Preseason state cross country coaches’ poll

Football practice started last Wednesday. Other fall sports teams got going yesterday. It’s time to get ready for another exciting year of high school athletics.

I always look forward to seeing which cross country runners will emerge each fall. It looks like we’ll have another talented crop in 2008. Many local teams are rated highly in the preseason rankings.

Here is the preseason poll selected by the Washington State Cross Country Coaches Association. Things that caught my attention: The Jackson boys are No. 3 in Class 4A, and both of Glacier Peak’s first-year programs are in the top five of the 3A boys and girls rankings.

Boys 4A —- Girls 4A

1. Mead —- 1. Eastlake

2. Gig Harbor —- 2. Redmond

3. Jackson —- 3. Gig Harbor

4. Redmond —-4. Richland

5. Bothell —- 5. Newport

6. Tahoma —- 6. Lake Stevens

7. Eisenhower —-7. Central Valley

8. Lewis &Clark —-8. Davis

9. Southridge —-9. Mead

10. Ferris —-10. Tahoma

Boys 3A —-Girls 3A

1. North Central —- 1. Lakeside

2. Seattle Prep —- 2. Seattle Prep

3. Mount Spokane —- 3. North Kitsap

4. Bellevue —- 4. Glacier Peak

5. Glacier Peak —- 5. Mount Spokane

6. Lindbergh —- 6. Mercer Island

7. Peninsula —- 7. Hanford

8. Mercer Island —- 8. Enumclaw

9. North Kitsap —- 9. Capital

10. Capital —- 10. West Valley (Yakima)

Boys 2A —- Girls 2A

1. Sehome —-1. Sehome

2. Burlington-Edison —- 2. Squalicum

3. Squalicum —- 3. Cedarcrest

4. Colville —- 4. Deer Park

5. Cheney —- 5. South Whidbey

6. Lakewood —- 6. Kingston

7. Selah —- 7. West Valley – Spokane

8. Ellensburg —- 8. Riverside

9. Tumwater —- 9. Cheney

10. Riverside —- 10. Bellingham

Boys 1A —- Girls 1A

1. Port Townsend —-1. King’s

2. Charles Wright —- 2. LaCenter

3. Lynden Christian —- 3. Bush

4. King’s —-4. Nooksack Valley

5. Lakeside (Nine Mile) —- 5. Meridian

6. Nooksack Valley —-6. Chelan

7. LaCenter —-7. Lynden Christian

8. Bellevue Christian —- 8. Onalaska

9. Freeman —- 9. Omak

10. Newport —- 10. Lakeside (Nine Mile)

Boys 2B /1B —- Girls’ 2B/1B

1. St. George’s —-1. Northwest Christian – Lacey

2. Northwest Christian-Lacey —-2. Saint George’s

3. White Pass —-3. Reardan

4. Reardan —- 4. White Pass

5. Asotin —- 5. St. John Endicott