What You May Have Missed Week 9

Byng The High School Not The Search Engine

Unfortunately for Byng they are in one of the most competitive divisions in the state. Fortunately they have a team with the ability to compete with the best in that division. Although we haven't seen many direct competitions between Byng and other top teams when we have they normally hold their own. Both their boys and girls squad were crowned champions of the Lake County Conference and will look to carry that moment through regionals and on to state. Both squads race similarly with a head hunters near the front like Ava Thompson and Aden Evans but also a strong 2-5 who are never too far behind. This is a sneaky recipe for state meet success.

Speaking of Lake County Conference Champs

Landon Eubank (Dickson) was crowned the individual champion in 16:06. No one should be surprised if a fast pace from Levi Haynes and the other top 3A boys ends up pulling the sophomore to a sub 16 minute performance in two weeks. Eubank is a big talent in this division and with many top guys graduating we will be watching him for years to come. Will he win this year? Likely no but I can see a scenario where he does manage a state championship and the meets acts as an arrival party and an announcement to the rest of the state that he is a top guy regardless of division.

Speaking of Big Talents

Ethan Brooks (El Reno) finished runner-up to Zachary Williams (Cache) but ahead of notable names such as Ethan Jones (Cache) and Isaiah Blevins (Guthrie) at the Elgin meet this past weekend. Brooks as an 8th grader set the middle school state 1600m record. This performance built a ton of anticipation for his freshman XC campaign. Brooks has had a solid season so far being a consistent mid to low 16 minute performer but with the rise in depth across the state he has largely been over shadowed. For the most part he has flown under the radar but with this performance and a victory over a consistent sub 16 performer in Jones and a top 5a contender in Blevins I believe this could be the momentum to catapult Brooks to a state title in his debut season.

Sapulpa A Team To Watch

The Sapulpa Boys won the Frontier Valley Conference this past Tuesday over Broken Arrow, Owasso, Tulsa Union and a Jenks B squad. With a 5th man at 17:40 on a fairly slow course this smells like a team on the rise who may be a surprise addition to the top 5 at the 6A state meet.