A couple of significant streaks will be at stake in Saturday's state cross country championships at Bartlett High.
Two of the most impressive ones belong to Grace Christian. The Grizzlies are gunning for their eighth straight boys championship and their sixth straight girls championships in the Class 1-2-3A competition. If the boys win again, they will break the record they share with Dimond for the most consecutive state titles in history -- the Lynx won seven straight boys titles from 1973-79.
The Wasilla girls, meanwhile, are going for a fourth consecutive Class 4A title.
Three of the four individual champs are back, and all turned in head-turning times at last weekend's region championships.
In Class 4A, Kodiak's Levi Thomet and Kenai's Allie Ostrander dominated the Region III meet in Seward, winning their 5-kilometer races by margins of more than one minute.
Thomet's time of 16 minutes, 7 seconds was the second-fastest time in any region meet, just two seconds slower than Chugiak runner Ty Jordan's 16:05 that won the Cook Inlet Conference meet at Kincaid Park.
Ostrander's 18:06 was the fastest in any region; the only other times in the 18s were recorded by CIC runners who took a moose-inspired detour that shortened the race by about 500 meters.
In Class 1-2-3A, defending girls champion Taylee Nyquest of Thorne Bay cruised to the Region V victory in 18:40. The only faster region time was the 18:25 posted by Region II winner Briahna Gerlach of Glennallen.
The defending champion among Class 1-2-3A boys -- Arlen Mossgrave of Glennallen -- graduated.
ASAA/1st National Bank
State cross country championships
Bartlett High
Noon -- Class 1-2-3A boys
12:45 p.m. -- Class 4A boys
1:30 p.m. -- Class 1-2-3A girls
2:15 p.m. -- Class 4A girls
Anchorage