Middle Park sophomore Tabor Scholl is the overwhelming favorite to repeat as champion in Class 3A girls cross country, but she is aiming for the state's top time overall this season.
Photo courtesy of the Scholl family
Tabor Scholl isn't trying to be boastful. She just understands the reality of the situation.
After winning the Class 3A girls state cross country meet as a freshman last season, the
Middle Park (Granby) athlete is the overwhelming favorite to do it again. The closest competitor among girls that didn't graduate was nearly 45 seconds behind Scholl's time of 18 minutes, 37.62 seconds at the Arapahoe County Fairgrounds.
But that doesn't mean the season will be a bore.
"Every time I watch a race, it just makes me want to race more and better my times," Scholl said. "What I try to do is look at the 5A times and what the girls are doing there. Because, depending on who is in my classification this year, I might just be racing against the clock pretty much, which is mentally hard."
Scholl grew up racing against Jordyn Colter, who also was victorious last season as a freshman. The
Cherry Creek (Greenwood Village) runner won the 5A meet with a time of 18:24.60.
"We've raced since we were in fifth grade, and I pay attention to her because we're really good friends," Scholl said. "We raced against each other in Junior Olympics in the summer, so I probably pay attention to her results more than anybody else's."
Scholl will be attempting to narrow the gap between the two at this season's state meet, which will be held at the Norris Penrose Events Center in Colorado Springs on Oct. 27. Colter already is in top form, as she won the Pre-State Meet on Friday.
She is morphing into the marquee name in the state's cross country scene.
"Jordyn is a pleasure to work with," Cherry Creek coach Holly Lane said. "She is very competitive and focused, but still has fun being a leader and mentor to the other athletes on the team."
Even though Scholl has the capability to blow away the 3A field, she won't be entirely satisfied until her times match Colter's.
If Scholl's name sounds familiar, it should. She actually attends
West Grand (Kremmling), and commutes about an hour to attend cross country practice at Granby-based Middle Park.
West Grand, however, does have a track program, and Scholl shined at the 2A state meet in the spring. She won the 800 and 1,600 meter runs and finished second in the 3,200. While following the footsteps of running extraordinaire Sam Berggren at Middle Park this fall, she'll continue to keep a watchful eye on the big picture.
"I hope to get into some bigger meets this year, like the Nike or Footlocker, just so you can see who else is out there," Scholl said. "Colorado isn't the running mecca. Back east, that's where it's really tough. So I'm looking forward to that but just living in the moment right now."
Scholl's two closest competitors among underclassmen last year were Natalie Anderson of
Hotchkiss and Eva Lou Edwards of
Bayfield, but they will have to shave significant portions of their times to compete for the top spot.
Same for Colter in 5A, as Alaina Anderson of
Pomona (Arvada) and Claire Green of
Monarch (Louisville), both juniors, will have to knock off about 35 seconds from their times to be in the same league as the Cherry Creek athlete.
"She is a great leader even though she is only a sophomore here," Lane said. "We have some freshmen and sophomores new to the team and she makes sure they know what is going on and helps to calm them when they are nervous or upset with how a race went."
In 4A girls, a state champion does not return, but a favorite absolutely does.
Niwot's Elise Cranny finished second as a sophomore last season, her 18:58.13 a little more than 6 seconds behind Denver South then-senior Sydney Scott.
Cranny, under the guidance of new Niwot coach Sam Catterson this season, will look to hold off a pack that includes talented
Canon City sophomore Aubrey Till (fourth last season).
In 2A girls, the playing field is leveled with runaway winner Kelley Robinson of Nederland now graduated. Second-place Rachel Hampton of
Telluride, who finished about 47 seconds back, is the top returning runner.
In boys cross country, the 5A field appears wide open with the graduation of defending champ Kirk Webb. The former Monarch athlete is now at Penn. In fact, 16 of the top 17 finishers last season were seniors.
The only non-senior runner was
Heritage (Littleton) then-junior Christian Martin. He finished in eighth place, just less than 23 seconds behind Webb.
You don't have to look as far down the list for the top returning 4A runner, as Chandler Reid returns for defending-champion
Centaurus (Lafayette). Reid finished in third place last season, about 15 seconds behind winner Alfredo Lebron of Moffat County.
"I think we're contenders again," Reid said. "But we've got to be willing to put in the work again. If we do and see improvement each week, then I think we'll be up there again."
In 3A, keep an eye on three: Garrett Coles of
University (Greeley), Anthony Rios of
Brush (both seniors) and junior Jeffrey Switzer of
Estes Park. All finished in the top 10 and within 10 seconds of one another last season.
The favorite in 2A boys will be
Crested Butte's Ian Boucher, who finished second last season as a sophomore. Boucher, from the small mountain community located about a half-hour north of Gunnison, finished 15 seconds behind winner Ty Williams of Telluride, but no one else was near those two.
The closest competitor was more than 45 seconds behind Boucher, and the closest underclassmen, William Scoggins of
Rangely, was more than a minute behind.
