After capturing first state title in program history last season with motivated young lineup, Warriors are again underrated entering deepest girls state championship race in the country, fueling their pursuit of a potential repeat

By Erik Boal, DyeStat Editor

One year removed from producing the most memorable moment at the Colorado High School Activities Association state meet, the Arapahoe girls cross country team finds itself in a familiar position of being under the radar, overlooked and away from the spotlight reserved for the championship stage.

Which makes the underdog Warriors even more dangerous than they were last season, when freshmen Ava Escorcia, Emily Lamontagne and Ava Mitchell led Arapahoe to its first 5A state title with a 30-point victory over Centennial League rival Cherry Creek.

Despite Arapahoe being deeper than last year, with four athletes returning from the championship lineup – including senior Megan Bergstrom – plus the addition of freshmen Jordan Stead and Anna Bridges, the main storyline entering Saturday’s final at Norris Penrose Events Center in Colorado Springs has been less about the Warriors’ quest for a repeat and more focused on Valor Christian’s bid for its first team title or Cherry Creek seeking its first girls state crown since 2006.

Arapahoe wouldn’t have it any other way.

“Although many might not see us as the biggest competition, I think our team has a big advantage, being the so-called ‘underdog’ because as shown last year, our team can step up to the plate, when needed,” said Lamontagne, who finished 29th at last year’s state final and was the Warriors’ fifth scorer.

“Being the ‘underdog’ I think alleviates some stress from me and my fellow runners. This is mainly because no one is counting on us, or fully expecting us to win. But, this also gives us a very good opportunity to pull one out from our competitors, and possibly win on Saturday.”

Cherry Creek edged Arapahoe by a four-point margin Oct. 8 at their regional meet in Aurora, placing all six runners in front of the Warriors’ fifth scorer. That performance was a significant improvement for the Warriors from losing to Cherry Creek by 11 points at last year’s regional competition.

Although junior Riley Stewart, the defending state individual champion, and sophomore Addison Price finished first and third for the Bruins, Arapahoe countered with Escorcia, Lamontagne, Mitchell and Stead placing fourth through seventh.

And Bergstrom, who took 14th at last year’s state final, is back in the lineup Saturday after not competing at regionals, giving the Warriors the belief they have all the pieces to assemble a championship puzzle yet again.

“I think that being in a group where we are underestimated can turn out to be an advantage and great surprise. At the same time, it’s nice to know there are teams watching out for us knowing we are one of the top dogs,” said Mitchell, who secured seventh in her state finals debut last year.

“It has definitely been nice to have the opportunity to race against Cherry Creek multiple times this season. It will definitely be a challenge to see what other teams will be bringing that we haven’t raced against before, specifically Valor and Vista. Although I am excited to be racing against them once again.

“Our mindset has also been a key component this season. Focusing on always having a strong, set mind, knowing we can count on one another to pick up our faults. Having four in the top seven at regionals enhances our confidence heading into state, putting us in a position where we want to be.”

Among the states that feature postseason or state championship competition this fall during the Coronavirus pandemic, the Colorado 5A girls final is the deepest field in the country, with the top four teams from last season – Arapahoe, Cherry Creek, Cherokee Trail and Mountain Vista – all returning, along with Valor Christian, which went from finishing sixth at the state meet with a short-handed lineup to placing eighth at Nike Cross Nationals six weeks later competing at full strength.

“It’s exciting that we don’t necessarily have the pressure of winning, but we want to defend our title from last year. Our team has set a goal for ourselves, and we have a reputation to uphold,” said Escorcia, who was the Warriors’ top performer at last year’s state meet with a sixth-place finish.

“I was really surprised and happy when Jordan placed seventh at regionals. The fact that our team came in 4, 5, 6, and 7 made me feel really good about our team’s progress, ability, and potential for state. If my teammates and I continue running exactly how we have been, I have full confidence that we will have success at the state meet.”

Since the first year of the Colorado 5A girls final in 1990, seven teams have repeated as champions, including Broomfield in 2015-16 and Mountain Vista in 2017-18.

Arapahoe will look to join that elite list, but the path to back-to-back titles could be the toughest journey in program history, considering Cherokee Trail – led by junior Cameron McConnell, last year’s state runner-up behind Stewart – was only eight points behind the Warriors at their regional, along with Mountain Vista holding off Valor Christian by a three-point margin at their Oct. 9 regional in Littleton.

“Because we have only raced against Valor and Vista once, it will be interesting to see how well they do at state. It is going to be a tough race with quality teams challenging each other for the trophy,” Escorcia said. “It ultimately comes down to race day and how well all of the athletes perform on that day, but our team is eager to race against the best of the best and hopefully come out on top again. It’s fun to prove what our team is capable of and surprise people when they least expect it. I’m thrilled to be in this super competitive race and can’t wait to see what the results are.”

With each team placing only six runners on the starting line instead of the usual seven, but still scoring five athletes, there is less margin for error than last season. The return of Bergstrom after she did not compete at regionals could be a big boost for Arapahoe, just like Valor Christian is counting on the return of junior Lanie Szuch to its lineup after missing the state qualifying race as well.

“Obviously, our goal setting out for regionals was to get first, but I feel that runner-up by only four points is a good spot to be in going into the state championships. Last season, we got second as a team by 11 points, so I think that we are in a better spot this year going into state than last year,” Lamontagne said. “Having four of us in the top seven, and all of us less than 25 seconds apart definitely boosted my, and my team’s confidence. I also feel that having the four of us close together gives us a good edge against our competitors.”

Arapahoe will need to minimize the spread among its scoring runners again, especially after Mountain Vista produced a 23-second gap among its top six athletes to prevail against Valor Christian in their regional matchup.

Only adding to that challenge will be the presence of wave starts, with each race featuring four groups staggered in 45-second intervals. All of the leading contenders have two athletes in the first wave, with their remaining runners distributed throughout the other three groups.

“I also think that runners spread out in different waves will be a big challenge for not only our team, but every other team because it will be hard to visualize where everyone else is placed, in comparison to yourself,” Lamontagne said. “But it is reassuring to know that every team is at the same disadvantage as every other team when it comes to the separation due to the number of waves. Even though we have seen this season what it is like to have more waves than we did last year, I think state will be very different, in the sense that there are many more teams. However, just feeling the race out, running based on feel, no matter what the places are, will be successful for us.”

The unknown factor of not being aware of the pacing of athletes in waves in front or behind will only add more intrigue to a race that is already primed for an intense showdown and dramatic conclusion.

“It is definitely going to be difficult racing in different waves because we won’t know how well individuals in the other waves will have raced and it all comes down to times,” Escorcia said. “When racing, our athletes will not be able to compete against athletes from other teams running in separate waves and that will make it challenging because we don’t know how fast our times need to be in order to beat other teams.”

Although Mitchell knows her team has thrived the past two years on competing head to head in smaller fields against league opponents like Cherry Creek and Cherokee Trail, she emphasizes Arapahoe still has to be focused on approaching this meet with the same mindset as all the others by racing against the clock, which worked in the Warriors’ favor last season when it mattered most.

“With regards to racing in waves, it will feel different, but it offers a chance to not be impacted by other runners, focusing on individual time benefitting the team overall,” Mitchell said. “I am so proud of our team and our performances this season. Our preparation for each meet and practice has been a great routine full with dynamic warmups and hip mobilizations before and after each run.”

That preparation hasn’t just been limited to this season, instead it was a foundation Arapahoe established during the spring when the health risks and concerns linked to Coronavirus resulted in the cancellation of the outdoor track season. And the impact has been profound on the Warriors’ ability to not only handle adversity during the pandemic, but continue to develop and improve despite the challenging circumstances.

“We started training in March once quarantine began, and haven’t taken a break from running since. All of the hard work that our team has put into this season and all of the obstacles we have had to face because of the Coronavirus has led us up to this point and we feel ready to race,” Escorcia said. “Our training program also shifted this season and has been fairly different compared to last year’s program, which has been really beneficial to our team’s success this year. I am thankful that we still had a cross country season, though, and I am really looking forward to racing at state. I know it is going to be a race our Arapahoe team won’t forget and I am going to be proud of our team, no matter what happens.”

Even when several states around them decide to postpone fall sports or hold an abbreviated schedule with no guarantee of postseason competition, the Warriors’ focus never shifted and the desire to win another state championship didn’t waver.

All Arapahoe wanted was another chance to showcase itself against elite competition, an opportunity that will be provided Saturday, when the Warriors hope to be the last team standing at Norris Penrose Events Center, not only in the finish chute, but also on stage as the final champion crowned at the state meet, just like last year.

“It’s important to remember that it doesn’t matter what the (rankings) are before the race, what does matter is where the places fall after the race,” Lamontagne said. “All the way from April, before we even knew that we had a cross country season, has led us up to making it to state, and even having a chance at winning state. Every practice we have had, and workout we have done has led up to the race on Saturday.”