It's Week 3 of the 2017 cross country season in Kansas, and
we're getting a few more clues about how it's all going to shake out when the
state championships roll around in late October.
For one, I think Mill Valley is a legitimate contender in
class 5A. I got a first-hand look at them last weekend in Emporia, and aside
from winning the boys and girls divisions, I saw a team that runs together and
fights at the finish.
Now, you have got to have some talent, too, and the
willingness to work hard. But state trophies are won by teams that give that
little bit of extra, and it seems to me that forming a tight pack and winning a
few finish-line battles qualifies as being a "little extra."
They're also taking on the best teams in the state
week-to-week. After running at the Greg Wilson Classic in Week One - where the
girls' squad beat 5A powerhouse St. Thomas Aquinas - the Jaguars swept the team
titles at the Emporia Invitat...