Yesterday marked the return of Regis Jesuit Boys’ Harriers to the Colorado State XC Championships for the first time since 2019! Check out the newly created entire RJXC History of State Results that is attached. 7 Harriers represented the program and school out on the course! The boys placed a solid 17^th out of 20 teams! Coming in ranked 22^nd in the State, it was a feat just to qualify for the meet. The boys were not satisfied to just make the meet though; they competed and ran another gutsy team race to outplace their seeding! We will recap the race below per usual, but before we get started…..

*Remember that the Boys’ Regis Jesuit Cross Country is a program for all who want to be part of a hardworking, positive and supportive community! Everybody on our team (top to bottom) is expected to give their best effort for their own personal improvement on/off the course but also to help their teammates be the best they can be too! Our Open and JV teams ended their seasons 2+ weeks ago, but that did not stop 13 Young, Developing and Emerging Harriers from coming down to support the RJXC Harriers at the State Meet!!! BIG SHOUTOUTS to the following athletes (and the parents who drove them 😊) who chose to head down to CO Springs on their own volition to support the Harriers! Jack Wilzbacher, Aeden Sullivan, Thomas O’Keefe, Joey Beatty, Logan Jedlicka, Jonathan Keogh, Drew Dougherty, Max Ficco, Hayden Stokes, Zane Wilson, Carson Schuler, Wyatt Harding, Max Larson; you guys are awesome teammates!!!!! It was so cool to see the future of RJXC soaking in the energy and excitement of a real high-level meet. Who is going to be the next group of Harriers to help put RJXC on the Colorado State XC map?!?!?!?!

*Another non-racing highlight for Coach Schneider and Boyle was spending lunch with a few parents at Ivywild School after the meet! Next year, we will have a much bigger parent contingency afterwards to celebrate the strong RJXC showing at the 2023 State Meet!

The boys have been working all year on splitting up 5ks into three segments: 1) Get out in a good position (be close to where you want to finish) 2) Stay Tough (the middle miles are the heart of the race) and 3) Pass as many people as you can the last mile (EVERY POINT COUNTS!!). Today was the best race of the season in terms of a group effort for the Varsity! Sickness ran rampant amongst the boys the past 10 days with over half the squad coming down with something, our #4 athlete fell to start the race, but it could not stop the Harriers. The boys placed 4^th overall with 85 points qualifying for the State Championships for the first time since 2019. It was a great day for THE TEAM! They ran tough for each other. Cherry Creek placed 5^th with 92 points.

For race context, RJ got out very aggressively the first mile, clearly outpacing Creek with a BIG lead. At Mile 2, the boys faded and were down 12 points to CC. The boys STUCK TO THE PLAN and were passing guys left and right that last mile. At 2.7 miles, the boys were still down by 1 point. The last half mile of this course is all uphill (thank goodness for all those hilly tempos right boys?!?!!) and the boys ended up getting Creek by 7 points. It was cool to watch!

Comparison to Last Year

2021

• The team placed 5^th placed with 151 points (Averaging 30^th place per scoring member)

• The team had 1 guy in the top 25

• The team averaged 18:13 over the 5k layout

• The team did not qualify for the State Championships

2022

• The team placed 4^th with 85 points (Averaging 17^th place per scoring member)

• The team had 5 guys in the top 25

• The team averaged 17:22 over the 5k layout

• The team qualified for the State Championships!!!

David Flaig- Despite being sick and missing multiple days of training leading into this one. He had the best race of the season placing 5^th overall and running 58 seconds faster than last season on the same course! He ran tough for his teammates and pushed his limits. He will be scary next week at the State Championships when he is dialed in and 100% healthy!

Caleb Aex- Another guy who was sick during the race. He ran gutsy for his teammates and past a Creek guy the last half mile to help cushion the 4^th place finish. He ran 78 seconds faster than last year! He too will be back for vengeance at the State Meet where he WILL run better!

John Burns- This senior stepped up in a BIG WAY to have the best race of the season. After the race, he said that it was the first time all year that he aced all 3 parts of the race. Get out Hard! Be Tough! Pass Pass Pass!!! John Burns is going to go out in style next week! He too has a lot more in the tank! He keeps it light and fun, he is a great teammate! He too passed a creek guy the last 400 meters!!

Braeden Focht- A FALL AT THE BEGINNING OF THE RACE couldn’t deter Braeden from running 56 seconds faster than last year! His teammates helped him stay engaged and rough tough throughout the race! Teamamtes run faster together! Him and John Burns both caught a Creek kid the last 400 meters TOGETHER! Braeden’s grit and determination for 17 minuntes is another reason the boys are heading to CO Springs next week! He is due for a BIG breakthrough at the State Meet! Watch out for this guy, he’s going to fly!

Liam Sullivan- Liam made the choice to go all in on XC this season. For a first year XC guy, he is showing the big jumps that can be made when you buy in, work hard and have fun!!! He trained all summer working his way up from JV races up the varsity ranks to a consistent #5 guy at both post-season meets! This guy loves running and competing! He is willing to dig deep and get as much out of himself as any guy in the field! He will be working his way up the middle miles of the State Meet snagging points left and right!

Matthew Tartell- Matthew is a 3 year varsity XC guy! This is his first year heading to the State Meet. He has been itching to run a big race to help the team for a few weeks now! Next Saturday is his chance to shine, he is a gritty competitor, Norris Penrose seems like the perfect venue to step up!!! If he takes a risk and runs the middle miles with the top 5, he could have a memorable end to his Junior year!

Zion Taylor- Also a little under the weather yesterday, Zion had a tough race at Arapahoe County Fairgrounds! He is ready to rebound in a big way next weekend! He is a senior who has nothing to lose! Watch out, he is a sleeper for a guy who could jump in with that 3-5 group and push the Harriers past a few teams!