Location: Gale Woods Farm
Weather: Sunny, mid 60s
BOYS
Top Teams: Annandale (56 points), Glencoe-Silver Lake (66 points)
Top Individuals: Christopher Groth (Annandale, 16:43), Charlie Reinhardt (Mound-Westonka, 16:55), Alec Van Gelder (Mound-Westonka, 16:56), Jack Heun (Watertown-Mayer, 17:02)
Individually, as he's the top returner from last year, Christopher Groth of Annandale looks to be favored for the win. He's collected multiple victories this year, while also being somewhat consistently under 17 minutes. Though Van Gelder hasn't run near his sub-17 effort from September 1, Charlie Reinhardt has come on strong as the season has progressed, so he could surprise as well, as could Jack Heun, who is fresh off a win at the Watertown-Mayer Invitational. In the team battle, Annandale and Glencoe-Silver Lake both have solid squads with decent depth. Although Annandale wins the virtual meet, either could realistically emerge victorious.
GIRLS
Top Teams: Annandale (20 points)
Top Individuals: Emma Fashant (Annandale, 19:51), Ava Cusciotta (Rockford, 19:57)
The Skinny: Two girls in the field have broken 20:00, and each of their season bests is 20 or more seconds faster than the next fastest girl. Expect to see these two to separate from the competition early. However, Fashant's teammate Jessica Sheer is the defending conference champ, and though Fashant has outperformed her so far, it would no surprise if this was her breakout race. Led by those two, the 6th-ranked Annandale girls appear to outclass their competition, as in the virtual meet, they're projected to put their entire top 7 in the top 11. They should dominate their way to the conference title en route to a probable State berth.