STATE MEET: Southern turf could give Centennial’s Hartle edge in boys rivalry

Centennial junior Nick Hartle and Galena senior Bryan Jordan have faced each other at the state cross country meet twice before. For Round 3, the rivals enter running as well as they ever have.

The runners are the clear favorites in the Class 4A state boys race, which will be Saturday at Veterans Memorial Park in Boulder City. The meet, which includes 2A and 3A races, begins at 10 a.m. with the Class 2A boys race.

Hartle and Jordan have faced off twice before, each placing higher on his home turf.

This year they lead their teams, and both are coming off dominating performances all season, including wins in the Northern and Sunset region meets.

Jordan won by 16 seconds over runner-up Jordan Cardenas of Reno, while Hartle set a course record of 16 minutes, 5 seconds over the 3.1-mile state meet course. His teammate Kyle Merritt finished second, 35 seconds back. Foothill senior Carl Greene ran 16:32 to win the Sunrise Region race and lead the Falcons to the team title.

“Nick Hartle and Bryan Jordan have to be the favorites going in,” meet director John Dixon said. “Colin Smith from Del Sol has beaten Hartle on the track at state and Jordan this year at Stanford. You can’t count out Sunrise champion Carl Greene from Foothill.

 

“If Hartle and Jordan don’t bring their 'A’ game, look for either Smith or Greene to prosper.”

Jordan finished second at state last season in Reno, while Hartle was fifth. They were the only two nonseniors to place in the top five.

 

In 2008, Hartle placed seventh as Centennial’s No. 2 runner to lead the Bulldogs to the team championship. Jordan, running as an individual, finished ninth.

Sunset runner-up Shadow Ridge and third-place Arbor View join Centennial at state. Coronado and Tech join Foothill from the Sunrise Region. Galena and Reno qualified from the North.

On the girls side, the only time a freshman has won the Class 4A race was 1996, when Green Valley’s Abby Miller took the first of her four state championships.

That could change this season. Palo Verde freshman Katie Gorczyca has been dominant against Nevada competition all season.

“Katie Gorczyca has had quite a year winning almost every race she’s run,” Dixon said. “Will her best race of the season be at the state meet where it counts the most?  She’ll need to be at her best because the Northern girls, as well as (Green Valley’s) Alyssa Rapovy and (Arbor View’s) Andrea Gonzalez, won’t back down.”

Unlike Miller, who didn’t win a team title until her senior season, Gorczyca’s Panthers should be in the hunt this season.

The Palo Verde freshman led her team to the Sunset Region championship with the fastest time of day (19:42) over the 3.1-mile course. Palo Verde senior Kelsi Koch finished third behind Gonzalez.

Palo Verde girls coach Robert Davis believes the field at state this year is wide open.

“The key to our success is really Kelsi Koch,” Davis said. “This is Kelsi’s fourth state meet, and she knows how to prepare and handle pressure better than anyone I ever coached.”

The Panthers might face their stiffest challenge from Carson, the defending state champion. Freshman Alex Drozdoff, winner of the Northern Regional, leads the Senators. Carson’s usual No. 1, April Shonnard, suffered from dehydration in the regional and finished as the team’s No. 7, but Carson still prevailed over runner-up Damonte Ranch, which also qualified for state.

Coronado won the Sunrise Regional. The individual winner was Rapovy, who turned in the second-fastest time of the day (19:51).

Green Valley, Foothill, Arbor View and Shadow Ridge fill out the 4A field of eight.