Parker Wolfe produces all-time 5-kilometer performance at Norris Penrose Events Center by clocking 15:10.31 for Cherry Creek, which also has Riley Stewart repeat to highlight first 5A girls team crown since 2006; Niwot sweeps again in 4A, The Classical Academy extends girls record to 13 titles with 3A victory

By Erik Boal, DyeStat Editor

COLORADO SPRINGS – The meet started with another significant Niwot sweep and concluded with a dominant Cherry Creek double feature at Norris Penrose Events Center.

The day began at the Colorado High School Activities Association state finals with a takedown and ended with a heavyweight showdown.

And the most unique season in Colorado prep cross country history – as a result of the Coronavirus pandemic – also showcased the most impressive performance by a male athlete at the championship meet, along with a pair of promising freshmen girls who could be contending for state, regional and national titles together for the remainder of their careers.

INTERVIEWS | COLORADO STATE MEET PAGE

Cherry Creek senior Parker Wolfe set the all-time record on the updated 5-kilometer layout at Norris Penrose, clocking 15 minutes, 10.31 seconds in the 5A boys final, eclipsing the mark of 15:12.7 achieved at last year’s championship meet by Valor Christian standout Cole Sprout.

Wolfe, a North Carolina commit, now boasts the fastest 5-kilometer high school performance on Colorado soil with his 14:30.1 effort Sept. 12 at the Heritage Classic, along with the top time at the state championship venue. Seniors Ben Conlin of Rampart (15:26.95) and Caleb Boutelle of Pine Creek (15:30.94) were second and third behind Wolfe, who came through the first mile in a reported 4:28.

Although Mountain Vista placed five scorers in the top 30 to capture its sixth overall boys title, including the first since 2017 with an 80-124 victory over Chaparral, it was Wolfe’s performance that served as inspiration for the Cherry Creek girls entering their 5A battle against Arapahoe and Valor Christian.

Junior Riley Stewart became the fourth female athlete to run under 18 minutes at Norris Penrose, clocking 17:33.72 to lead three Cherry Creek athletes in the top 10 and five scorers among the first 20 finishers, as the Bruins secured their first team championship since 2006 and fourth overall with a 42-82 victory over Arapahoe.

Valor Christian was third with 90 points, followed by Mountain Vista (103) and Cherokee Trail (130) in one of the deepest state finals in the country.

Cherokee Trail junior Cameron McConnell (18:00.48) was second and Pomona sophomore Emma Stutzman (18:09.05) took third, but Stewart was too strong, becoming the first Cherry Creek athlete to capture back-to-back state titles.

Arapahoe sophomore Ava Mitchell (18:13.2) and Cherry Creek junior Shelby Balding (18:20.6), who was sidelined on crutches at last year’s state final, were both impressive in placing in the top five, despite starting in the second wave. Each race featured four waves, staggered in 45-second intervals.

Although Wolfe and Stewart achieved convincing victories, the boys and girls 4A finals were much more dramatic to start the meet.

In the boys 4A championship race, Green Mountain senior Grahm Tuohy-Gaydos and Niwot junior Zane Bergen were battling stride for stride in the final 150 meters, as they entered the equestrian arena, which serves as the final straightaway to the finish line.

Although Tuohy-Gaydos was initially credited with running 15:26.53 and Bergen clocking 15:29.42, following a lengthy delay, the decision was overturned. Tuohy-Gaydos was disqualified by meet officials for impeding Bergen’s path in the final 25 meters, resulting in the Niwot junior being knocked down before the finish.

Bergen led five scorers in the top 20 to propel Niwot to a 36-63 triumph over Cheyenne Mountain. It marked the second year in a row that the Cougars captured both the individual and team championships, following a victory by Cruz Culpepper last season.

The girls 4A final matched the top two freshmen in the state and two of the elite ninth-graders in the country squaring off for the first time this season, as Air Academy’s Bethany Michalak prevailed against Niwot’s Mia Prok by a 17:59.04 to 18:02.37 margin.

Michalak, who ran 17:27.5 at Norris Penrose on Sept. 12 at the Cheyenne Mountain Stampede, followed Air Academy championship performances by Maria Mettler in 2016, Katie Rainsberger in 2014-15 and Allie McLaughlin in 2008.

Prok led five Niwot scorers in the top 25 to secure a third consecutive team title with a 55-93 victory over Battle Mountain. Eagle Valley junior Samantha Blair, second last year and ninth as a freshman, took third in 18:14.04.

The Classical Academy, the most decorated girls program in Colorado prep history, increased its record to 13 overall titles by defeating Holy Family by a 65-113 margin in the girls 3A final.

Even more impressive for the Titans than winning their third consecutive championship was they were able to place four athletes in the top 15 to overcome the absence of sophomore Sawyer Wilson, who had to be isolated Friday night after learning she might have come into contact with someone who had tested positive for COVID-19.

But with Kennedy McDonald (19:13.4) securing second, Cassidy McDonald (19:35.1) finishing eighth and Sophia Valentine (19:37.5) placing ninth, The Classical Academy captured a title for the 13th time in 18 years, including the 12th coming in 3A.

Basalt crowned an individual champion for the second year in a row, with sophomore Katelyn Maley winning in 18:38.97. Sierra Bower, who became the first Basalt state champion last year, was slowed by stomach illness and the Furman-bound senior finished fifth in 19:24.4.

Frontier Academy repeated as 3A boys team champion, placing five scorers in the top 30 to earn a 48-76 victory over The Classical Academy, securing its third title in program history.

Gunnison senior Alex Baca, who improved from 45th as a freshman to 14th as a sophomore to sixth as a junior, became the Cowboys’ first state champion by clocking 16:07.73 to edge Alamosa Joshua Medina (16:09).

There were also first-time individual champions crowned in both 2A finals, with the Buena Vista girls also making history with their team title.

Despite not taking up cross country until his senior year, Kidus Begashaw became the first state champion for Lotus School for Excellence, clocking 16:17.79. Lotus had only qualified for the state meet for the first time last year. Micah Zeller, a senior at Custer County, became a four-time all-state honoree by placing second in 16:47.21.

Heritage Christian Academy put its four scorers in the top 30 to edge Lyons by a 54-59 margin. The teams have combined to win the past three titles, with Heritage Christian also prevailing in 2018.

Vanguard School junior Ella Johnson, who placed 13th and 15th in the 3A girls final the past two seasons, made an immediate impact in the 2A championship race with her victory in 19:34.46, relying on an impressive surge in the final mile to get past Peyton’s Eowyn Dalbec (19:43.67).

Mallory Salazar clocked 20:19.82 to take third for Buena Vista, which had four scorers in the top 30 to produce a 31-41 triumph over Lake County.

The Demons completed their climb to the top after finishing 13th in 2017, sixth in 2018 and second last year behind Lyons, which finished third with 93 points.

TEAM CHAMPIONS | RESULTS

Class 5A - Mountain Vista boys 80 points, Cherry Creek girls 42 points

Class 4A - Niwot boys 36 points, Niwot girls 55 points

Class 3A - Frontier Academy boys 48 points, The Classical Academy girls 65 points

Class 2A/1A - Heritage Christian Academy boys 54 points, Buena Vista girls 31 points (score four)