Location: Montgomery Golf Course, Montgomery
Weather: Low 40's, partly cloudy, light wind
BOYS VIRTUAL MEET
TEAMS TO WATCH: Saint James Area, Mankato Loyola/Cleveland, Tri-City United, Belle Plaine
INDIVIDUALS TO WATCH: Mitch Johnstone (Mankato Loyola/Cleveland, 16:07.5), Seth Pierson (St James, 16:12.5), Drew Hastings (Belle Plaine, 16:12.9), Austin Antony (Tri-City, 16:27.6), Caleb Rivera (St James, 16:30.4), Troy Parulski (St James, 16:31.6), William Saari (Fairmont, 16:46.4), Emmett Gerres (Belle Plaine, 16:47.8), Connor Hallaway (Glencoe-Silver Lake, 16:49.3), Jerrett Peterson (Mankato Loyola/Cleveland, 16:50.0)
THE SKINNY: No. 3 ranked St James Area appears the solid favorite for the section 2A title with Mankato Loyola/Cleveland in a strong second place position using season best numbers. When evaluating season averages things look a bit tighter but the same two teams remain the favorites again of contenders from Tri-City United, Fairmont and Belle Plaine. St James is highly ranked in the coaches poll with good reason as they show potential for an average under 16:50 over a split under 65 seconds. ML-C is ranked 11th in the coaches poll with a quality front three giving them a clear shot at a state qualification spot from section 2A. If those two ranked teams maintain their season level performances it will take a huge day from all seven athletes on the roster of any team looking to earn a state meet ticket. The two favorites this season have been top two the last two seasons and we should expect similar results again in 2019.
Individually, ML-C senior Mitch Johnstone has been in the top three the past two seasons and comes in with the top time this year. At various times in 2019 he has been ranked by the coaches and won seven of his ten races this season and won both head to head races with St James senior Seth Pierson and Belle Plaine senior Drew Hastings. Hastings has the third fastest performance in 2A and is ranked 12 by the coaches and also finished in front of Pierson in their pair of head to head meetings. Pierson ran a career PR 16:12 in winning the Big South conference title last week and ran under 17 minutes in five of seven 5k races this year. Other key names to follow are St James junior Caleb Rivera and senior Troy Parulski who could both finish inside the top seven, making their team nearly unbeatable based on what weve seen so far from the rest of the field. Tri-City senior Austin Antony and Fairmont junior William Saari represent lead candidates for claiming individual state meet qualifications right after Hastings. ML-C senior Jerrett Peterson and junior Tyler Erickson will also be a key factor in the team scoring as their team's second and third runner with possibility for top ten finishes.
GIRLS VIRTUAL MEET
TEAMS TO WATCH: Belle Plaine, Fairmont, Waterville-Elysian-Morristown, Martin County West
INDIVIDUALS TO WATCH: Laura Thompson (Fairmont, 18:53.3), Macy Hanson (Fairmont, 19:10.9), McKenna Herrmann (Belle Plaine, 19:24.2), Grace Feder (Gibbon-Fairfax-Winthrop, 19:29), Claire Fischer (Sleepy Eye St Mary-Sleepy Eye-New Ulm Cathedral, 19:51), Paola Acevedo (St James, 19:52.8), Addison Peed (W-E-M, 19:57.6), Ellie Nygren (Mankato Loyola/Cleveland, 20:09.4), Savanna Deyoung (Belle Plaine, 20:12.6), Marissa Whitehead (Martin Co. West, 20:15.2)
THE SKINNY: The top two teams appear to be a step ahead of the field in section 2A as Belle Plaine and Fairmont both seem to have an edge in both front running and depth through five spots. Belle Plaine is no. 10 in the coaches ranks just ahead of no. 11 Fairmont and it will be a competitive race for the section title. Our season best virtual favors Belle Plaine but the season wide average says Fairmont has been more consistent in their top five throughout the year. Both ranks have Fairmont with the better front runners, yet Belle Plaine has had the faster performances in their third through fifth spots during the year. Waterville-Elysian-Morrisville looks to be the main contender for third but during the season has not produced a front running tandem or the quality of fifth runner to stay with the top two teams.
Fairmont sophomore Laura Thompson was fifth a year ago in 2A and has the fastest season best coming into the section meet in 2019. Currently ranked no. 7 in the coaches poll, she has run more consistently than both St James senior Paola Avecedo and Gibbon-Fairfax-Winthrop junior Grace Feder who were second and third in the meet last year. Fairmont seventh grader Macy Hanson has the second best result in the section thus far and bettered Belle Plaine senior McKenna Herrmann, last year's 2A seventh place finisher, in their only meeting this season. Herrman comes in as the third fastest on the year who finished in front of fourth fastest performer Feder in their only meeting of the year. Keep track of Belle Plaine junior Savanna Deyoung as a big part of the team scoring with a current projection inside the top ten. Feder, Sleepy Eye St Marys-Sleepy Eye-New Ulm Cathderal sophomore Claire Fischer and Waterville-Elysian-Morrisville freshman Addison Peed are top candidates for claiming 2A individual state meet qualifications.