If you didn't believe what you saw last week, believe what you saw this week. Monarch is for real. The road to a 5A state championship would appear to go through Louisville/Superior.

For the second week in a row, the Coyotes were dominant. For the second week in a row, nobody else had answers, even though Monarch was short a runner or two in their lineups.

This week, Monarch upped the margin by a point on Boulder in the girls race. And, the order up front for Monarch seems a little interchangeable. This week, the order went Claire Green, Taylor Floming, Mariel Fulton, Rebecca Richmond, and Maddie Alm. On a slowish reconfigured course for the St. Vrain Invitational, all five were 20:02 or better.

Behind Boulder--but quite a way behind--were Pine Creek, The Classical Academy, and Mountain Vista. Nobody else was within shouting distance. Boulder ran again this week without Kelsey Lakowske. Whether Lakowske figures into this season or not, and at what level, remains an unsolved mystery.