What Can We Expect From Rose Mofford?


The first qualifiers for the AIA State Championships will be decided on Wednesday at Rose Mofford Park Sectional Championships, starting with the D1 Section 2 races, and then continuing with the D4 Section 1 races, and will finish with the D2 Section 2 races.


D1 Section 2
Hunter Krasa will likely lead the way in the first race of the meet. Matt Judd and Tatum Jelleburg should follow in the chase as both guys have run under 16-minutes. Mesa Mountain View will look to follow their victorious performance at the Mesa City Meet with another Section Title. Mountain Ridge, Red Mountain, are all in the mix looking to challenge the returning Section Champions.
The girls' race should likely play out in similar fashion with Tiaree Towler leading from the front, while Niki Hemmerlin and Taylor Jacobs head the chase pack.


D4 Section 1
Jordan Black is one of only two boys in Arizona with a sub-15 performance. He leads the North Phoenix Gladiators at the top-ranked Division 4 boys' team, but they'll be challenged by the Veritas Prep Falcons ranked second in the Division by just 8 points.
Grace Tipton is a bit of a wildcard and she's kept a low profile this season having only run two invitationals. If she runs tomorrow, she has a solid chance at clinching the individual title. Meanwhile, Ani Durell has also raced sparingly this season and it'll be interesting to see what happens tomorrow when the brakes come off.


D2 Section 2
Braedon Palmer is the fastest of eight total guys already under 16-minutes, but his race will be arguably the deepest. Before this season, Randy Espinoza was known more for his speed on the track, but since his breakout victory at Twilight, he's shown significant improvement even pulling off the victory over his district rival, Hunter Krasa. In their penultimate matchup before the State Meet, Espinoza will undoubtedly aim to give Palmer a run for his money.
Meanwhile, Max Davis and Riley Human will look to spearhead the Flagstaff Eagles to victory with the highest possible finishes. Likewise, Hana Hall will likely lead her younger sister Mia around the course. Though Mia is ranked second in the Division 2 rankings, Kaitlyn Kaye is not far off and she'll be aiming to lead her fellow Mustangs to challenge the Eagles for the Section Title.