Daniel Simmons of American Fork generated a lot of hype when he joined the American Fork team and he has lived up that hype. Simmons has won four of his five races this season and has thrown down some of the fastest times in the country in each distance he has competed in. Simmons was a decorated state contender in Idaho and now he has a chance to win his first individual state XC title here in Utah.
Challenging Daniel for that lead spot, you can expect to see Farmington senior Spencer Bradshaw, who has also had an impressive season for himself. Bradshaw has had a near-perfect season with four wins and a fourth-place finish at the Bob Firman Invitational. Bradshaw got his first look at Simmons in the divisional race, where Simmons took the win and Bradshaw came in second. Another name that has to be mentioned is the top returner from last year's race which is Jaron Hartshorn of Lone Peak. Hartshorn looks like he's ready to replicate that magic he had in the 2021 race when he finished second overall, which was arguably one of the greatest XC races of his career. He looked solid at the divisional race, where he won his section in an overall time of 15:38 for 5000m.
Every year, the 6A classification is filled with a sizeable amount of nationally ranked teams, and this season is no different. There are currently two teams in the 6A classification who are nationally ranked, with four more sitting in the bubble! No. 7 ranked Herriman is the favorite to win the 6A title after having one of the most impressive seasons in Utah state history. The mustang's biggest highlight comes from the Woodbridge XC Classic, where they won the meet over several other nationally ranked programs from a different variety of states. Challenging Herriman will be No. 20 ranked American Fork, who is no stranger to having their name mentioned in the championship season. Despite losing a good amount of senior talent last season, the cavemen seem to have picked up where they have left off and are now facing the latest challenger in the classification.
Other bubble teams will be Farmington, Skyridge, Riverton, and Corner Canyon. Any one of these teams on a good day could potentially steal a podium spot from our favorites listed above.
