ArkansasTrackStats.net

2008 Arkansas High School C= ross Country Preview

September 3, 2008

= The big event in Arkansas cross country for 2008 is that Rogers, who finished 16th nationally in 2007, splits into two high schools giving the rest of Class 7= A a possibly false sense of relief. Rogers routinely has 60+ athletes on the CC team so splitting into t= wo 30+ teams may not provide much opening.&nb= sp; The Mounties , although losing the Top 3 finishers fr= om last fall’s state meet, returns a solid crew that, if healthy, will be favored to take home their 16= ^th state crown and their 7^t=
h in a row. Rogers (7A) l= eads the state with 30 combined state meet championships with Berryville (4A) not far behind at 26 as both are in good position to add to their trophy case.<= span style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'> Lake Hamilton (6A) could join the schools with 10 or more as they are positioned as favorites in both races.<= span style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'> The State Meet is set for No= vember 8 at Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs.

Class 7A: Rogers claimed both wins last fall= and both boys and girls figure to be in the hunt again this year. Boys runner-up Conway return= s an experienced squad and should close the gap from last year’s 16-89 mar= gin. Russellville, Fayetteville and Little Rock Catholic look to be in the hunt = for 3^rd. In the Girls = meet, Bentonville has the depth and front-runners to take back the crown from Benton County r= ival Rogers after last year’s close 37-55 loss. The runner-up position may come do= wn to the 5^th runner of Rogers stepping up to edge out a talented Roge= rs Heritage in their first year. Fayetteville, Conway and Springdale Har-Ber should make it a free-for-all for 2nd.

Class 6A: Lake Hamilton Boys have a two year= win streak at risk and it looks like they and Marion, last year’s runner-= up, will be the teams to beat again this fall.= Lake Hamilton has the Top 2 finishers returning and good depth. Mountain Home, Searcy and Benton a= re positioned to fight it out for 3^rd. On the Girls side, Mountain Home s= lipped by Lake Hamilton last fall by 30-51 and this year’s meet could be ano= ther head-to-head battle between these two programs. Jonesboro looks to have 3^{rd
in its sights.}

Class 5A: The traditional powers seem to once again be in control of Class 5A. The Boys meet looks to be a showdown between Siloam Springs and Gree= ne County Tech with Harrison vying for 3^rd. GCT lost the Girls meet last year = by 67-68 to Batesville and will be looking to upset the Lady Pioneers this fall as Harrison and Siloam Springs go after 3^rd.

Class 4A: DeQueen Boys narrowly defeated Heber Springs last fall by 36-44 and may be able to widen= the margin this fall as Huntsville, Nashville and Little Rock Lutheran should be competitive for 3^rd. Berryville Girls fell last year to rival Heber Springs and will be looking to win it all this fa= ll as Lutheran, Ozark and Central Arkansas Christian battle for 2^nd an= d 3^rd.

Class 3A: Shiloh Christian of Springdale edge= d by Genoa Central in the Boys meet last fall and 2008 should see both of these schools squaring off again for the top spot. Paris and Lamar could make it interesting. Green Forest sur= prised Genoa Central last fall by 35-72 but the Lady Dragons have depth returning = to take it all with Green Forest battling Elkins for 2^nd. Elkins has the top ranked runner i= n the state for all divisions and could challenge for the win with a 4^{th
and 5^th runner moving up.}

Class 1/2: The two smallest classes combine f= or cross country and there looks to be plenty of familiar names. 2A Jasper Boys slipped by 1A Acorn last by 36-46 = and these two should once again be the two to beat with Acorn having a solid gr= oup of underclassman from last year back. Murfreesboro could pull the upset. The Girls meet could s= ee quite a race as Johnson County Westside, Murfreesboro, Acorn, Cushman and <= span class=3DSpellE>Greers Ferry Westside each could pull off an upset.

Top 5 Individuals: SR Jordan Falls (7A Rogers, 16:11)= and SR Markus Pearson (7A Conway, 16:11) finished 4^th and 5^th last fall in a photo finish at 16:11. Pearson clocked a 9:36 for 3200m in the state track meet this spring= and looks to have moved up a notch. SR Cameron Efurd (7A Rogers, 16:24) was 6^th but posted a 4:19 in 1600m this spring while JR Amos Gerber (6A Lake Hamilton, 16:28) added a 9:54 3200m this spring looks ready to move up. SR Alex Tully (7A Little Rock Cath= olic, 16:36) figures to be a factor. Watch for SR Caleb Hanson (7A Ft Smith South= side, 16:51) who put in a 4:22 for 1600m and 9:47 for 3200m after finishing 15th = last fall. SR Luke Allen (Harrrison) put ina 16:31 = last fall and could jump into the Top 5 with a good effort as could others inclu= ding SR David Mills (Lake Hamilton), JR Chris Marchman (Sheridan) and SO Robert Peiser (Shiloh Christian).

= While no Arkansas Girls has ever clocked less than 19 minutes at the state meet, this fall could actually see 5-6 do so as a talented group will face off. JR Grace Heym= sfield (3A Elkins) was the overall best time last fall at 19:06 and her track times this spring (5:09/11:26) indicate she is ready for further improvement this fall. Other top finishers fro= m last fall who should be back at the top are JR Erika Setzle= r (7A Conway, 19:13), SR Courtney Efurd (7A Roger= s, 19:17), SR MacKenzie Bloom (7A Bentonville, 19:= 20) and SR Ashley Miess (5A Pulaski Academy, 19:22). Watch for SR Katie Dalton (7A Bentonville, 19:39) who posted a 11:38 for 32= 00m this spring. Also, watch for = new stars to shine from the underclassmen who are poised to show what they can = do.

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Publisher&= #8217;s Note - Bear in mind all of the above means NOTHING as it is the runner’s who toe the mark and run the line who w= ill decide the races. No doubt th= ere will be runners who will emerge from the pack to take the lead and that is = part of what makes this sport so terrific. There will, unfortunately for the runners, be injuries and illnesses= , so take good care of yourselves. Thanks to all the coaches for their efforts to hold meets and lead their teams. Thanks to those who serve as meet official= s, report on meets and bring the snacks. Thanks to all the fans who hoot and holler rooting all on to their best. = Good luck to all for a great cross country season.