Location: Montgomery Golf Course, Montgomery
Weather: 50 degrees, cloudy, some wind, rain expected to hold off
BOYS
Season Best Projection: Saint James (77), Mankato Loyola/Cleveland (90), Belle Plaine (109), Martin County West (133), Tri-City United (137)
Season Average Projection: Saint James (62), Mankato Loyola/Cleveland (80), Martin County West (112), Fairmont (122), Belle Plaine (133)
Top Individuals: Lane Schwarz (LeSeur Henderson, 16:17), Drew Hastings (Belle Plaine, 16:18), Hugo Ruiz (Tri-City United, 16:28), Mitch Johnstone (Loyola/Cleveland, 16:35), Bailey More (Saint Peter, 16:47), Grant Strukel (Blue Earth Area, 16:52), Carson Kahler (Martin County West (16:53), Seth Pierson (Saint James, 16:53)
The Skinny: Last year, Saint James and Mankato Loyola were the two that qualified out of Section 2A, and this year it looks like it could very well be those two teams again, due to the virtual meet clearly projecting these two at the top. These two teams were within just 6 points of each other at the Milaca Mega Meet, with Saint James having the slight edge, taking 3rd over Loyola who took 4th in the division 4 race. Saint James will be hard to take down, considering they are ranked 6th in the state, and have a very strong pack, with just a 44 second spread between their #1 and #5 runner, the tightest spread in the section. Belle Plaine will definitely attempt to make a run for a state berth, as they are only 19 points off 9th-ranked Mankato Loyola in the virtual meet off of season best times, but in order for that to happen they will need to be able to bring their pack closer up to their standout #1 runner, Drew Hastings.
Individually it should be a very exciting race, with Lane Schwartz of LeSeur Henderson and Drew Hastings within a second of each other at 16:17 and 16:18, respectively, PR's that they ran against each other last week at their conference meet, finishing 1st and 2nd in the race.. Hastings was 3rd in this race last year, and Schwartz was 7th, so both of them are experienced, so it'll be an exciting rematch to watch. Other runners worth looking out for are Hugo Ruiz of Tri-City, as he has a 16:28 PR, which he ran in the same race as Schwartz and Hastings. Mitch Johnstone of Mankato Loyola is a proven runner who took 17th in state last year, along with 2nd in the section,and is coming off a win at the Valley Conference Championships last week. These are all returning runners who are very familiar with each other, having raced each other numerous times this season, and all have finished in the top 7 of the section last season, so they'll all be worth looking out for on Thursday.
GIRLS
Season Best Projection: Belle Plaine (58), Fairmont (128), LeSueur-Henderson (165), Glencoe-Silver Lake (186), Lake Crystal-Wellcome Memorial/Nicollet (198.5)
Season Average Projection: Belle Plaine (75), Fairmont (108), Lake Crystal-Wellcome Memorial/Nicollet (171), Martin County West (177), Waterville-Elysian-Morristown/Janesville-Waldorf-Pemberton (183), LeSueur-Henderson (186)
Top Individuals: Makenna Thurston (Lake Wellcome Memorial, 19:01), Mckenna Herrmann (Belle Plaine, 19:26), Marissa Whitehead (Martin County West, 19:30), Laura Thompson (Fairmont, 19:31), Grace Feder (Gibbon-Fairfax, Winthrop, 19:32), Sarah Krumholz (Fairmont, 19:35), Victoria Flores (LeSeur Henderson, 19:38), Izzy Lind (Saint Peter, 19:48)
The Skinny: In the girls race, 6th-ranked Belle Plaine should have no problem taking home a section championship, as they have a consistent front runner in Mckenna Herrmann, and a solid pack that only has 41 seconds between their #2 and #6 runners. They are undefeated against Section 2A competition this season, and have rarely lost to any Class A opponent. For the second state bid, Fairmont looks like they are in good position to take it home, with a solid front two in Laura Thompson and Sarah Krumholz, who are ranked 4th and 6th in the section in terms of PRs. They even came within 9 points of Belle Plaine in their last race against them at the I-90 Invitational, so they could make things interesting if all their runners are on. However, they will definitely need to make sure they don't let their 3-5 runners get too far back, as LeSeur-Henderson is only projected to be 37 points behind them in the season-best projection, a number that is within reason when it comes to a meet as big as sections.
Individually, Makenna Thurston is the clear favorite, as she is ranked 11th in the state with a 19:01 season PR, and will be looking to finish her senior season out very strong. Thurston has finished in the top three of every race she has ran this season, and also is the defending section champion, a race that she won last year with a time of 18:59. After Thurston, there is a pack of numerous runners who are are between 19:26 and 19:35, as those runners are Mckenna Herrmann, Marissa Whitehead, Laura Thompson, and Sarah Krumholz. Whitehead will be a very interesting runner to watch as she has placed in the top seven of the last two State Championships and has four career All-State honors, but she's been working her way back to the shape she had been in after taking a few months off of running in the spring. It'll certainly take a very heroic effort to take Thurston down, but it'll definitely be a very tight race for 2nd assuming Thurston has a good day and wins.