TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP
At the State Meet, only school teams (that is, teams that are made up of runners who all attend the same school, regardless of whether or not the school officially sponsors the team) are eligible for the team title. Thus, with powerhouse club teams like Miami Elite, Central Florida Gliders, HTTR Tornadoes and Hillsborough Harriers,Ft. Myers Elite Youth Running Club (pictured above) out of the running, the race for the championship is wide open.
On the girls side, look for the Okaloosa County teams to revisit their rivalry here at the State Meet. At the county meet, it was Ruckel Middle School edging out Destin Middle and Liza Jackson Prep, but all three figure to be in the mix on Saturday, joined by traditional power Bolles and newcomer Emerald Coast Middle.
On the boys side, Belen Jesuit will be pushed by Ruckel, Destin, Emerald Coast, and the perennially-talented Tavares Middle. Holy Comforter and Windy Hill are two other teams that always show up big at State.