PREVIEW
Little Falls Lucky Lindy Invitational
Location: Little Falls Country Club
Weather: Cloudy, mid 70s, decent breeze
BOYS
Virtual Meet Projection: Moorhead (73), Perham (74.5), Bemidji (102.5), Hopkins (104), Sartell-Saint Stephen (117)
Top Individuals: Geno Uhrbom (Greenway/Nashwauk-Keewatin, 15:36), Alex Nemeth (Sartell-St. Stephen, 15:51), Eli Hoeft (Hopkins, 15:52), Brandon O'Hara (Perham, 16:02), Zach Johnson (Moorhead, 16:04), Samuel Ringger (Sauk Rapids-Rice, 16:09)
The Skinny: Like in previous years, the Lucky Lindy Invitational will host some premier competition between some of the best athletes in the state. Fresh off the insanely fast Moorhead Dragon Twilight, the Moorhead and Perham boys look primed for a rematch. Perham, the top ranked Class A squad, finished just 12 points in front of Moorhead at that meet, which only had 54 finishers. However, with much more talent to displace Perham's 5th runner, the Spuds appear to be favored by 1.5 points. However, that may be a bit misleading, as Perham's 5th runner was ahead of Moorhead's by 5 seconds, so Perham may have the edge. Also bolstered by times at that meet, Bemidji finishes 3rd in the virtual meet. Ultimately, the race in Little Falls should serve as a proving ground for those extremely quick times for those three teams. Hopkins and Sartell-St. Stephen should provide ample competition to those schools. Sartell-St. Stephen just won the Monticello Invitational without their top runner Alex Nemeth, while Hopkins has held their own against strong competition this season. Individually, the Class A favorite Geno Uhrbom will look to repeat on his win here a year ago, and has already broken 16:00 this season. Eli Hoeft is ranked 10th in Class AA, and is fresh off a blistering 15:53 on the Gale Woods Farm course. Brandon O'Hara (ranked 4th in Class A) and Zach Johnson both dropped very quick times in Moorhead, and will look to repeat those performances. Another runner with a win this year is Samuel Ringger, who earned it at his home meet in 16:17. And if Alex Nemeth returns after missing the Monticello Invitational, he could contend as well.
GIRLS
Virtual Meet Projection: Perham (75), Hopkins (106), Alexandria (108), Sartell-Saint Stephen (113), Monticello (132)
Top Individuals: Caitlin Covington (Perham, 18:48), Ingrid Buiceag-Arama (Sartell-St. Stephen, 18:54), Elise Yeager (Monticello, 19:15), Victoria Kolbinger (Becker, 19:17), Bethany Miller (Alexandria, 19:18), Aleah Miller (Alexandria, 19:21), Grace Burgess (Hopkins, 19:21), Laci Provenzano (Hopkins, 19:25)
The Skinny: Though the girls race doesn't quite have the depth of the boys race, there will still be plenty of talent on display. The two girls with perhaps the strongest credentials are Caitlin Covington and Ingrid Buiceag-Arama. Buiceag-Arama missed All-State last season by just two spots, while Covington was 19th in Class A in 2017. Both have run in the mid 19:40s so far this year, quicker than most of this field. Expct them to be out front, along with Elise Yeager, who edged out Buiceag-Arama by 4 seconds and one spot at the Monticello Invitational. Becker's dynamic duo of Lexi Dehmer and Victoria Kolbinger have also dropped sub-20:00 times this fall, taking 4th and 6th at the Rockford Rocket Run. And don't sleep on Liz Birkeland, who had a breakout track season to earn All-State in the 3200m and has also broken 20:00 this year. In the team battle, the top ranked Perham girls will be expected to take the win. However, they were just two points in front of Moorhead at the Dragon Twilight, so they should expect some very close competition. Hopkins and Alexandria both have impressive duos that should also keep them in the running. Sartell-St. Stephen boasts a sub-20:00 average for their top five, so keep an eye out for them as well. With the top seven teams all within 100 points in the virtual meet, there will likely be a lot of fluctuating in that order on Thursday.