District 1
Location: Notre Dame (Cape Girardeau) XC Course
Teams in Attendance
Arcadia Valley, Bloomfield, Charleston, Clearwater, East Carter, Greenville, Kelly, Puxico, Saxony Lutheran, Scott City, St. Vincent, Valle Catholic, Woodland
What To Watch
In a very short time, St. Vincent's boys teams has become a powerhouse and perennial podium place earner in Class 2. Since 2013, they haven't missed a state meet as a team and have even brought home trophies each of the last five years. After finishing fourth last year, they are back for another crack at a state trophy led by junior Jack Baer. Baer was 17th at last year's Class 2 contest and is on track to finish in the top 25 again.
His district title quest could be difficult with the Woodland duo of Timothy Sloan and Carter Mayfield. Sloan recently put down a 17:06.73 personal best at Farmington. In his five race this season, he has won four times and has a season average time of 17:34.75, 54 seconds ahead of Baer's average of 18:28.44. Sloan appears to not only be a district title contender, but also a safe bet for a top 10 finish at the state meet.
The team title should come down to St. Vincent vs Woodland with St. Vincent getting the definitive edge. Arcadia Valley, East Carter, and Bloomfield could all play spoilers with a good day.
Valle Catholic's girls moved up to Class 2 and quickly made an impact last year, winning their district and finishing 9th at the Class 2 meet. Led by Madison Otte, Valle is looking to repeat, but with four teams with a realistic chance of winning, it'll be anyone's guess who takes the two qualifying spots out of this tough district. Individually, Kennedy Thies is the clear front runner after finishing 9th at state last year. Emily Stewart has had a strong 2019 campaign and looks solid for second.
Two strong teams could be left out of the mix in Gans Creek on the 9th as it'll take everyone's A-game to secure a berth to the state meet out of this district.
Top 2 Teams and Top 5 Individuals (Prediction)
Boys
4. Josiah Lantz - Arcadia Valley
5. Kyle Steinbecker - St. Vincent
Teams
1. St. Vincent
2. Woodland
Girls
1. Kennedy Thies - East Carter
3. Madison Otte - Valle Catholic
4. Genevieve Lipe - St. Vincent
5. Anna Schwartz - St. Vincent
Teams
1. Valle Catholic
2. St. Vincent