There are a couple of big cross country meets Saturday for high schools. One is the State of Jefferson at Lithia Park in Ashland. It's a tradition for a lot of area teams and seems to be a good time for those participating.
Another meet is more high-powered and will feature the best of the best local talent. It's the Puma Concordia Invite at Fernhill Park in Portland and is considered an all-class state meet. Among the entrants are North Medford's Drew Jordan (defending 6A champ), Crater's Josh Elliott (defending 5A champ) and Rogue River's Cole Watson (3A/2A/1A state favorite this season). Should be a whale of a race.
In addition to Crater's boys and girls -- ranked No. 1 and No. 6 in the state, respectively, for 5A teams -- a top-five national boys team from Jackson, Wash., will be there, as will other top teams from throughout the West.
