Who will be the top finisher from Arkansas?
Entering the season, it seemed to be a foregone conclusion that James American Horse was the "top dog" in Arkansas. While American Horse has enjoyed a great start to his season, three more athletes have entered the conversation over the last four weeks and the Chile Pepper Festival looks to provide the moment everybody has been waiting for.
American Horse still seems to be the consensus pick to be the top finisher from Arkansas, and deservedly so considering the track season he enjoyed last spring. The Bentonville senior will have an opportunity this weekend to cement himself as the top male distance runner in the state.
Meanwhile, as far as we know, two of the three runners who are also competing for the temporary crown will be in Fayetteville this weekend looking to dethrone the senior sensation.
Up until last week, the race to the top seemed to be a three-man race, but Alan Gallardo-Lopez demanded his due, running an astonishing 15:03.50 at the Southlake #2 XC Invite. Running in his hometown, Gallardo-Lopez should not be overlooked coming into this weekend.
Then, you also have to acknowledge American Horse' teammate Owen Kelley who has finished just one position behind him in both races the Tigers have competed in this season. Kelly finished just 0.8 seconds behind his teammate two weeks ago in Texas at the Lovejoy XC Fall Festival and this could very well be the week he dethrones his teammate at the top of the mountain.
And you can't have this discussion without once again mentioning Joseph Bariola, the standout from Lakeside who opened the season with a 15:20.16 at the Memphis Twilight and then went 15:45.40 at the Cowboy Jamboree last week, which is one of the most difficult courses in the South.
It is unknown whether or not Lakeside will be represented at the Chile Pepper Festival this weekend considering they traveled across the border to Oklahoma last weekend, but that is a storyline the entire state will be paying close attention to.
The boys race on Saturday is sure to be a good one, packed with many of the top individual boys in the state. Other Arkansas names to keep an eye on include Jonathan Mendez and Tian Grant, if they make the trip to Fayetteville, along with other Bentonville runners Eli Seavey and Matthew Shelly.