FACA XC State Rankings #4

1A Girls Rankings

By Sue O'Malley (FLCHS) somalley@fatherlopez.org

Team Rankings:

Commentary: Oak Hall takes over the #1 spot! 15 seconds team averages separates 4 teams: Oak Hall, Circle Christian, Cambridge Christian and Father Lopez! The next couple of weeks will tell more of this exciting Xc story. Pre state meet looks like the dress rehearsal for the state meet. Father Lopez unfortunately will not be racing due to homecoming. Fall is a time when the leaves start to change. Here in Florida the changes happen against the best teams racing against each other. Let's see what teams go out of their comfort zone these next two weeks.

"Venture outside your comfort zone. The rewards are worth it." - Rapunzel, Tangled

Best wishes for all the teams to soar these next couple of weeks!

Rank. (Previous Rank) School = Comments

1. (3) Oak Hall= 19:49. The Golden Eagles have dropped their team average by 11 seconds. The team had an average of 19:53 at the Bobcat Invitational.

This will be one exciting team to watch next weekend at FSU pre-state.

2. (2) Circle Christian=19:38. The Centurions drop their team average by 18 seconds! The team won the Hagerty Invitational with a team average of 19:43. The Centurions will charge into Pe state looking for a win.

3. (1) Cambridge Christian School = 19:45 team average. The team won the Big Pirate Invite on 9/26 with a team average of 20:18. They will be at the Pre state meet this weekend!

4. (4) Father Lopez=Team average of 20:01. Team average dropped 22 seconds! The Green Wave ladies are working hard to get to the podium. Team finished 4th in the Blue Invitational Race at GAR this last weekend. They will compete Friday afternoon at Disney. Due to homecoming the team will not make the trip to FSU.

5. (5) Maclay= Team average 20:35. The Marauders had a team average of 20:51 and won the Twilight Live Oaks Invitational on 9/28. They will be in home turf at FSU this weekend after competing on Wednesday at the Talky Championship Invite.

6. (11) Shorecrest Prep=21:10. The Lightning Bolt team strikes a 5 spot jump this week with about a 40 second improvement in team average. The team placed 2nd at the St. Pete's City Championships this past weekend. They competed in the Varsity race division at Flrunners on Friday night with a team average of 22:54. They will bolt their way to the Clearwater Central Catholic XC Invite this Friday.

7. (7) Lakeland Christian=21:10. Team average drops by 16 seconds for the Vikings. The Vikings won The Land O'Lakes Alligator Invite this past weekend with a team average of 21:12.

The Vikings will sail into the Polk County Championships this weekend.

8. (8) Holy Trinity=Team average 21:12. A 21 second drop for this team. Team is showing steady improvement as we move to the last part of the regular season. Team finished 6th on 9/28 at the Viera Fall XC Invitational with a team average of 21:12. They finished 3rd at Windermere HS XC Invite this past weekend with a team average of 22:05.

9. (6) Canterbury School (Ft. Myers) = Team average of 21:12. The Cougars had a team average of 24:24 at Flrunners Invitational but they were without Jessica Edwards. Jessica competed in the ROC race. The team will be competing the next two weeks at the Celtic Invitational/GCAC and the Lely Trojans Invite.

10. (9) Out of the Door Academy=Team average of 21:56. The Thunder placed 8th at the Varsity race a Friday at the Flrunners Invitational on 9/28 with a team average of 23:53.

Team placed 3rd at the Tri-County XC Championships with a team average of 22:25. The Thunder will compete at the Desoto Last Chance Meet on 10/19.

11. (12) Providence=The Stallions are still tough as the season continues. Team average of 21:56. Team average drops 18 seconds! The Stallions strutted their stuff with an 8th place finish at the New World Fall Spectacular with their team average being 21:59.

Team finished 9th on 9/28 at the Craig Spezalie Invitational with a team average of 22:28.

12. (10) Miami Country Day School=Team average 21:47. Team placed 5th in the Varsity race Friday 9/27 at Flrunners with a team average of 23:19. This past week they competed at the Miami Jr. Orange Bowl Invite with a team average of 23:52. Upcoming meets for them will be the Celtic Invitational/GCAC and the MCD Fast Times Race.

13. (NR) FAU Henderson=Team average of 21:58. Welcome to the top 15 rankings! Team won the Spanish River small school race this past weekend with a team average time of 22:06.

Upcoming meets will be Disney this Friday and the Palm Beach County Championships on 10/17.

14. (NR) Baker Senior High School=21:53. The team raced to their new team average at the Okaloosa County High School Championships this past weekend. Team won the 850 Strong Run Meet on 9/28 with a team average of 23:22.

15. (15) The Geneva School=22:16 average. The Knights has a team average of 22:36 with their 8th place finish at Hagerty on 9/28 and finished 4th this past weekend at Windermere with a team average of 22:44. The Knights have been very consistent throughout the season. Looking forward to seeing them Friday at Disney and next Wednesday at Trinity Prep.

Other teams to watch out for:

Bell Creek, Community School of Naples, St. Joseph Academy, 1st Baptist Academy and the First Academy

Individual Rankings:

Commentary: Here are the #4 season rankings!

All 15 girls and some of the girls to watch are all under the 20:00 barrier! Oak Hall and Circle Christian lead the way with three each in the top 15. Cambridge Christian and Father Lopez have 2 each. Father Lopez has two in the top 7!

Welcome to the rankings to Lauren McGaffic, Anna Grace Fagot and Sydney Miller!

Some of the best competitors will go head to head this next weekend at FSU!

Train like a beauty and race like a beast!

Rank. (Previous Rank) Name, Grade - School = Comments

1. (1) Jessica Edwards, (11) Canterbury Ft. Meyers=18:24.6 New PR. Jessica places 15th at the Flrunners Invitational on 9/28 and then comes back to win the Vikings XC Invite this past weekend!

2. (2) Sinkenesh Parker (11)-Circle Christian=18:26.  Sinkenesh ran a new Personal best this past Saturday at Hagerty.

3. (5) Laci Watford, (10)-University Christian=18:46.2. Laci keeps improving each week. This past weekend Laci places 2nd at the New World Fall Spectacular with a new 34 second Pr of 18:46.2.

4. (7) Claire McDonnell, (12)-Father Lopez= 19:01. Claire is starting to make a big move to the front! Claire moves up 3 spots! Claire raced to a new Personal best this past weekend at Great American XC Festival! Claire finished 2nd in the Blue race

5. (3) Lydia Friedman, (12)- Cambridge Christian=19:02 Lydia won the Big Pirate Invite this past weekend.

6. (10) Samatha Gayton, (12)-Father Lopez=19:02. Samantha moves up 4 spots this ranking! Samantha finished 3rd at the Great American Race this past weekend. Samantha just missed her personal record.

7. (4) Elaina Black, (6)-Cambridge Christian=19:04. Elaina finished 2nd at the Big Pirate Invitational this past weekend. Elaina for a very young runner is running like a veteran runner for sure. Keep it rolling!

8. (6) Lauren Jones, (10)-Oak Hall=19:27. Lauren raced to a 2nd place finish at the Bobcat Classic this weekend.

9. (NR) Lauren McGaffic, (9)-Miami Country Day=19:33. Lauren raced to a 19:37 at Flrunners to finish an impressive 19:37 at Flrunners ROC. Lauren will be one to watch now as we come closer to post season. Welcome to the rankings!

10. (NR) Ella Porcher, Maclay=19:35. Ella won the Live Oaks Invitational this past weekend. What her and her teammates through these next couple weeks. Maclay knows how to prepare when it counts. Welcome to the rankings!

11. (9) Katie Beam, (9) First Baptist Academy=19:37. This young lady is on a roll. Katie has won two straight Invitationals.  Katie won the Ava Maria Invite last weekend with a 20:30 and then won the Private 8 Invitational this past weekend with her new Personal best.

12. (11) Harrison Grooms, (11)-Oak Hall= 19:42. Harrison raced to a 5th place finish at the Bobcat Classic this past weekend.

13. (NR) Anna Grace Fagot, (10)-Circle Christian=19:43. Welcome to the rankings! Anna has slowly been working her way into the rankings. Anna ran her new Pr this past weekend of 19:43 at Hagerty Invitational with a 3rd place finish.

14. (12) Brooke MCewen, (12)- Circle Christian=19:44. Brooke looks like she is slowly making her way back into the pack here. Brooke finished 8th at the Hagerty Invitational this past weekend.

15. (NR) Sydney Miler, (9)-Oak Hall=19:52 Sydney raced to a 4th placed at the Bobcat Invitational this past weekend to set her new personal record.

Other individuals to watch out for:

Moriah Friedman (Cambridge Christian), Mary Peck (FLOP), Gabby Auliso (Oak Hall), Archie Parker (Circle Christian) and CeCily Anderton (South Florida HEAT)

2A Girls Rankings

by Patrick Skipper, Weeki Wachee High School  (fotoskip@gmail.com)    

Commentary by Dylan Hermelee, Carrollton School

Team Rankings: 

Commentary: Dylan and I were very close on our Team and Individual Rankings - but remember: "For Entertainment Purposes Only"! Incredible Lineup in Tallahassee this weekend!  A lot of info will come out of these races.  Good luck and safe travels to all that are headed to ARP!

Rank. (Previous Rank) School = Comments

Top 10

1. Pine Crest: (1) The return of a healthy Maya Beleznay gives Pine Crest the advantage over Bolles. She really didn't run for health reasons last year and this was her first great performance since she finished 3rd at the State XC meet in 2017. If she's healthy Pine Crest might go 1-2-3 at states.

2. Bolles (2)    Has a shot to win, but it will need to come from their #5-6 runners stepping up and running in the top 20 at the state meet. It would be crazy to put 4 in the top 10 and not win. 

3. Montverde Academy (3) Is a distant 3rd, but no one will beat them. This may not be their year for a team title, but they do not have any seniors on their varsity roster, and only one junior. This team is young, and they will be a top 3 team for many years.

4. King's Academy. (4) They finished 1st at their home meet, 2nd at the Pine Crest Invite to the #1 team in the state, and 2nd again FL Runners in the varsity division. With their #1 ranked in the top 20, 5 runners under 21:10, and 7 runners under 21:42, they are a strong lock for a top 5 finish.

5.  Satellite (6) Based on the number of athletes they had graduate last year this looked to be a rebuilding year, but here they are in the top 5 again. They ran at a fast Great American Course this weekend and their entire team cut 30-40 seconds off their times. Not ready to put them ahead of King's academy yet, but with 3 athletes under 20 minutes, they have the athletes to beat them.

6. St Brendan (5)   Didn't run their entire team at FL Runners, but with a full team they had a strong 2nd place Finish at Miami Dade Youth Fair Championships. They are deep with talent and have some runners slightly under-performing. They tend to run well during Championship Season, so look out for them at the State meet.

7. Bishop Verot (7) Ran fast times at North Port XC Invite, but they have not run as well since then. Their #1 runner ran 24 minutes at FLRunners and hasn't raced since. Might be something there. However, they are still a top 10 squad.

8. Trinity Prep (NR)  Went out to California to run a 3 mile race and Finished 11th at the Woodbridge Cross Country Classic. Their times seemed average, but with no knowledge of the course, their 11^th place finish out of 50 teams is quite impressive and gets them back in the top 10.

9. Gulliver (NR) Their #2 runner from last year has a sprained ankle. She ran her first race of the season at FL Runners, and ran 22:30. Last week she was at Dade Country Youth Fair with an ankle brace on and she didn't run. If she's healthy and running at full speed, they are easily a top 10 team. If she's not able to run they likely fall to 15th or so.   

10. South Walton (NR) Beat Bishop Kenny at their last race by 40pts and 32secs per runner. I think health wise they might be a top 10 team over Berkely, Gulliver and Kenny. They team is trending in the right direction, with everyone in their top 7 improving on a weekly basis.

Second 10

11. Academy of Holy Names: Great #1 runner and solid 2-4 runners. They will need their 5-6-7 to step up if they want to finish inside the top 10. If someone in their top 5 has a bad day it could really hurt them at the State meet.

12. Bishop Kenny: They are really interesting this year. They don't have any extremely fast times this season, but they have a 28 second split between their 1-7, which is crazy. I'm not sure if they are training through the season, but if they are you can expect a big drop in times. However, they just went to Illinois and finished 26th of 29 teams, which is concerning. We will see.

13. Berkeley: They went 1-2-3-4-5-6 in their last race. Everyone ran season bests, and most of those season bests were by 60+ seconds. I'm not sure if those times are legit. Lets see how they run in the coming weeks.

14.  Carrollton: This is my team. We finished 4^th at the Pine Crest invite behind #1 Pine Crest and #4 King's, while defeating #17 Cardinal Gibbons. We easily won the Larry Wooten Invite on a week we trained through racing. We didn't race last week (more training) and we will compete at the Disney Classic this weekend.  

15. Episcopal School of Jax: They dominated their Conference Championship last week, in part because Bolles was at Great American. They also had a few season PR's last week. They might be a team to look out for.

16. Titusville: They have a great 1-2 punch that will likely finish in the top 10 at the State meet individually. Their #3 is coming back from injury and running well, but they will need her to finish in the top 30 again if they want to crack the top 10 at State's. Their 4-5-6 runners seem to be an issue, but that was the same situation this time last year, and their 4-5 stepped up big time during the State Championship Series.

17. Cardinal Gibbons: Ran some fast times at Windermere XC Invite where they finished 2nd. However, they did not run well at all at the City of Fort Lauderdale Cross Country Championships, losing to Dillard, St Thomas Aquinas and South Florida Heat. Outside of the City of Fort Lauderdale performance, their team finish has been steadily improving throughout the season.

18. PK Young -All of their runners seem to be improving every week and there are no crazy outlier races with 60 second PR's. If they keep improving, they could be a top 15 team.

19. Lake Highland - Another team that has been showing steady improvement. 

20. Cardinal Mooney - Some outlier races, but even so, they can still sneak into the top 20.

Individual Rankings:

Commentary: Here are the individual state rankings!

Rank. (Previous Rank) Name, Grade - School = Comments

1) Tsion Yared (12) - Pine Crest - Above and beyond the class of the field. Has defeated just about everyone else in ranked in the top 10 in a head to head race this season. She beat Tymorek by almost a minute at the PC Invite and ran a full 45 seconds faster than Csikai at Great American. It's her race to lose.

2) Emily Faulhaber (12) - Pine Crest - Identical times to Tymorek, but she has the head to head victory over her. With an impressive top 11 finish at Great American she gets the edge on Tymorek. Also, congrats on recently committing to run at Brown.

3) Eleanor Tymorek (11) - St Andrews - Ran super-fast at Spanish River twice this year. She was 6th overall at FL Runners. She's looking very strong and ready to make some noise.

4) Maya Beleznay (12) - Pine Crest- Looked like her old self at great American. If she keeps racing like she did last week she's a lock for a top 5 finish.

5) Elizabeth Csikai (9) - Bolles - Young but fearless. She ran a great race at Great American. She was 11th at the state XC meet last year and had top 10 finishes at the outdoor state meet in the 1600 and 3200. She's poised to be top 5 in November.

6) Lily Henne (10) - Montverde - Didn't run her best race at Great American, but she has run under 19 minutes in 4 out of 5 races so far this year. She was 4th at the state meet last year and will be a threat to a top 5 finish again this year. 

7) Maxine Montoya (11) -Bolles - Big PR at Great American. She has been consistently improving every week. Looks poised to build off her 12th place finish at the State meet last year.

8) Billie Castillo (12) - Titusville - Finished either first or second in every race leading up to FL Runners, where she finished 9th overall. She finished 8th at the State meet last year and she should finish in the top 10 again.

9) Ella Mickler (9) - Bolles - Another young Bolles runner that has been steadily improving throughout the season. Ran well at Great American and looks to continue running well.

10) Natalie Varela (12) - Gulliver - The 1600 and 800m Champ from outdoor has finished in the top 3 in all her races. With the exception of Spanish River, all her races were on difficult courses, so her times are decieving. She will be an interesting one to watch out for at the State meet.

11) Layne Rivera (11) - Bolles - Another fast time at Great American. It will be interesting to see if Bolles can put 4 girls in the top 10 at the state meet.

12) Leah Pelham (12) - Paxon School - She has 3 races under 20 minutes this season and has been getting faster every week. She just won her conference meet and could be ready to make to break into the top 10.

13) Riley Jaszczak (10) - Titusville - She has finished 2nd or 3rd in every race so far this season until her 13th place finish in the ROC at FL Runners. With a top 20 finish at the state meet as a freshman last year, she's on pace to run even better.

14) Julia Lavrador (10) - Satellite - Has been quietly consistent. She opened up her season with a 5th place finish at Fleet Feet and has improved by 10-20 seconds every race since. 

15) Mahdere Yared (11) - Pine Crest - Another interesting story line from Pine Crest. Has battled some injuries the last few years, but just ran a huge season PR at Great American. She finished 4th at the state meet in 2017 and she finished 15h at NXN SE that same year. If she's healthy she can easily be a top 10 runner. 

16) Avery Fronrath (8)- King's Academy - Her most telling races were 3rd at Spanish River (behind Tymorek and Varela) and 6th at the Pine Crest Cross Country Invite (behind the 4 fastest 2A girls in the state). She looks like a top 20 runner in the state. 

17) Isabella Pawloski (11) - Calvary Christian (Clearwater) - Some good races, but her PR seems to be an outlier. Has the potential to be a top 20 finisher.

18) Sofie Dericks (10) - Clearwater Catholic - She has had some consistency issues with her racing and hasn't raced any of the top competition. If she can run those times against top state talent, she might be able to push for a top 10 spot.

19) Leah Pelham (12) - Paxon School - Has been very consistent this year, but like the 2 girls ahead of her, she hasn't defeated any of the girls on this list so it's tough to tell. 

20) Emma Hencock (9) - St Brendan - She ran well against strong competition all year. Her 16th place finish in the FL Runners ROC let us know she's the real deal and capable of racing at the HS level.

 

By Ghost Writer, ryanraposo@gmail.com

Team Rankings:

Commentary: We are now in the heart of the 2019 XC season! We've seen many exciting battles in recent weeks, bringing PRs for many top girls in 3A. Head to head competitions have added some excitement to the air! These rankings take into consideration the variances in courses run, as it is clear that not all courses are created equal. The podium is wide open, with several teams looking to make a run. With 3A girls racing first in November at ARP, it's going to be an exciting race to the finish!

Rank. (Previous Rank) School = Comments

(3) Harmony HS- With back to back convincing wins in the FLRunners.com Invitational race and the Windermere Invitational, Harmony is creating momentum moving into the post season. They are racing consistently and competitively, with a 20:55 average on the tough Holloway Park course. Windermere is known to be fast...Longhorns put down a 20:25 average.

(1) St. Augustine HS- The Yellow Jackets looked to be training through the Falcon 5K, with clear pack running. Their 19:52 team average on solid courses in recent weeks makes these girls one of the teams to beat!

(2) Sunlake HS- The Sunlake girls competed in the FLRunners ROC, finishing in 4^th with a 20:43 team average. Solid effort in a big race, but unfortunately, they are chasing fast times from early season at questionable courses. Was hoping to see them compete at FSU, but looks like we will have to be patient and see what the state series brings for this talented team. It is obvious they've put in the hard work...will it pay off?

(4) Robinson HS- This team finished 5^th behind Sunlake in the FLR ROC, but beat Ft. Myers and Osceola along the way. Led by freshmen Kana Kosaka and Ashton Rainey, I'd be willing to bet this team can make some noise during the state series.

(10) Ft. Myers HS- The Green Wave ran a 20:43 team average in the ROC at FLR, beating out Osceola and Estero. With a 17:54 from senior Stephy Ormsby, this team is solid.

(5) Osceola (Seminole) HS- With a 21:02 average at FLR, this team beat out Winter Springs and Estero in a head to head battle. These young ladies need to work together in closing the gap from runners 1-3 and 4-7.

(6)Winter Springs HS- Competing in the ROC without their #2 and add PRs from their #1,4,and 6, along with season bests from #3 and #7, on the tough Holloway Park course, I'm excited to see this team in the post season! These girls are well coached and will no doubt be ready for the big dance.

(8) Estero HS- The Estero girls ran an average of 21:10 in the ROC with a 1:59 split. They are also chasing fast early season times. Watch these girls in the elite race at FSU this weekend!

(7) Ponte Vedra HS- The Ponte Vedra team is deep and dangerous! These girls have dropped time all season as they move towards the state series. Their 1:04 split combined with strong 6 and 7 runners will help them move up the rankings!

(18) Leon HS- The New World Fall Spectacular provided an uncertain boost in their rankings in the database. Taking the entire body of work into perspective, Leon has earned themselves a chance to compete against the top talent at FSU. Can't wait to see the outcome!

(9) Dillard HS- The Panthers competed on a short course for the City of Ft. Lauderdale Championships. Their pack running will continue to keep them in the top half at the state meet.

(11) Naples- Finished 13^th in the FLR ROC with a 21:18 average.

(13) Braden River HS- Beat Ft. Walton in head-to-head at FLR with a 21:30 team average. Look for these girls to race other top talent in the Select race at FSU!

(12) Ft. Walton Beach HS- Ran a 21:21 average at FLR and will be looking to take revenge on a few schools in the Select race at FSU!

(20) St. Petersburg HS- The Green Devils beat out Cape Coral at FLR.

(NR) Mitchell HS- 22:08 average at FLR in the ROC

(15) Cape Coral HS- Finished 6^th in the Invitational race at FLR with a 22:17 average. Overall season, their 55 second 1-5 split can be dangerous!

(NR) Choctawhatchee HS- Consistent improvement throughout the first half of the season has put these girls back on the radar!

(16) Matanzas HS- 21:28 season average; competed in a couple small meets recently, so we are looking forward to seeing these girls in the state series.

(17) South Fork HS- The Bulldogs are still competing without a healthy squad, but look for these girls to hold their own in the state series.

Individual Rankings:

Rank. (Previous Rank) Name, Grade - School = Comments

1. (3) Stephy Ormsby, 12- Fort Myers

2. (1) Valerie Lastra, 12- Mater Academy

3. (2) Caroline Wells,10 - Winter Springs

4. (3) Kambry Smith, 11- Fort Walton Beach

5. (9) Taylor Stone, 12- Osceola

6. (5) Liina Winborn, 12- Sunlake

7. (6) Reilly Barber, 10- St. Augustine

8. (7) Meadow Millett,11 - Mitchell

9. (11) Hannah Martin, 12- South Fork

10. (14) Avery Calabro, 11- Leon

11. (10) Alanie Rivera, 10 - Harmony

12. (13) Ellie Fluman, 12- St. Augustine

13. (12) Elayna Blair, 12- Winter Springs

14. (16) Christiana Coleman, 8 - Dillard

15. (17) Brooke Mullins, 11- Harmony

16. (NR) Ani Veltcheva, 10- Gainesville

17. (NR) Kana Kosaka, 9 - Robinson

18. (NR) Killian Morgan, 11- Mitchell

19. (18) Kamari Dawn, 11- Rockledge

20. (15) Shannon Gordy, 11- Sunlake

Other individuals to watch out for:

Andrea Ballestero, 10 - Osceola

Ashley Spires, 11 - Sunlake

Ellie Kunze, 12- Lake Minneola HS

Grace Marston, 10- Braden River

Kya Cadieu, 12- Auburndale

Ashton Rainey, 10 - Robinson

Ashley Fitzgerald, 8 - American Heritage

Brynn Magner, 9- Harmony

4A Girls Rankings

by Ryan Raposo, Florida National University, ryanraposo@gmail.com       

Team Rankings:

Commentary: There was not a lot of shifting going on the past couple of weeks, and there was also not a lot of head-to-head racing or teams took the last couple of weeks off. The biggest shift was Creekside as they are getting back into their groove. They moved up a couple of spots, and they could definitely be podium material when it's all said and done. Other than that, note that every team ranked on this list (minus George Jenkins and Spanish River) will be racing at FSU Pre-State. So that will be the big race to watch this weekend!

Rank. (Previous Rank) School, Region = Comments

1. (1) HB Plant, R2 = B team finished runner-up at Don Bishop, while their underclassmen tempo ran at the Hillsborough Fresh/Soph Meet, while their A team upperclassmen rested. So... IDLE. Will race FSU.

2. (2) Chiles, R1 = IDLE. Will race FSU.

3. (3) Braddock, R4 = Won the Junior Orange Bowl Invitational at Larry & Penny in a 20:31 team avg with a 63s spread. Will race FSU.

4. (6) Creekside, R1 = Won Craig Speziale (over Mandarin) with a 20:14 team avg and a 2:11 spread, followed by winning at the "fastest" course in the state New World with a 19:40 team avg and a 2:43 spread. Both races were without their #4, and New World without their #6 as well. Will race FSU.

5. (4) Newsome, R2 = Won Wharton with a 20:18 team avg and a 2:28 spread. Will race FSU.

6. (5) George Jenkins, R2 = Won Don Bishop, running only 5 girls, with a 20:28 team avg and a 3:19 spread. Will NOT race FSU.

7. (7) Fleming Island, R1 = Jogged at Craig Speziale and raced at "fastest" course in the state New World (without their #2 and #5) finishing in 3rd with a 20:17 team avg and a 1:46 spread. Will race FSU.

8. (8) Mandarin, R1 = Runner-up at Craig Speziale with a 20:28 team avg and a 53s spread, followed by a win at Gateway Conference at the "fastest" course in the state, New World, running a 19:50 team avg (24s faster than they ran at a 100m short course two weeks earlier, and 56s faster than they ran last week) with an impressive 33s 1-6 spread. Will race FSU.

9. (10) Winter Park, R3 = Won Viera with a 20:17 team avg and a 2:01 team spread. Will race FSU.

10. (BOLO) Timber Creek, R3 = Runner-up at Viera (only 3 points behind WP) running a 20:17 team avg with a 3:03 spread. Will race FSU.

Teams to watch (in no particular order):

(9) Lakewood Ranch, R2 = Finished 3rd at flrunners ROC (best Florida team) with a 20:38 team avg and 2:30 spread, followed up by a victory at Tri-County with a 20:56 team avg and a 2:23 spread. Will race FSU.

(BOLO) Lourdes, R4 = Finished 7th at flrunners ROC (without their #5-6-7) running a 21:03 team avg and a 1:44 spread. Will race FSU.

(BOLO) Sarasota, R2 = Won at speedy Great American Blue with a 20:05 team avg and a 1:05 spread. Will race FSU.

(NR) Spanish River, R3 = Finished 6th at flrunners ROC with a 20:47 team avg and a 2:51 spread. Will NOT race FSU.

(NR) Niceville, R1 - Finished 9th at flrunners ROC with a 21:04 team avg and a 2:00 spread, followed up by a victory at Okaloosa with a 20:32 team avg and a 2:09 spread. Will race FSU.

Individual Rankings:

Commentary: Similar to the last FACA rankings, there were many fast courses, and "fast" courses, these last couple of weeks. Once most of these individuals go head-to-head at FSU, then we can get a better picture to see if there has been any legitimate shifting or surprise jumps into the top 15-20 girls in the state. Good luck at ARP to those who are racing there this weekend!

Rank. (Previous Rank) Name, Grade - School = Comments

1. (1) Alyssa Hendrix, 12 - Riverview = Finished 4th at speedy Great American in 17:21, only 7 seconds off her PR.

2. (BOLO) Parker Valby, 11 - East Lake = Opened her season running an 18:20 to win Falcon Invite by a near two-minute margin.

3. (2) Caroline Lehman, 10 - Manatee = Finished 7th at flrunners ROC with a time of 18:46 followed by a major 1:00 victory at Tri-County running an 18:36.

4. (3) Caitlin Wilkey, 11 - Chiles = IDLE

5. (4) Alyson Churchill, 12 - Chiles = IDLE

6. (6) Mary Ellen Eudaly, 10 - HB Plant = Jogged at the Hillsborough County Fresh/Soph Meet.
7. (10) Amber Schulz, 10 - Timber Creek = Won her fourth meet in a row as she ran 18:24 at Viera winning by a 44s margin.

8. (BOLO) Ashley Klingenberg, 12 - Lake Brantley = After not racing for a month she took runner-up at Hagerty in an 18:38 followed by a victory at Windermere in an 18:35.

9. (5) Jacquelyn Abanses, 11 - Steinbrenner = Runner-up at Weeki Wachee in 19:00.

10. (BOLO) Rylee Pustilnik, 12 - Spanish River = Finished 8th at flrunners ROC in 19:02 followed by an 18:48 performance at speedy Great American.

11. (14) Jessica Neal, 10 - Lakewood Ranch = Finished 10th at flrunners ROC with a 19:08 followed by a runner-up finish (behind Lehman) at Tri-County running a 19:36.

12. (8) Krystal Rodriguez, 11 - Coral Reef = Finished 11th at flrunners ROC with a 19:12 followed by a runner-up finish at JOB Invite with a 19:11.

13. (9) Arlie Rubin, 10 - Plant = Jogged at the Hillsborough County Fresh/Soph Meet.

14. (12) Alica Ruiz, 11 - George Jenkins = Won Don Bishop in 18:46.

15. (13) Ariana Jimenez, 12 - Apopka = Runner-up at Windermere in 19:04.

16. (BOLO) Emma Noel, 11 - Winter Park = Finished runner-up at Viera running a 19:08.

17. (BOLO) Elizabeth Iliff, 11 - Creekside = Won Craig Speziale in 19:09 followed by an 18:11 victory at New World, the "fastest" course in the state.

18. (11) Emma Solis, 12 - Newsome = Runner-up at Wharton in a 19:18.

19. (7) Keleigh Scallon, 11 - Newsome = Finished third at Wharton in a 19:29.

20. (15) Anna Sentner, 12 - George Jenkins = Runner-up at Don Bishop in 19:30.

1A Boys Rankings

2A Boys Rankings

by Zach White, Mount Dora Christian Academy

Team Rankings:

Commentary: This past week was highlighted by tons of personal best and season best. The weekend played host to Championship events like Great American & Chile Pepper, and also played host to a number of seemingly fast courses around the State. With that being said, virtual meets look messy right now and the rankings are tough. Don't hear me wrong, I am making no judgments on courses. I am simply noting that we had a lot of major PR's this past week. I am looking forward to the post-season when we can really start learning who is who!

There are few things we know for sure! Satellite is exactly who we think they are. They are number 1 hands down. Furthermore, Bolles has solidified that they are definitely the next strongest contender. And even though the order has shifted, no team dropped out of the top 10 this week. Therefore, I think we are starting to at least get a clearer picture of who the top 10 are even if the order is still unclear. Here are the TEAM RANKINGS #4

Rank. (Previous Rank) School = Comment

1. (1) Satellite- (This team had a very solid team performance at Great American. They have the look of a team that could definitely push to be a strong competitor at Nike South. Their 1-5 split is extremely good- 48.6 seconds.)

2. (2) Bolles- (With their performance at Great American they have established themselves as a strong contender for the podium once again. However, they still have a long way to go to get to where Satellite is.)

3. (3) Berkeley Prep- (Has had two strong performances these past two weeks. 10th in flrunners Race of Champions and a win at Indian Rocks.)

4. (8) Bishop Moore- (Two wins in a row gives Bishop Moore their first top 5 appearance in this week's rankings. This past week, their win was over the likes of Lake Highland Prep, Astronaut, and West Shore.)

5. (4) Trinity Prep- (Showed what they can do at Katie Caples. Doesn't seem to have run their complete team since then. I imagine we will see their team at full strength again this upcoming weekend at Pre-State.)

6. (6) Lake Highland Prep- (Continues to be a consistent, strong team. Good strong performance at the        Hagerty Invite led by victor Jai Phillips. Averaged 17:28 at the Hagerty Invite.)

7. (5) Astronaut- (Has had some great individual performances in the past two weeks, but like Trinity Prep, they seem to have not run their full team all out this past weekend. Gavin O'Brien is running great!)

8. (10) King's Academy- (Averaged 17:45 on a tough Holloway course and beat Labelle in the Friday Boys Varsity race at Flrunners Invite. Definitely a good team!)

9. (7) Labelle HS- (Drops a few spots this week due to their performance at Flrunners. Their 1-5 split still makes them a dangerous team, but they come in at 9th this week behind King's Academy due to losing that head to head.)

10. (9) Saint Andrew's High School- (Solid race at the small Spanish River meet this past weekend even with their number 1 runner not pushing the pace. I can only assume Ian Noble, their number 1 runner was either doing a tempo run or pacing the 5 guy. This is a good team.)

Other teams to watch out for:

Cocoa Beach, MonteVerde, West Shore, Pine Crest, Bishop Kenny

Individual Rankings:

Commentary: Times got much faster this weekend from the collective 2A. As mentioned in the team        commentary, there is no doubt that this weekend played host to some big time events and some fast courses. We had many people PR by 30-45 seconds and when that is across the board, it has to be taken with a grain of salt. I by no means, am trying to call great performances into question. I am pumped for these kids!! However, I can't use big PR's for the basis of these rankings until those big PR's are backed up by another solid time.

We did learn a few things this weekend. The Satellite pack might all finish in the top 10 at the State Meet. They are a tough group! Josh Kraver is for real and might be able to push/contend with his teammate Gabe at the State Meet. He only finished 3 seconds behind him at Great American. And Bolles has found a solid 1-2 punch.

Looking forward to Pre-State!

Rank. (Previous Rank) Name, Grade - School = Comments

1. (1) Gabriel Montague- Satellite (Did not have the breakout race at Great American that I know he was hoping for, but is still running very consistent in the 15:30's.)

2. (2) Josh Kraver- Satellite- (Had a very strong race of 15:36 at Great American. Solidified he is the number 2 contender in 2A.

3. (4) Will Brady- Bolles- (With his sub 16 performance at Great American he proved he belongs with the elites of 2A. Beat Justin Wilson in head to head.)

4. (3) Gavin O'Brien- Astronaut (Did not run in Great American, so he didn't have the massive season best some of the other guys did this past weekend. However, he has averaged 16:12 in his last three races on three different courses. He is a major player in 2A for sure.)

5. (5) Justin Wilson- Satellite (Has run consistently in the low-mid 16's all season and was just under sub 16 at Great American.)

6. (6) Ethan Lipham- Berkeley Prep (Ran sub 16 at the Indian Rocks Invite. Course produced some very fast times and I am unfamiliar with the course all together. However, Ethan is still continuing his breakout season and only seems to be getting stronger.)

7. (10) Cole Rutkowski- Bolles (Ran sub 16 at Great American. Great American is always fast, but that doesn't take away from the fact that for the second straight race, Cole has run with the likes of Will Brady and Justin Wilson. He is certainly a runner to keep our eye on.)

8. (UR) Josh Stern- Satellite (Finding his form and getting better in a hurry. We know from last year's State Meet that this guy is certainly the dark horse on this list. He could certainly be in the lead pack come State.)

9. (8) Robert Pedroza- Key West (Hasn't produced a crazy fast time this season, but has run consistently in the mid 16's. Even though he hasn't produced as fast a time as some others, his consistency on any course still suggest that he is top 10. And again, we know from the State Track meet that this guy has blistering speed. Could breakout any race.)

10. (9) Kai Cheatham (Like a few others on this list, it is consistency that keeps Kai in the top 10. However, he's got a few guys pushing for this spot. He did run a solid 16:11, but waiting to see him back that time up before I move him any higher. Excited to see what he does at Pre-State.)

Other Individuals to Watch Out For:

James Simkins, Aidan Mason, Colby Steger, Ian Noble, Jonathan Eide

3A Boys Rankings

by Amanda Vereecke, Fort Myers High School, fhsaa3arankings@gmail.com       

Team Rankings:

Commentary: We saw several schools race head to head over the past few weeks. In the Race of Champions at FL Runners we had: Belen Jesuit (1), Robinson (2), Sunlake (4), Estero (14), Naples (15), Fort Myers (18), Palmetto Ridge (19), Mitchell (20) and Osceola (21) face off.  The Invitational saw Fort Walton Beach (1), Immokalee (3), and South Fork (4)-top runner Thomas Weiler ran in ROC.  In Jacksonville, several of our top teams raced at the FAST New World Race with Leon (1), Ponte Vedra (5) and Lincoln (7) placing well.

Rank. (Previous Rank) School = Comments

1. (1) Belen Jesuit = Won the prestigious Race of Champions at the FL Runners Meet and placed in the top 10 at the Great American Cross Country Festival last weekend.

2. (2) Robinson = Came in second at FL Runners ROC. Continues to improve as a team!

3. (9) Sunlake = Our third 3A team in the ROC. Ran some fast times on fast courses early in the season, but have proven themselves head to head.

4. (5) Estero = This team continues to improve and beat other Region 3 schools head to head.

5. (13) Lake Wales = Raced in the Race of Champions at Great American. Strong top 2 runners.

6. (6) Naples HS

7. (4) Leon

8. (3) Ponte Vedra

9. (7) Fort Myers

10. (NR) Fort Walton Beach

11. (8) Stanton Prep

12. (15) South Fork

13. (WL) Immokalee

14. (WL) Palmetto Ridge

15. (10) Mitchell

Other teams to watch for:

(11) Ida Baker

(12) Ocala Vanguard

 (14) Tampa Jesuit

(WL) Lincoln

Gainesville

(WL) Choctawhatchee

Pace

Individual Rankings:

Commentary: Many 3A runners participated in various races at the FL Runners Invite. Much of this week's rankings are based on that head to head competition. Ethan Geiger continues his spectacular season, but Anderson Denton from Lake Wales could soon be giving him a run for his money. Denton just placed third in the Race of Champions at the Great American Cross Country Festival with a blazing fast 14:57. In the past few weeks we have also seen last year's 3A state champ, Javier Vento, continue to drop time as he returns to action for Belen Jesuit. Our top 5 remains steady, switching places a bit but still constant!

Rank. (Previous Rank) Name, Grade - School = Comments

1. (1) Ethan Geiger, 12 - Robinson High School = Set a new course record at FL Runners. Consistent in every race.

2. (5) Anderson Denton, 12 - Lake Wales= Outstanding new PR and state leading time at Great American.

3. (2) Diego Gomez, 11 - Belen Jesuit = Led his team at Great American.

4. (4) Adam Magoulas, 10 - Belen Jesuit = One word, consistent.

5. (3) Thomas Weiler, 12 - South Fork HS = Continues to lead his team. Raced in the ROC and continues to drop time.

6. (13) Francisco Ramirez 11 - Pace HS = 3^rd fastest 3A boy at FL Runners!

7. (6) Mac Updike, 11- Lake Wales

8. (NR) Javier Vento, 11 - Belen Jesuit

9. (8) Christian Fernandez, 11- Belen Jesuit

10. (WL) Sebastian Castillo, 11 - Belen Jesuit

11. (10) Dieumerci Ufitimana, 12 - St. Petersburg

12. (WL) Saindeley Dorsainvil, 11 - Palmetto Ridge

13. (9) Aiden Villasuso, 11 - Belen Jesuit

14. (NR) Nicholas Hidalgo, 11 - Belen Jesuit

15. (NR) Colby Robbins, 10 - Sunlake

Other individuals to watch out for:

(12) Edward Schied, 12 - Sunlake

(14) Liam Holston, 11 - Fort Myers

(15) Franklin Caceres, 12 - Ida Baker

(7) Lewis Benitez-Chaparro, 12 - Ocala Vanguard

(11) Gavin Kennedy, 12 - Sunlake

(NR) Jackson Yarbrough, 10 - Leon

(WL) Neal Anderson, Robinson

(WL) Kolton Pickard, Estero

(WL) Colsen Palmer, Fort Myers

(WL) Richard Bennet, 12 - Robinson

(WL) Alexander Rodriguez, 11 - Naples

(NR) Jordan Foreman, 12 -  Northeast

(NR) Gabriel Nunes, 10 - Belen Jesuit

4A Boys Rankings #4

by 4A Pollster, 4Apollster@gmail.com

Commentary: Bartram Trail takes another leap forward in the rankings with their 20^th place showing at the Great American ROC where they defeated previously #2 H.B. Plant. Steinbrenner remains unbeaten by any 4A team and holds on to the top spot. Other than that, very little has changed. All but two of the top ranked 4A teams (Plant and Spanish River) will compete at the FSU Pre-State Meet on Saturday with nearly all of them grouped together in the Elite Boys Division. This is gonna make the next set of rankings pretty easy J. Unhappy with your team's ranking? Think your team should be ranked higher or just ranked at all? Saturday is your shot!

Team Rankings:

Rank. (Previous) School = (Season-best avg.) Recent Results: Comments

1. (1) Steinbrenner HS = (16:16) 1st @ Brandon

2. (5) Bartram Trail HS = (16:14) 20th @ GAXC ROC

3. (2) H.B. Plant HS = (16:14) 26th @ GAXC ROC

4. (3) Windermere HS = (16:36) 5th @ flrunners

5. (4) Newsome HS = (16:27) 1st @ USF

6. (6) Chiles HS = (16:49) idle

7. (7) Columbus HS = (16:49) 6th @ flrunners

8. (8) Nease HS = (16:39) 9th @ Roy Griak

9. (9) Fleming Island HS = (16:23) 2nd @ New World

10. (10) Creekside HS = (16:29) 3rd @ New World

11. (12) Niceville HS = (16:44) 9th @ flrunners

12. (14) Spanish River HS = (16:32) 11th @ flrunners / 5th @ GAXC Seeded

13. (13) Oviedo HS = (17:01) 1st @ Hagerty

14. (11) Sarasota HS = (16:42) 36th @ GAXC ROC

15. (NR) Mandarin HS = (16:42) 2nd @ Gateway

Other teams to watch for:

(t-15) St. Cloud HS = (17:04) 12th @ flrunners

T - 15. (t-15) St. Thomas Aquinas HS = (17:10) 16th @ flrunners

T - 15. (t-15) Doral Academy HS = (17:12) 2nd @ JOBI

(NR) Timber Creek HS = (17:11) 1st @ VFC

(NR) Vierra HS = (16:50) 2nd @ VFC / 4th @ New World

(NR) Ft. Lauderdale HS = (17:09) 2^nd @ Ft. FLCXCC

Individual Rankings:

Commentary: Think you should be on this list or ranked higher? Saturday is your chance!

Name, Grade / School                                   Season Best - Recent Results

1. Jake Turner, 12 Armwood                       15:53 - 2nd @ flrunners in 15:47

2. Zachary Cloud, 12 St Cloud                     15:56 - 3rd @ flrunners in 15:56

3. Keith Gibson, 12 H.B. Plant                     15:36 - 47th @ GAXC ROC in 15:36

4. Michael Fiore, 11 Fort Lauderdale           16:02 - 1st @ FLCC in 15:19 (3 mi.)

5. Seth Martinez, 11 Lennard                       15:48 - 1st @ Don Bishop in 15:48 / 1st @ USF in 16:37

6. Josh King, 12 Steinbrenner                        15:50 - 2nd @ Don Bishop in 15:50

7. Ryan Maney, 10 H.B. Plant                      15:52  - 79th @ GAXC ROC in 15:52

8. Jahari White, 11 Bartram Trail                 15:54 - 84th @ GAXC ROC in 15:54

9. Dominic Acosta, 12 Newsome                  16:02 - missing @ USF

10. Rheinhart Harrison, 10 Nease               16:08 - 24th @ Griak in 16:33

11. Onix Ortiz Vazquez, 12 Windermere     16:14 - 7th @ flrunners in 16:14

12. Bradley Ball, 11 Nease                            16:13 - 28th @ Griak in 16:36

13. John Lesh, 12 Dwyer                               16:13 - 10th @ flrunners in 16:21

14. Justin Tackling, 12 Nease                       16:18 - 34th @ Griak in 16:39

15. Joe Wester, 11 Jupiter                             16:19 - 19th @ flrunners in 16:29 / 1st @ Jupiter in 16:44

16. Liam Pirie, 12 Windermere                     16:20 - 20th @ flrunners in 16:29

17. Will Livesay, 12 Fleming Island             16:03 - 4th @ New World

18. Mac Williams, 09 Creekside                   16:04 - 5th @ New World

19. Cameron Wallizada, Fleming Island     16:04 - 6th @ New World

20. Jared Hammil, 11 Wharton                    16:11 - 2nd @ USF in 16:44

Other Runners to Watch for:

Jalani White, 11 Bartram Trail                      16:09 - 113th @ GAXC ROC in 16:09

Zac Vincennie, 12 Spanish River                  16:09 - 21st @ GAXC Seeded in 16:09

Dylan Nelson, 12 Oakleaf                              16:11 - 8th @ New World in 16:11

Owen Taylor, 12 Creekside                           16:14 - 29th @ New World in 16:56

Kaden Levings, 09 Niceville                         16:14 - 27th @ flrunners in 16:36 / 1st @ Olaloosa in 16:14