Upload a Photo Upload a Video Add a News article Write a Blog Add a Comment
Blog Feed News Feed Video Feed All Feeds

Folders

Featured (267)
News (0)
Roads (0)
All (920)
 

 

DyeStat - 2015 NXN Northwest Regional Preview - Nov 13, 2015

Published by
DyeStat.com   Nov 13th 2015, 8:46pm
Comments

Who will grab opportunity in Idaho?

 

By Doug Binder, DyeStat Editor


 

Weather conditions will be fair and mild on Saturday at NXN Northwest at Eagle Island State Park west of Boise. 

 

Everything else about this NXN qualifying meet will be wild, not mild. 

 

Perhaps never before under the current regional format have some many teams traveled to Idaho believing they have a shot at an NXN berth. 

 

ENTRIES

 

It feels completely wide open among boys teams that have concluded their state championship meets. The likeliest candidates: Tahoma and North Central from Washington; Summit, Crater, Central Catholic and Lincoln from Oregon; Bozeman from Montana. That's seven teams, for starters, vying for two spots and not much that separates any of them. 

 

"We told our guys that this meet could come down to the sixth man," Lincoln assistant coach Scott Gravatt said. 

 

In order to advance, two teams are probably going to have so step up and exceed their state meet performances. 

 

No team in the Northwest has landed on regionals day with regular success the way North Central has. Although snakebit by a couple of injuries, North Central has qualified out of the Northwest eight years in a row. And leader Justin Janke might just give this team the lowest of low sticks. 

 

At the Oregon meet, Summit and Crater of Class 5A were separated by just a few points and on paper they were better than Central Catholic and Lincoln (and third-place Wilson). 

 

Bozeman's dominance in Montana may have been more impressive than any of those teams at the state championships. But the Hawks have never qualified for NXN and the competition takes a big step up on Saturday. Bozeman seeks to become the first NXN Northwest boys team from outside Oregon and Washington to qualify for nationals since Rock Springs WY did it back in 2005 (and that team was selected). 

 

Returing individual champion Ella Donaghu of Grant OR has an interesting showdown with Montana top-gun Annie Hill of Glacier, although Hill opted for Foot Locker last year. 

 

The team race features Oregon 6A champion Sunset, which has never qualified for NXN, and Washington 4A champion Camas, which has made it two of the last three years. Both teams performed slightly under their capabilities a their state meets, news that has to fill the sails of programs like Jesuit OR, Summit OR, Billings Senior MT, Bozeman MT, Mountain View ID, and others. 

 

However, the Apollos of Beaverton, led by freshman Ember Stratton are probably the surest bet of any team in the regional. They have performed consistently well all season and their only loss came at the hands of California power Great Oak at the Woodbridge XC Classic. Sunset had a 10-point margin on Jesuit at the Oregon state championships. 



HashtagsNone
 

More news

History for DyeStat.com
YearVideosNewsPhotosBlogs
2024 1091 354 13762  
2023 5382 1361 77508  
2022 4892 1212 58684  
Show 25 more
HashtagsNone
 
 
+PLUS highlights
+PLUS coverage
Live Events
Get +PLUS!