CHSAA Intersectional Girl's Cross Country Preview
By George Kochman
What to expect on November 10? Four good teams, an unknown fifth,
add the variable of weather, age, maturity,and you have a real
barn-burner. This could be a championship with four, or perhaps,
five teams within 15-20 points of each other.
Let's analyze the top teams:
St. John the Baptist- doesn't race at VCP as much as the others, but
the big plus is that they've beaten the others head-to-head. They're
also a bit older and more mature than the other teams.
St. John Villa- next year's favorite #1. Top five has four
sophomores and a freshman. Can they all run their best on
championship day? They haven't put it together so far. Soph Alexis
Bivona a contender for the individual crown.
Kellenberg- next year's favorite #1a. Very young, with three
freshmen. Very impressive at Fordham. Junior Kailtin Stordeur a
contender for individual honors.
St. Anthony- key is getting their No. 2 and No. 3 runners to
close the gap on Erin Bayer, a contender for the individual title.
St. John's Prep- the unknown factor. Century Williams and Samantha
Rodriguez are big-race runners. But will they have a fifth girl who
can run? If they do, look out.
St. Francis- senior Karen Roa, the individual favorite, leads a
team that's short in the back.
The second tier:
Much movement is possible here. Will St. Peter's field a complete
team? Can Kearney put a big race together? Will Notre Dame find some
help in the back. Can Shannon Lavelle of Holy Trinity, an individual
title contender, get some team help? Many questions here.
The third tier:
OLM and St. Joseph Hill have individuals who will be in the mix,
after that, it's anyone's guess. Sacred Heart has been silent all
fall- can they put anything together? And how about Molloy? No one
has broken through yet for the Stanners.
The picks:
1. St. John the Baptist
2. St. Joh Villa
3. St. Anthony
4. Kellenberg
5. St. John's Prep
6. St. Francis
7. Bishop Ford
8. Notre Dame
9. Holy Trinity
10. St. Peter's
11. Bishop Kearney
12. Sacred Heart
13. Our Lady of Mercy
14. St. Joseph Hill
15. Archbishop Molloy
