After scheduled clash of state powers in St. George was shut down as a result of Coronavirus restrictions, several top athletes and programs from Utah and Colorado switched plans to compete at elite showcase in Huntsville

By Erik Boal, DyeStat Editor

The cancellation of the Border Wars championship has led to a boost in registration at the RunningLane National Cross Country Championships on Saturday at John Hunt Running Park in Huntsville, Ala.

Instead of squaring off for state bragging rights at 2,700 feet elevation, several top athletes and programs from both Colorado and Utah are entered to compete in an elite national competition at a venue which annually hosts several high school and college events in Alabama only 600 feet above sea level.

Upon learning the Border Wars final event would not be held in St. George, Utah, as a result of restrictions put in place by Governor Gary Herbert as a result of a recent spike in Coronavirus cases in the host state, several Colorado and Utah coaches were left scrambling to find another competitive opportunity that would challenge their student-athletes.

“As soon as we received word that Border Wars was canceled that Sunday night (Nov. 8), our coaching staff started looking at options and planning,” said Kelly Christensen, coach of Niwot High in Colorado with several individuals representing the club team REAL Training.

“Alabama ended up working out, so we immediately booked everything and registered the teams before noon the next day.”

REAL Training is being represented in the championship gold race by the entire Niwot boys lineup – Zane Bergen, Grady Rauba, Curtis Volf, Joey Hendershot, Joaquin Herrera, Simon Saia and Stefan Haug – that captured a second straight Colorado High School Activities Association Class 4A title Oct. 17 at the Norris Penrose Events Center in Colorado Springs.

Also scheduled to compete from Colorado are Cherry Creek senior and North Carolina signee Parker Wolfe, Green Mountain senior Grahm Tuohy-Gaydos, Mountain View junior Jackson Shorten, Boulder senior Lukas Haug, Cheyenne Mountain juniors Erik Le Roux, Knox Exton and Enzo Knapp, along with sophomore Kaden Levings, and Mountain Vista athletes Owen Nolan, Kyle Boe, Jayden Nats, Nate Harbert, Luke Urban, Aaron Yocom and Princeton commit Harrison Witt, all representing Vista Nation XC.

Mountain Vista also has Landon Hart, Gavin White, Brady Ford, Daniel Romalia and Gavin Lawlor scheduled to compete in a race that is expected to include Robert DiDonato, a Germantown Academy of Pennsylvania senior and Stanford signee, North Carolina signees and Alabama prep standouts Ethan Strand of Vestavia Hills and Crawford Hope of Homewood, Syracuse-bound Kamari Miller of Marietta High in Georgia, Northern Arizona commit John Scherer IV of Oshkosh North in Wisconsin and junior Izaiah Steury of Angola High in Indiana.

Utah, which held its Border Wars qualifier Nov. 7 at Spanish Fork Sports Complex before the championship event was called off the following day, will be represented by Class 6A powers American Fork and Skyridge, along with 5A team winner Farmington.

American Fork is scheduled to race with senior Brayden Packard, the individual winner of the Border Wars qualifier, along with 6A individual state champion Nate Jaster, Samuel Nelson, Jaydan Fitzgarrald, Kooper Dibb, Lucas Peck and Nate Hess.

Skyridge, the 6A team champion, is expected to race with Brigham Young signees Creed Thompson and Davin Thompson, along with Seth Wallgren, Kade Hansen and Seth Kjar.

Farmington has entered Ethan Peterson, Nick Siddoway, Britton Austin, Simon Mitchell, Ryan Bennett, Braden Miller and Carson Bauco.

Other Utah individual athletes scheduled to compete in the boys championship gold race are Herriman seniors Evan Harris and Ashton Hofheins, in addition to sophomore Noah Jenkins, Desert Hills senior Carson Helmer, Riverton seniors TJ Warnick and Hayden Walker, along with sophomore Jake Seegmiller.

REAL Training and Vista Nation XC, representing Mountain Vista, will also be represented in the girls championship gold race.

Niwot freshman Mia Prok, senior Lucca Fulkerson and sophomore Madison Shults are all entered for REAL Training, representing the two-time Class 4A girls state champions.

“We are fortunate to have coaches that are committed to finding a fast race for us, and we are all very excited for this weekend,” Fulkerson said. “Everyone is training for a common goal, so having support along the way has made it easier for all of us to keep training hard.”

Along with the boys lineup, Prok, Fulkerson and Shults were able to compete Nov. 6 at the Kokopelli Invitational at the El Pomar Youth Sports Complex in Colorado Springs as a tuneup for competition in Alabama.

Prok was second behind Air Academy freshman Bethany Michalak (17:48) on the 5-kilometer course, clocking 18:07, with Fulkerson taking third in 18:24 and Shults placing fourth in 18:42.

“We are all proud of how we did at the Kokopelli race, and it was good to get a race in before we go to Alabama,” Fulkerson said. “Being able to run with my teammates every day has helped me stay positive during this season.”

In the Kokopelli boys race, REAL Training took five of the top six spots, with Bergen and Rauba both clocking 16:07, with Volf finishing fourth in 16:13, followed by Herrera and Hendershot both timed in 16:23.

“We really just wanted the kids to have an opportunity to race and help them in keeping the right mindset,” Christensen said. “Athletes only took a few days off after state and then put in a couple of high-quality weeks of training going into Kokopelli, so we weren’t trying to run fast times or anything like that, just wanted to compete and work as a team in the race.

“Alabama should be great. Other than not having a full girls team, the athletes going are fit, healthy, and ready to have fun.”

For Prok, she will get the opportunity to challenge herself Saturday against two-time Foot Locker All-American and Tennessee Division 1 large school state champion Jenna Hutchins, a junior at Science Hill High, along with Birmingham Seaholm senior and Michigan Division 1 state winner Audrey DaDamio, a Foot Locker finalist last year.

“I would say that we’ve all been improving constantly throughout the seasons because of the hard workouts and harder runs,” Prok said. “But I think it’s also because we care about each other and want to do well for each other! I think overall, the team and coaches are so positive, and it’s easy to be positive when you’re surrounded by positive people.”

Although the REAL Training girls won’t be fielding a full lineup, Shults is excited about the prospects of she and her Niwot teammates competing against fellow state champions in Brentwood High from Tennessee, represented by Bruins XC, as well as The Bolles School from Florida, competing as DUVAL.

“I think my and the other girls’ performances have just been getting better and better throughout the year,” Shults said. “I’ve been able to stay focused and positive because I’m running and training with not only my teammates but also my friends. I run for them.”

Vista Nation XC is scheduled to be represented by Shayda Zarrin, Nina St. John, Annie Romalia, Shantell Hafner, Keira Gamily, Brooke Adams and Jordan Gossett.

Other Colorado female athletes entered include: Cheyenne Mountain junior Hope Stark, Peak to Peak senior Allison Beasley and Mountain View freshman Keira Shorten.

Utah is expected to be represented in the girls race by American Fork freshman Avalon Mecham and junior Avery Moore, as well as Desert Hills senior Madison Strasner.