By Erik Boal, DyeStatCAL Editor

The UHSAA State Cross Country Championships are scheduled for Wednesday Oct. 19 at Sugarhouse Park and Highland High School in Salt Lake City.

Here are 10 storylines to follow at the one of the most talented state meets in the country:

Another Fork in Davis’ road?

Davis and American Fork have combined to win the past nine Class 5A girls state championships and barring a significant upset, that streak should reach a decade this season. Davis has captured six titles – four in a row from 2010-13 – but American Fork has won the past two championships, including a 41-51 victory in last year’s final. American Fork was second and Davis third by a 102-116 margin Sept. 24 at the Bob Firman Invitational in Idaho. Both dominated their region meet, with Davis taking eight of the top nine spots to capture the Region 2 title and American Fork placing seven in the top 20 to secure the Region 4 crown. Seniors will factor prominently for both teams, with Sara Musselman, Samantha Hollingsworth and Cami Squires for American Fork and Aubrey Argyle, Ally Geisler and Jenna Connell for Davis.

One Hull of a challenge

American Fork is bidding for a seventh Class 5A boys title in eight years, but perhaps more impressive is the Caveman trio of defending state and NXN individual champion Casey Clinger, McKay Johns and Patrick Parker trying to sweep the top three spots in the final. The challenger with perhaps the best chance of breaking up American Fork’s front pack is Weber senior Talon Hull, a Foot Locker national finalist from last year. Hull won the elite race Sept. 24 at Bob Firman by defeating Ogden senior Garrett Barton, atoning for a loss earlier in the season. Lehi junior Ryan Raff, fourth behind Clinger, Johns and Parker at the Region 4 final, could also prevent the American Fork sweep.

In the hunt again

Provo senior Kate Hunter, a Foot Locker national finalist last season, is seeking her third consecutive Class 4A girls championship. Orem’s Amber Harper is the only female athlete to have previously won three in a row in 4A from 2000-02. Hunter placed fourth Sept. 24 at the Bob Firman Invitational behind leading 5A contenders Whitney Rich of Bingham and Sara Musselman of American Fork. She also finished ahead of sophomore Eve Jensen of Boise (Idaho), the girls seeded race champion Oct. 1 at the Stanford Invitational. Mountain View sophomore Mimi Miyazawa, the fastest freshman in the state last year after placing third in the 4A final, is perhaps the biggest obstacle in Hunter’s pursuit of a three-peat.

The Hills have eyes on the prize

With Davis ending American Fork’s run of six consecutive 5A titles and Monticello having its streak of four straight 1A crowns halted last season, Desert Hills boasts the longest stretch of boys championships with three in a row in 3A. The last team to capture at least four consecutive titles in 3A was Murray, which won six straight from 1980-85. Jaiden Melendrez, third in last year’s final after taking second as a sophomore, leads Desert Hills, which has won each championship by at least 24 points. Pine View, which lost to Desert Hills by 27 points at last year’s state final, took second by a 34-40 margin Oct. 11 at the Region 9 championship.

Rich looking to strike gold

Bingham senior Whitney Rich, unbeaten against Utah competition this season, looks to capture her first 5A championship against a loaded field of challengers after placing third in last year’s final. Rich’s only setback came Sept. 24 at the Bob Firman Invitational against Anna Gibson of Jackson (Wyoming). Rich won by more than two minutes at the Region 3 final, in addition to impressive victories at the Highland, Murray and Viking invitationals. Weber junior McKenna Lee, a Foot Locker national finalist last year, along with seniors Sara Musselman of American Fork, Aubrey Argyle of Davis and Katie Struthers of Lehi could stand in the way of the pursuit of Bingham’s first individual state championship since Emily Rich, Whitney’s older sister, won the 5A title in 2012.

Timpanogos pursues title trio

The last team to win three consecutive 4A boys championships was Timpview from 2006-08, now Timpanogos has a chance to join that fraternity with another title. Led by senior Joe Benson, the top returnee after placing fourth at last year’s state final, the Timberwolves will look to get past Ogden, Orem and Mountain View again to extend their streak. Benson will be challenged up front by Timpview junior Aidan Troutner, as less than a second separated them at the Region 7 final, where Timpanogos placed seven runners in the top 16. Ogden’s Garrett Barton, fifth at last year’s championship, should also be in contention along with Orem senior twins Jiraa and Jiree Riding.

Repeat will be a difficult feat

Not since Mountain Crest in 2005-06 has a 4A girls team repeated as champion, a drought Timpanogos is looking to end after capturing its first title last year with a 69-88 victory over Mountain View. The challenge became even more difficult for the Timberwolves after suffering a 43-47 setback Oct. 7 to Mountain View at the Region 7 final. Timpanogos graduated two of its top three finishers from last year’s state championship, with Mountain View returning all seven finalists and third-place Skyline bringing back six of its top seven. Mimi Miyazawa, Allie Warner and Alissa Fielding lead Mountain View, with Timpanogos relying heavily on the experience of Madison Moffitt, Taylor Viertel and Holley VanSchouwenburg.

Millard seeking memorable third

After having won its first boys state championship in 2014, Millard is now looking to become the first program to win three consecutive 2A titles since Intermountain in 1977-80. The Eagles defeated Emery 87-105 last year, with both teams returning five runners from the state final. Jace Richins, the defending champion, looks to produce a third straight individual title for North Summit after Jonathan Rothschild won two years ago. North Summit, Grand County and Rowland Hall all have the potential to challenge Millard and Emery to be on the podium.

Another 3A thriller?

Park City’s bid to tie the state record with an eighth consecutive girls 3A championship was halted last season when Stansbury captured its first title with a dramatic 60-61 victory over Pine View, with the Miners placing third with 83. Park City is again in pursuit of a 14^th overall girls crown, second only in state history to Mountain View’s 19 championships. The Miners defeated Stansbury 38-42 in the Region 10 final, with Pine View edging Desert Hills 34-39 in the Region 9 championship. All four teams were separated by less than 30 points at last year’s final. Juniors Kennedy Powell of Union and Zoe Hales of Stansbury return to battle again, along with top five finishers Bailey Brinkerhoff and Lily Poulton of Desert Hills and Park City’s Madison Carr. Powell prevailed 18:58.4 to 18:59.4 over Hales in last year’s championship.

Small school supremacy

In addition to North Summit looking to become the first program to win four consecutive 2A girls championships since Monticello captured six in a row from 1982-87, the renewal of the rivalry involving Parowan and Panguitch highlights both boys and girls 1A finals. Parowan halted Panguitch’s streak of four straight girls titles last season with a 46-48 victory. The Rams, led by returning finalists Maria Calvario, Emmy Evans and Taylor Robb, took another step toward repeating with a 22-40 victory over Panguitch at the Region 20 final. Monticello had secured four straight 1A boys championships, before Panguitch stopped that run by winning its first title since 2006 with a 47-70 triumph over Parowan. The Bobcats, led by Jonah Schoppe and Trenton Stowe, posted a nine-point victory over Parowan at the Region 20 championship in pursuit of their first boys state repeat.