Division 1 Boys
Teams to Watch
Can a team that didn't make the state meet in 2014 be the top returning squad in the section heading into 2015? When the team finished 3rd last year at the sectional finals and returns all 7 runners, the certainly can. That's the situation for Jesuit, who the database rates as the #1 returning 5K team (and their early results seem to justify that rankings). Davis did beat Jesuit to win the Division 1 race last year and get to Woodward Park, but the Blue Devils lost two of their top 5 runners from that team. On the other hand, they seem to have developed some strong replacements during an excellent spring season (see below). Those two teams seem to be on a collision course to battle for the sectional title again, and it would take serious improvement for any of the trailing teams to get onto their level. Armijo has a solid group returning and could end up as the 3rd-best team in the section, since last year's runner-up, Granite Bay, moved down to Division 2.
Returning Team 5K Rankings
Individuals to Watch
Sean Kurdy did make it to Woodward park last year as an individual, and the Jesuit senior has the top returning 5K time among Division 1 boys by 22 seconds. Nick Borowsky is set to lead Davis back to the state meet this fall, while Luis Grijalva fronts the Armijo squad. Davis also had a pair of runners that showed huge improvement during track season: Ben Roberts clocked 4:12 for the 1600, while Michael Vernau got down to 9:09 in the 3200. Keep an eye on Gregory Aitken (Folsom), who broke 16 at Stanford but then saw his season end earlier than expected.