT WEST- The tenth spot was a very tough pick. Teams like Festus, Jefferson City, Rockhurst and Cape Notre Dame were very good a year ago but lost a lot of senior leadersip. Teams like Carthage, Eureka, Ladue and Marquette, among others, appear to be on the rise but we'll have to wait and see how it all shakes out. In the end LSW gets in after a string of very good years and the fact that they return five from last year's top seven and State Meet experience goes a long way.
Individual Rankings
All season long (though maybe not as often as the team rankings) we will try to keep an eye out for the top 15 runners in the State. Again, these are the top 15 regardless of Class. It is a lot easier to miss a runner or two so we apologize if we shorted you or your teammate. Feel free to email Ben at ben@bigriverrunning.com if you know someone who should be on the Big River Top 15. Enjoy!!
TOP 15 GIRLS
#1) Colleen Quigley, SR, Nerinx Hall – It's sort of strange not to see Emily Sisson's name atop this list anymore after two full year's spent there. Fear not though as Quigley is more than capable of filling the void. She was a very close third at last fall's State Meet before finishing 14th at the Foot Locker Midwest Regional. On the track she was the State runner-up at 1600 and 3200 meters and finished third in the mile at the prestigious Midwest Distance Gala.
#2) Chelsey Phoebus, SR, Lee's Summit West – Phoebus was State runner-up in cross country a year ago, leading her LSW team to a dominating victory. A week later she ran an outstanding 18:17 to finish fifth at the Nike Cross Midwest Regional and then was 43rd at the Nike Cross National Meet in Oregon. This spring she was fourth in a very deep State 3200 meter race where she ran 11:06.
#3) Samantha Nightingale, JR, Blue Springs South- With names like Sisson, Robison and Blyholder getting lots of attention over the last couple of years it's easy to see how others may have not gotten their just due. In Nightingale's case she was fourth at State in cross country in 19:10, fourth in the 1600 at State track in 4:58 and fifth in the 3200 in 11:06. Those are pretty darn good numbers and we expect she'll be getting plenty of attention this fall.
#4) Jessica Jackson, SR, Neosho - Jackson is the fourth best returner from last fall's State Meet and she's fourth here. Of those top four she has the fastest foot speed going 2:11 in the 800 at State track. She also went 4:58 for sixth place in the 1600 and anytime you go sub 5:00 you are immediately a contender for a State title the next fall.
#5) Krista Menghini, SR, St. Joseph's Academy- Menghini may very well be the best all-around athlete on this list as she pulls double duty in the fall playing volleyball and running cross country for St. Joe's. Of course, it doesn't seem to hinder her performances much as she was still able to finish eighth in State last November. On the track she was ninth in the 1600 and sixth in the 3200. She is yet another sub 5:00 miler on this last, having run 4:57 at Districts.
#6) Liz Reida, SR, Kickapoo - We veer away from the State form charts here as Reida had some injury troubles last fall and was unable to run what she was capable of in Jeff City. She sure took care of that in the spring though as she finished third in the 1600 in 4:58 and eighth in the 3200 in 11:11. Reida has shown over the years that when she is healthy she is very good which is why she's sixth here.
#7) Kaitlyn Fischer, SO, Herculaneum - The first sophomore on the list, Fischer not only deserves this ranking but she very well may climb higher soon. A double State champ on the track this spring (5:05/11:08) Fisher will look to keep that momentum going this fall and she's off to a good start after running 19:16 for fourth overall at the Saint Louis Track Club's Cross Country Kickoff.
#8) Jenny Govero, SR, Rockwood Summit- Govero was incredibly consitent in cross country a year ago and had probably her best race of them all at the State Meet where she was sixth in Class 4. Her strength certainly lies at the longer distances and after a solid summer there is no reason to think she won't be a major factor in 2010.
#9) Courtney Wood, SR, Neosho- Wood spent much of last year ranked #3 and deservedly so as she posted some big wins and fast times including an 18:13 romp at the Missouri Southern Stampede. Her season didn't end as she had probably hoped but she is more than capable of being as high as #1 on this list.
#10) Saga Barzowski, SO, Arcadia Valley- Sophomore number two on the list, Barzowski actually got the better of #7 Fischer at last fall's State Meet where she was the Class 2 Champion. Fischer had a slightly better track season and thus got a little higher ranking but spots seven through 15 could go in almost any order. Look for a super sophomore year from Barzowski.
#11) Briana Watson, SR, Jefferson City- Watson had a fantastic 2009 highlighted by a win at the Forest Park Cross Country Festival, a runner-up finish at a tough Sectional and a ninth place finish at State. She seems to run her best at big meets so look for this Jeff City senior to go out with a bang in her hometown on November 6th.
#12) Alex Moase, SR, Lee's Summit West- Moase was tenth at State last fall and played a key role for LSW all year long. In 2010 she'll be once again teaming with #2 Phoebus to provide a big 1-2 bunch for the Titans.
#13) Sarah Jacobsen, SO, Potosi- Jacobsen was arguably the best freshman in the State last year and went to Jeff City as the favorite to take home the Class 3 title. Some heat issues forced her to drop out but don't forget that she had been leading the race and conceivably could have won. She may take care of some unfinished business this year.
#14) Jocelyn Todd, SR, Ladue- Todd had an outstanding junior track season to vault her onto the pre-season rankings. The aforementioned season culminated with a seventh place finish in the State 3200 in 11:10.
#15) Sarah White, SR, Potosi- White has been a stud from day one. Last year she was the runner-up in Class 3, duplicating what she had done as a freshman. She'll try to finally climb one place higher in 2010. White got the nod at 15 over several talented runners including Branson's Brigette Carruthers, Festus' Sadie Darnell, Cor Jesu's Sabrina Hostler, LSW's Johanna Kleinsasser, Hickman Mills' Nicole Mello, Marshall's Katie Wells and Fort Zumwalt East's Gloria Westlake.
TOP 15 BOYS
#1) Caleb Hoover, SR, College Heights Christian- Hoover is the fastest returner from last year's State Meet where he was the Class 1 champ. He won two more State titles on the track this past spring. He dominated against a stellar field from all classes at the 2009 Forest Park Cross Country Festival and by all accounts has been training like a madman again this summer. Though there are a lot of good runners out there we feel like Hoover is a clear choice at number one.
#2) Caleb Wilfong, JR, Rock Bridge– Wilfong burst onto the scene when he finished fourth at last year's Forest Park Cross Country Festival as a sophomore. He notched another big win later in the season at the Border Wars Meet over U. City's David Lambus and Brett Klosterhoff from St. Charles West. His State meet wasn't his best race of the season but he rebounded in the spring to finish 3rd in the 3200 and 4th in the 1600 in 9:21 and 4:17. On paper he is the early favorite in the battle for top individual honors in Class 4.
#3) David Lambus, SR, University City– Lambus caught our attention last year when he seemed to be winning a lot of close races. When you win close races it means you're tough and when you're tough good things happen. He proved that on the track this spring with runner-up finishes in the 1600 and 3200 to Nationally-ranked Harrisonville senior Max Korolvev. His 61 second closing lap in the 3200 on a hot day was especially impressive and served notice to all of Class 3 that he is the man to beat this fall.
#4) Tim Rackers, SR, SLUH – This was a tough call as all of the next few guys on this list could legitimately lay claim to the four spot. Rackers gets it for now based on his 9:22 4th place showing in the State 3200 where he narrowly lost out to #2 Wilfong. We also took into consideration his upside as last fall was his first ever cross country season and if not for a case of the wobbles up the last hill he could have been as high as third (he finished 8th).
#5) Zach Herriott, JR, Rockhurst– This may seem high for the Rockhurst junior but keep in mind he did run 9:22 for 3200 this spring as a sophomore. He has also put in a monster summer that included a victory in 16:21 at the Course of Dreams race at Shawnee Mission Park. We try not to put too much stock in pre-season races but that one is hard to ignore as Shawnee Mission is a very difficult course and he bested LSN's Kolton Sheldon by 30 seconds.
#6) Kolton Sheldon, JR, Lee's Summit North– Again, all these spots are almost interchangeable but Sheldon is the second fastest returner from last year's State Meet. He had a very respecatable sophomore track season and ran 4:24 at the State Meet for 1600. Also, don't discount the fact that he runs for LSN, the top-ranked team in the State. He'll have lots of guys around him pushing him to greatness.
#7) David Everett, SR, Westminster Christian Academy– The first of two Everett brothers on this list, David has proven to be very consistent over the longer distances. He finished a solid third in Class 3 last fall and repeated that placing at the State Track Meet in the 3200. He showed he has some speed as well with a 4:23 1600 the next day.
#8) Devon Young, SR, Ray-Pec– Young was seventh in our final rankings a year ago and begins 2010 just one spot back in eighth. The Ray-Pec senior had an outstanding finish to his 2009 campaign with a Sectional win over LSW's Kevin Colon and a fourth place finish at State. He could certainly be in the hunt for the top spot this time around.
#9) Daniel Everett, SR, Westminster Christian Academy– Everett brother #2 on this list, Daniel has fared better at the shorter distances to this point but has shown glimpses of greatness in cross country as well. He did not qualify for last fall's State Cross Country Meet but produced solid times on the track this spring including a 4:19 1600 for third at State and a 4:17 full mile at the Midwest Distance Gala. Recently he ran 16:11 at the Saint Louis Track Club's Cross Country Kickoff ahead of Lambus and Rackers among others.
#10)Tony Crowder, SR, Lebanon– Crowder runs for Lebanon. Lebanon comes through in big races. Crowder will come through in big races. How was that for a syllogism? Seriously though, Crowder had a great State Meet in 2009 where he finished sixth making him the third-best returner in Class 4.
#11) C.T. Smith, SR, Liberty– We mentioned in the team rankings that Smith turned some heads when he finished 14th at State in 2009. Well, he proved it was no fluke when he finished 5th in the 3200 this spring in 9:25. He is a very legitimate contender for the Class 4 title.
#12) Collin Hubert, SR, Lee's Summit North– Hubert had a strong 2009 in cross country and was LSN's number one man at times. No matter what order they go he will once again be a part of a big 1-2 punch for the Broncos along with junior Kolton Sheldon.
#13) Drew Padgett, SR, Ladue– Lookout for Drew Padgett. He may be a little under-the-radar as he's only been running for a year-and-a-half but he has loads of talent, picture-perfect form and is coming off a track season where he ran 4:19 for eighth at State in Class 4.
#14)Trenton Morris, SR, College Heights Christian– Morris and his teammate Caleb Hoover are a 1-2 punch equal or better to any such duo in the State. For his part, Morris ran 4:20 at State to finish runner-up to Hoover in the 1600. He was in and out of the rankings last year in cross country but if he stays close to Hoover like we think he will he'll likely be a fixture on this year's top 15.
#15) Tyler Holmes, SR, Fox– We spend as much time picking the 15th spot as any on this list. If we had the time we'd list the top 100 but you have to cut it off somewhere. Holmes gets the nod as he is the next best finisher from the 2009 State Meet not yet on the list. He also had a quality junior track season culminating in an 11th place finish in the 1600 in Class 4. Holmes narrowly edged out Branson's Brandon Bott, Holt's Kenny Cushing, Moberly's Sam Dickerson, Eureka's Ethan Lambert and MICDS' Jordan Mann among others.
Don't forget to listen to our LIVE Forest Park Cross Country Festival/ 2010 Season Preview broadcast on PREPCASTS Thursday evening September 9th at 7:00pm.
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