Regional 1 - Crown Point
Feeder Sectionals: Crown Point, Hammond Gavit
Boys Teams: Lake Central, Highland, Munster, Griffith, Whiting, Lowell, Crown Point, Hobart, Merrillville, Hanover Central.
The boys from Lowell and Lake Central are coming off of great Sectional Wins. Lowell placed their scoring five in the top 10 this past Saturday, with their sixth and seventh runner finishing in 12th and 13th place. That was a performance that bumped them up to the #7 ranking in this week's IATCCC Poll. A Regional title won't be a cakewalk, as Crown Point, the runners up to Lowell last week, will also be ranked this week. They are the #14 team. I don't see anything different happening this week. Lowell has a lethal combo of low sticks, in Alec Fleming and Caleb Chapman, and a tight grouping. Taking each runner's average time over the season, you are looking at a 1:29 spread. While it isn't the best, it will certainly be enough to get the job done on Saturday. Prediction: Lowell wins, Crown Point, Lake Central, Highland and Hobart all advance to the Semi-State.
Boys Regional Champion: Alec Fleming
Girls Teams: Munster, Lake Central, Highland, Griffith, Whiting, Lowell, Crown Point, Hobart, Merrillville, Hanover Central
Lowell and Munster will enter Saturday as the Sectional Champs, but just like the boys, the race for the Regional title will be between Lowell and Crown Point. Both team are ranked this week, with Lowell voted the #16 team, while Crown Point is at #24. This race will be tighter than poll suggests though. Lowell's Sectional win was only by 8 points. With a higher concentration of talent at Regionals, that gap could shrink. On paper, it very well could be considered a pick 'em. Lowell comes in with the lowest stick, with Jordyn Boyer a favorite to take the individual crown. Crown Point has a tighter pack, but will really need their number five scorer to deliver a solid race if they hope to win. Prediction wise, I have to go with the trends: Lowell wins, Crown Point, Munster, Lake Central and Highland advance to the Semi-State.
Individual Champion: Jordyn Boyer