FOCUS ON BOYS CROSS COUNTRY
Three storylines to watch
Wide-open field: Drew Bosley cast a large shadow over the state, winning every race he entered the past two seasons. He is competing at Northern Arizona now, opening the door for a new top dog to emerge. Three area runners enter the season on the short list of contenders: Germantown's Ben Schnoor, Nicolet's Nicholas Holmes and Oconomowoc's Alex Vance.
Conference call: Speaking of opportunities to move up the ranks, that will also be true at the conference level. Seven of the nine individual champions from the area's conferences graduated.
Soaring 'Hawks: You have to go back to 2011 when Arrowhead won its second straight title to find an area team atop the podium at state in Division 1. Germantown has a chance to end that drought. The Warhawks return standout senior Schnoor and six of the seven runners from a team that took third last season.
Runners to watch
Lucas Florsheim, sr., Shorewood: A three-time state qualifier as part of the Greyhounds team, Florsheim had a breakthrough season in 2018, taking eighth in the Division 2 state meet. He is the No. 2 returner in the field.
Nicholas Holmes, sr. Nicolet: The top returner in the North Shore, Holmes is the favorite to win his first conference title and reach state for the fourth time. His ninth-place finish at state last year was his best.
Erik Kain, sr., Muskego: The No. 2 returner in the Classic 8 behind Oconomowoc's Alex Vance is a three-time state qualifier who jumped 28 spots last season to finish 23rd in Division 1, his best state showing ever.
Gavin Kuhlenbeck, sr., Sussex Hamilton: Kuhlenbeck made his second state appearance last season after taking third at the Greater Metro Conference meet. He took 14th and led the Chargers to a seventh-place finish in the team standings.
Trey Meier, sr., Kenosha Indian Trail: He bounced back from a third-place finish in the Southeast Conference meet to win the sectional ahead of his chief league rivals. He went on to take 39th in his second state appearance.
Nathaniel Osborne, soph., Brookfield
Academy: Last year's Midwest Classic runner-up is set to be one of the top runners in Division 3. He took 18th last season, the best finisher for a freshman in the field.
Aidan Phillips, jr., Dominican: The defending champion in the Metro Classic fell one spot short of qualifying for the state meet last season.
Ellery Pleier, sr., Milwaukee King: The City Conference runner up will try to add to the list of runners from the conference to reach the state meet. He missed qualifying by 6 seconds last year.
Ben Schnoor, sr., Germantown: The three-time state qualifier has finished in the top 10 the past two seasons, taking fifth last year and sixth as a sophomore. He is also the two-time defending Greater Metro Conference champion.
Josh Truchon, jr., West Allis Hale: The Greater Metro runner-up as a freshman, Truchon advanced to his first state meet last season and finished 21st, the best for any of the area's sophomore or freshmen runners.
Alexander Vance, sr., Oconomowoc: Last year's Classic 8 runner-up is also a two-time state qualifier. He took eighth in Division 1 as a junior.