Emily Lamontagne, Ava Escorcia and Ava Mitchell, the talented junior trio at Arapahoe High in Colorado who guided the Warriors to the 5A state title in 2019 and a runner-up finish last year, join DyeStat editor Erik Boal to discuss all placing in the top five at the Centennial League final Oct. 14 and looking forward to the upcoming Region 1 meet Oct. 21, along with the 5A state championship Oct. 30 at Norris Penrose Events Center in Colorado Springs. The group speaks about already competing against Cherry Creek six times this season and the opportunity to race against the Bruins again at regionals and the state final. Each team has won three head-to-head meetings this year, with Cherry Creek prevailing by a 39-59 margin Oct. 8 at the Pat Amato Classic, followed by a 28-29 victory at the league final, with Lamontagne capturing the individual title. Arapahoe won the first three matchups, including a 96-97 triumph Sept. 11 at the Liberty Bell Invitational. The trio reflect on their trip Sept. 24 to compete at the Desert Twilight Festival at The Links Golf Course in San Tan Valley, Ariz., and how they balanced the emotions of learning earlier in the day that Nike Cross Nationals had been canceled for the second year in a row, while still preparing to compete in the sweepstakes race. They share how valuable the opportunity was to compete against reigning Colorado 4A state champion Niwot, which prevailed against Arapahoe by a 44-77 margin, and how meaningful it was to have Lamontagne run 17:09.14 to secure fourth on the 5-kilometer course, with Mitchell (17:20.32) finishing ninth and Escorcia (17:37.69) placing 14th for the Warriors. They express their gratitude for the organization of the RunningLane Championships on Dec. 4 in Alabama, and the opportunity to race against elite national competition, in addition to the chance to showcase the depth present in Colorado this season. They analyze how significant the rivalry is with Cherry Creek for the continued growth of the entire sport in Colorado, and how much they look forward to racing the Bruins again at the regional meet and 5A state final, after Arapahoe prevailed by a 69-99 margin in 2019, with Cherry Creek producing a 42-82 victory last season.