WATCH 2019 FHSAA 4A STATE MEET REPLAY
The lack of a full 2020 outdoor track and field season will add to the suspense for this upcoming cross country season. While drastic leaps in performances cannot be accurately predicted, we took a look at who could likely make elite moves on the cross country course this fall.
Disclaimer: Individual classes [1A, 2A, 3A, 4A] could and will likely look very different this season with the opt in option given by the FHSAA. This scouting report is based off all the current 4A member schools and individuals.
Here is the scouting report for FHSAA 4A boys.
Key Returners
- Rheinhardt Harrison
- Anderson Ball
- Michael Fiore
- Jared Hammill
- Ryan Maney
- Kaden Levings
- Jahari White
- Seth Martinez
Key Teams
Potential Break-out Performers
- Michael Toppi
- Hayden Goodsell
- Taylor Dreyer
- Macarius Wright
- Orlando Cicilioni
- Wynne Thomas
- Jemesu Picone
- Jalani White
- Ben Kirbo
- Adrian Bichara
- Colton Berquist
- Jesse Benavides
- Justin Spleha
FHSAA class 4A boys is arguably the most deep field heading into the 2020 season.
With 12 guys dipping under 16-minutes and a total of 53 going under 16:30 at last year's state meet, we will see many guys come into this season in the 16:30 range and under.
Such a deep field returning, paired with a seemingly non-existent track season will add to the suspense of this fall, especially in class 4A. You'll see that there are a lot of names to watch for this season, for the sake of this article we narrowed that list down, but we know there will be a great amount of athletes this season that rise in the rankings that have yet to be mentioned.
The top two finishers at last year's state meet return this season and will aim for a team title this season. Rheinhardt Harrison, who had a breakout August setting a new Florida state mile record with a 4:01, and his teammate, Anderson Ball, return this season with their 15:24 and 15:34 1-2 punch they ran at the Apalachee Regional course last November.
While the Nease duo is aiming for a team title, their fellow North Florida rivals, Bartram Trail, will set the pace to beat this season. The Bears come into this season with a pack mentality and it will be this mentality that will make their 46 second 1-5 split and 16:14 team average tough to beat. Lead by twins, Jahari and Jalani White along with Jemesu Picone, the Bears are extremely strong this season.
Don't sleep on Christopher Columbus and HB Plant in the running for the team title as well. Columbus also comes into the 2020 season with a strong pack, returning a 41 second 1-5 split with Adrian Bichara leading the way. Ryan Maney and Wynne Thomas lead the Plant boys and if they can get their No. 4 and 5 down into the 16:30 range, they will be a strong threat come November.
Bottom line, the 4A boys class is truly the wildcard this season, lots of unknowns and a lots of athletes that will rise in the rankings after a very strong summer base. This class will be a fun one to watch over the next few weeks!
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