By Angie Mudd, Special to the Rocky

Published October 22, 2008 at 8:34 p.m.

Regis Jesuit's Bobby Nicolls doesn't have a cross country or track state title to his credit, but his Colorado competitors know he is always in the mix when it comes to racing.

They realized how much of a threat he can be when he followed his fourth-place performance at the Class 5A state cross country meet last season with an 18th-place finish at the Foot Locker National Cross Country Championships, the state's highest finisher in the event.

So, with the state cross country championships at Fossil Ridge High School in Fort Collins on Saturday, Nicolls can't be counted out as a possible 5A champion.

"This is definitely the year I want to do a lot of big things, and it's always been my goal to win state and win nationals," Nicolls, a senior, said. "But with nationals being just seven weeks after state, it's hard to peak for both. But this next week is my focus. I think that state is going to be the toughest race of the year."