Regis Jesuit's Bobby Nicolls doesn't have a cross country or track state title to his credit, but his Colorado competitors know he is always in the mix when it comes to racing.

They realized how much of a threat he can be when he followed his fourth-place performance at the Class 5A state cross country meet last season with an 18th-place finish at the Foot Locker National Cross Country Championships, the state's highest finisher in the event.

So, with the state cross country championships at Fossil Ridge High School in Fort Collins on Saturday, Nicolls can't be counted out as a possible 5A champion.

"This is definitely the year I want to do a lot of big things, and it's always been my goal to win state and win nationals," Nicolls, a senior, said. "But with nationals being just seven weeks after state, it's hard to peak for both. But this next week is my focus. I think that state is going to be the toughest race of the year."

And Nicolls not only has a shot at the individual title, he has the opportunity to lead Regis Jesuit to a team championship - thanks, in part, to his younger brother, Danny. Danny, a junior, has had a tremendous season, finishing in the top 10 in every meet he has run.

"It's been fun to run with him, and fun to see him run well," Bobby Nicolls said of Danny, who finished 17th at state last year.

"I'm really proud of him - he's got a great future."

Danny Nicolls, who is expected to be a top-10 finisher Saturday, said he is motivated by his older brother and the success he has seen him achieve.

"I've seen all his hard work, and when it comes to doing a hard workout or waking up early to go for a run, I tell myself that if my brother's doing it, then I have to do it, too," Danny Nicolls said. "He motivates me. It's nice to have one of the top guys in the nation that you can look at in practice every day and it's your brother."

Class 5A

* Bobby and Danny Nicolls aren't the only brothers expecting to place in the top 10 in the big-school division Saturday. Dakota Ridge senior and defending state champion Evan Appel will try to win another title, while his sophomore brother, Austin, also is completing a stellar year and consistently has earned top spots in big races.

"It's state time, we're not going to leave anything to chance," Evan Appel said. "I put a lot of pressure on myself to do things like this, so defending this title means a lot to me, and I think I'm ready."

Regis Jesuit and Dakota Ridge each have two standouts, but squads such as Loveland and Fairview have the depth.

"We would love to win this as a team, and it's been fun to see how this whole team is coming around," Bobby Nicolls said. "But we know there are a lot of good teams out there, so it's not going to be easy."

Class 4A

* This race has an even larger group of runners who are capable of winning the individual title. The favorite, though, is Denver North senior Joseph Manilafasha, the 2006 champion, who settled for third at state last year.

"Joseph is running awesome, he's on a level very few runners have ever reached, dropping times each week and getting stronger and faster," said Mullen senior Andrew Berberick, who finished fifth at the state meet last year and is expected to be a top contender again. "He's going to take it out fast, and we'll see who can go with him."

Along with Manilafasha and Berberick, shooting for the individual title will be Falcon's Wes Rickman (second last year) and Wheat Ridge's Dart Schwaderer (fifth in 5A last year). Rickman and his teammate Kevin Johnson are expected to battle Schwaderer and his teammates Scott Fauble and Henry Cowhick in trying to lead their squads to the team title.

Class 3A

* Andrew Roberts' season has played out almost as perfectly as he had planned. He has dominated his races and has only lost to runners in higher classifications. Roberts' quest of being the fastest runner in Colorado definitely is a possibility. But the competition isn't what he thought it was going to be.

"There's been a lot more competition than I was expecting," said Roberts, who will be challenged by Buena Vista's Joseph DeMoor, The Classical Academy's Sam Feldetto and Brush's Amos Bowen. "There are a lot of good runners this year, and whether I win or not, I know I'll be able to run to the best of my ability. But I think I'm ready to go."

Roberts' quest to win a team title might be even more challenging with teams such as The Classical Academy, Colorado Academy and Faith Christian bringing deep squads. "I think we have a shot to win state as a team, but it won't be easy and we'll have to be at our best."

Class 2A

* Rocky Ford junior Victor Montoya, who finished second to Roberts in 3A last year before the sport split into four classifications, skipped the first part of this season for personal reasons.

But the Meloneers junior came back for the last four races and recorded victories the past two weeks, including the Region 2 meet Friday.

Rocky Ford won the 3A team title last year, and now with Montoya and senior Santino Apodaca, the Meloneers have a real shot at the inaugural 2A title. They will have to be at their best to beat teams such as Wiggins and Ouray.

"He had to get back into racing shape, and he's running really well right now," Rocky Ford coach Ron Shepherd said of Montoya, who is expected to battle Fountain Valley's Steven Stoot and the Wiggins duo of Gilbert Tucker and Alex Dorr for the individual title. "And Santino has continued to run well throughout the season."

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