As reported by the Albuquerque Journal, the New Mexico Activities Association has approved 1A cross country for this fall. What does that mean for those schools?
At last year's 1A-2A state race, only two of the 17 boys teams in the scoring represented 1A schools. Those two teams, Tse Ye Gai and Alamo Navajo, finished 16th and 17th, respectively. The picture wasn't much different in the girls' contest. There, of the 15 teams represented, the only 1A school was 15th-place Gateway Christian.
Of the three 1A teams represented at last year's state meet, Tse Ye Gai brought six runners, Alamo Navajo seven, and Gateway Christian six.
Several other 1A schools have supported cross country programs in recent years, and perhaps more will come on with the promise of a new classification of their own, but it's clear that these teams have been mostly seriously outgunned in the 2A ranks, where enrollments can reach as high as 400 students.
1A enrollments top out at 150 students. There is now a considerable window of opportunity in cross country for these programs, an opportunity parallel to what these schools currently enjoy in track and field.
The biggest challenge, of course, faced by a 1A program lies in finding the numbers to fill out a full complement of seven runners, or even the requisite five runners required for a team score. The Albuquerque Journal article reporting the new 1A cross country classification did not indicate whether a modified scoring structure will be employed for 1A cross country. In Colorado, the smallest classification for cross country (up to 235 students) runs five and scores three. In Wyoming, the smallest classification runs seven and scores four. In Utah, it's run seven and score five. In Arizona, which recently reduced its cross country state configuration from seven classifications to four, it's once again run seven, score five. Oklahoma has run seven, score five, but the girls run a two-mile course. Texas also has run seven, score five, with the girls running only two miles. Kansas has run seven, score four, and the girls run 4K. Of the aforementioned states, only Oklahoma runs a split state meet, with the smaller schools holding their state contest one week before the larger schools.
So, whatever New Mexico chooses to do with scoring for the new 1A classification, there's regional precedent for doing it. Options abound.
One obvious consequence of the addition of a 1A classification is the lengthening of the state meet. Adding a boys and girls race of the same length as the other classifications will add a minimum of one hour to the state meet schedule at Rio Rancho High School. At least a portion of that additional time figures to be added onto the end of the day rather than all at the beginning.
There may be other implications of the change yet to be determined. But all concerned should be hopeful that the addition of the new classification is a net positive for the sport in New Mexico. At least as far as boys are concerned, cross country is becoming more and more of a viable opportunity for smaller schools as the costs of fielding a football team and the concerns over traumatic brain injuries continue to escalate.
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