Jefferson City High School cross country coach Brett Phillips knows what he has at the front of the pack.
That would be senior Conradette King, who ran the fastest time in Lady Jays history at last Saturday's sectional meet. She will be in contention for at least a top-5 finish at the state cross country meet today at the Oak Hills Golf Center.
But King's performance won't necessarily make or break where the Lady Jays finish as a team. The finish will hinge on the performance of the rest of the team.
"If anybody's very far off their goal, we're not going to achieve the best meet we possibly can," Phillips said, as the Lady Jays prepare to run at 1:05 p.m..
While the Lady Jays are in good position to improve on last year's performance, the Jays are back in the mix this season after a tough 2010 campaign. The boys return to the meet after a long road back to the state meet. The Jays run at 12:05 p.m.
Lee's Summit West is the favorite to repeat in Class 4 on the girls side. Rock Bridge is considered by most to be the favorite on the boys side in Class 4.