Cross country: Scouting Fox Valley runners at the state meet

Several Fox Valley runners and teams take high hopes into Saturday's state cross country meet at Detweiller Park in Peoria. Here are a few storylines to follow.

1) How low can Keagan Smith go?

The Huntley senior finished ninth last year at the Class 3A state meet, running a 14:37. Smith overcame two falls and horrid conditions last week to win the West Aurora sectional in 15:29. No runner in the state will bring more mental toughness.

2) How high can the Batavia girls finish?

Dyestat has Batavia ranked fourth heading into the state meet. Senior Dakota Roman is joined by a slew of sophomores including No. 1 runner Emma Stephens, and potential all-staters Daphne Kolody and Marygrace Golden. The key all year has been getting the fifth runner in, and Batavia's fifth and sixth runners Anna Malay and Maia Haworth have been working hard to close the gap.

3) Who will step up in 1A and 2A?

Kaneland qualified both its boys and girls teams in Class 2A. Harvest Christian did the same in Class 1A. Aurora Central Catholic's Karina Liz was an all-stater last year, and her teammate Abby Fioresi was third at last Saturday's Wheaton Academy sectional.

4) Can the Geneva girls catch Batavia?

If the Vikings do, they likely will have a state trophy to bring home. Batavia has had Geneva's number all year with a deeper team, including wins at conference, regional and sectional. But the Vikings have McKenzie Altmayer, who has won 4 races in the last 5 weeks, losing only to state favorite Judy Pendergast. Emma Ehrhardt's return to the lineup has been a big help.

5) Can the Saints or Cadets reach top 10?

St. Charles East's boys team is poised to make a big climb after taking 23rd last year at state. The Saints with their tight pack are 10th in the latest Dyestat rankings, two spots ahead of Marmion who has qualified for the 3A meet for the first time.