Division 4 Boys
(Photo courtesy of Redding Record Searchlight)
Teams to Watch
Three teams can advance to the state meet from this division, and it looks like there are three clear candidates based on returning times - but the order is very much up for grabs. West Valley ranks first coming into the season, holding a decent lead over Las Plumas and Corning. The latter two squads are very close in strength coming off of last fall, so that should make the upcoming season very interesting. Paradise had solid 5K results in 2014, but their returning team from the 3 Mile section finals ranks a distant 4th. Defending section champs Yreka lost a ton to graduation - their top 4 runners plus one more in the top 7 - and so their program's depth will be sorely tested this year.
Team Rankings: 3 Mile - 5000m
Athletes to Watch (Individual Rankings)
Zach Baldwin (West Valley) is the only D4 runner to have broken 16 minutes for the 5K last fall, but Masen Becerril (Paradise) has the best returning time from the section finals. Brian Hastings (Las Plumas) put up some impressive times during his freshman season, although he appeared to struggle a bit at the end of the season. Donald Leedy gives West Valley the best #2 runner in the division, which is an invaluable aid in their quest to make the state meet.