Stars Out To Shine On Today's Big Day Of Racing

Weather: High 60's, mostly sunny, still, humid

BOYS

Virtual Meet Projections: Saint Cloud Apollo (20), Sauk Rapids-Rice (43)

Top Individuals: Samuel Ringger (SRR, 16:09), Ahmed Cariif (Apollo, 16:57), Lieban Mohamed (Apollo, 17:19)

The Skinny: The smallest meet of the day with just three teams, the biggest thing to watch here will probably be Sam Ringger. The 30th-place finisher at State last year, Ringger has a shot at being both All-State and Conference Champion, and is off to a good start with his opening season time of 17:03. But he's the one real bright spot of Sauk Rapids-Rice's team, as Apollo is projected to take the next eleven spots in the virtual meet. With the type of depth they have, they could seriously be a sleeper team in both their conference and section if their top runners see enough improvement.

GIRLS

Virtual Meet Projections: Saint Cloud Apollo (21), Sauk Rapids-Rice (40)

Top Individuals: Julia Karls (Apollo, 20:15), Brooke Verkinnes (Apollo, 21:27), Emily Sutton (SRR, 22:01)

The Skinny: Julia Karls is as big a favorite on the girls side as Ringger on the boys side, but she doesn't have the State credentials to go with that favoritism. The Apollo girls team doesn't have nearly as much depth and potential as their boys, but they are still strong favorites. 

(written by Mark Rice)