Lead group of the boys 3A race in 2017
Boys AAA
After last week's drop from the race due to what has been rumored an injury, it's up in the air if we will see FW Carroll stud, Cole Powers, race or not. If he does, is he back to the Powers we all know or will he be taking it easy and attempting to stay healthy? If he doesn't, how long until we see him hit the course/track again? But it's all speculation until race time comes around on Saturday. The meet entries show that Mississinewa has an individual in the AAA race, and we can only go with one person for who that would be, Brennan Butche. Just based on raw times, he's currently 11th and with the cool temps predicted for this weekend, he should be able to improve on that 15:56.
Ian Shaw and Spencer Carpenter should also be up there in the mix of things. Between these two, Butche and Powers, we should get to see some great racing in one of the final meets before championship time starts up.
For the team title this looks like a run away win for Bloomington South. These guys have been on fire all season, and that don't look like they're ready to slow down anytime soon. They hold a lethal spread of somewhere around 40 seconds, no one else in this field has that tight of a pack.
Girls AAA
Just like Powers in the boys race, Abby Green is another Carroll runner up in the air. She did not race at all last week, but that could have simply been a day they decided to rest her or she was on a college visit. There could have been many reasons why she did not race, but we hope to see her hit the course this weekend.
Another top individual coming in this time from Oak Hill, Mollie Gamble, will get her chance to toe the line with the top girls from the big schools and hopefully compete with some bigger competition. She just narrowly missed the mark for an all-state berth at last year's state meet, coming in 32nd overall. But this girl is looking good so far this season. She hasn't dropped under 19 minutes yet this season, but the weather has been wild and has probably played a factor in that.
This girls individual race may be the most exciting one of the day. We'll get to see Erin Strzelecki, Meagan Hathaway, and Morgan Dyer all up there, apart of that top pack.
The team race looks to be interesting as well. The favorites will be FW Carroll, but Bishop Dwenger, Homestead and possible Bloomington South could make a statement and make a run at upsetting the Chargers.
The biggest surprise for this meet comes in the girls 2A race. East Noble is entered in that race, but there's not sign of one of the best runners in the state, Kayla McCulloch, running up a division against some other top dogs. Based on the entries alone it appears she will be racing for her team in the 2A race. But things could change and she may move up on Saturday.