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A more fitting title for this latest edition of Breaking the Tape would be Weeks 3, 4 and 5.
As previously shared, this will be my last notebook until Oct. 8. I leave Saturday for a two-week vacation back East and will not be doing any writing or reporting while I'm gone. Consequently, this notebook will be a bit longer than previous ones as I will be previewing what is ahead in Idaho high school cross country for the rest of September and the first week of October.
I appreciate everyone who has been reading along so far, and I look forward to resuming this notebook in October.
Three Idaho Runners Make DyeStat's Early Season 100 List
DyeStat released its annual early season national top 100 individual rankings Sept. 12, and three Idaho runners made the boys list.
All seniors, two are from District 3 and one is from District I-II.
Max Cervi-Skinner, a Coeur d'Alene senior whose season best 15:12.7 remains the fastest boys 5k time thus far this season in Idaho, is ranked No. 32. He is one of five returning runners from last year's Idaho 5A boys cross country state championship team and Nike Cross Northwest Regional boys championship team which placed 11th at Nike Cross Nationals (NXN) in Portland.
Jack Sheesley, a Boise senior, is ranked No. 49. He ended last season by qualifying for Foot Locker Cross Country National Championships in San Diego, placing 19th in 15:44.9. His 15:36.6 is currently the No. 5 fastest boys 5k time in Idaho thus far this season.
Nate Stadtander, a Meridian senior, is ranked No. 97. He won last year's Idaho 5A boys cross country individual state title and currently has the No. 4 fastest boys 5k time in Idaho thus far this season (15:33).
On The Horizon
Consider this a rundown of the top meets for the remainder of September and as the calendar flips to October.
Coeur d'Alene makes the trek to Irvine, Calif., this weekend for the 43rd Annual Woodbridge Cross Country Invitational. Coeur d'Alene is one of 36 teams that was accepted for the Doug Speck Boys Sweepstakes race which will start at 9:54 p.m. Pacific Time on Saturday night under the lights. Crater (Ore.), which placed second at last season's Nike Cross Northwest Regionals behind Coeur d'Alene, and Herriman (Utah), the defending Nike Cross Nationals champion, were also accepted boys teams for the Sweepstakes race at Woodbridge.
After Woodbridge, Coeur d'Alene will next compete at the Seventh Annual Battle for the 509 on Oct. 5 in Spokane, where the Vikings are defending Varsity Boys Black Division champions.
The largest meet in Idaho this weekend is the 15th annual Dani Bates Invitational at Sunway Complex in Twin Falls. Varsity races begin at 1 p.m. for the girls followed by the boys at 1:30 p.m. As of Sept. 15, 43 high school teams have registered.
One of the biggest and most prestigious meets in the nation, the annual Bob Firman Invitational, takes place Sept. 27 at Eagle Island State Park. As of Sept. 15, 172 teams from eight states are registered, including defending NXN boys team champion Herriman (Utah) and California powerhouse Great Oak. From Idaho, the South Fremont boys and Ririe girls are defending Bob Firman champions in varsity division II and Stadtlander, Owyhee senior Faith Johnson, Meridian's Paisley Taylor, Boise's Audrey Orme and Timberline's Sasha Livingston are returning medalists from the varsity elite races. Boise won the freshman girls and boys team titles last year and placed second in varsity girls elite, Rocky Mountain placed third in varsity girls elite and fourth in varsity boys elite, Burley won the merged varsity division I boys team championship and Idaho Falls' Jaycee Jensen won the merged varsity division I girls individual title.
The annual Bob Conley Invitational, scheduled for Oct. 3 at Portneuf Wellness Complex in Pocatello, will be one of the largest meets to take place before district championship meets. As of Sept. 15, 61 teams are registered. Varsity races begin at noon with division B girls followed by varsity A girls at 12:40 p.m., varsity B boys at 1:20 p.m. and varsity A boys at 2 p.m.
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