Now that the cross country season has officially kicked off, here's the first edition of the 2021 FACA XC State Rankings!
For complete information, read: 2021 FACA XC State Rankings & Info
GIRLS STATE RANKINGS
1A Girls Rankings
By Sue O'Malley (FLCHS) somalley@fatherlopez.org
EARLY SEASON Team Rankings
Commentary: This looks like another fantastic season of racing with some new teams adding to the mix. All ready we see some very strong performances in these early meets. Let's keep all of us on course and enjoy the process!
Let's start our meets as a team and always finish as a family!
1. Cambridge Christian: 20:00 TEAM AVERAGE This brand new school never showed intimation when they began a program in 1A. Cambridge Christian girls ran a very gusty 1A State meet last season but fell short to the Eagles of Oak Hall. This team has so much depth it will be in a class all of their own. The team will travel either to Seffner Christian or/and Lecanto next weekend.
2. Circle Christian: 20:18 TEAM AVERAGE With the lost of Sinkenesh Parker you would think that this team would not be a threat but looking at the depth and the work ethic this team has had over the years these Centurions will fight till the very end. The Centurions also had a very strong state meet last season but fell short and finished a respectable 3rd. This is my sentimental favorite for the state title besides my Green Wave Ladies! LOL Circle Christian will compete at St. Cloud next weekend after placing 3rd at the Horse Park Invite this past weekend.
3. Maclay School: 20:37 TEAM AVERAGE Maclay girls should move up from their 5th place finish last season. This team has a dynasty and keeps it rolling every year. With Susan Koeppel and Mary Clay Soto a one two punch could be a dark horse team this season. Looking at their schedule, nothing is on tap until Oct 2nd. Team placed 2nd at the Big Bend Invite this past weekend.
4. Pensacola Christian Academy: 20:36 TEAM AVERAGE The Warriors team definitely looks like another dark horse team for this season. The team did not compete at the state meet this season but guaranteed this team will be making some noise throughout the season with the two Tutton sisters.They will compete at the Gulf Coast Stampede next weekend. Team won the Pace Patriot Invite this past weekend.
5. Oak Hall: 21;12 TEAM AVERAGE The Eagles are the defending state champs. The Eagles are always soaring and know how to train and use their eagle eye for their competition for every meet. Sydney Miller will be a strong leader this season and will get her team eagles flying and soaring this season. The Eagles will fly low for now until Katie Caples.
6. South Florida HEAT: 21:58 TEAM AVERAGE This team placed 6th last year at the state meet and is in a position to place even higher. The Heat will compete this weekend at the King's academy XC.The team placed 2nd at the Vero Beach XC this past weekend.
7. Holy Trinity: 23:00 TEAM AVERAGE What a big improvement from a year ago you should see from this team. They start the season with a solid 23:00 team average. They will compete at St. Cloud this weekend.
8. Carrollton School of the Sacred Heart: 22:52 TEAM AVERAGE The Tornadoes came to the STU Bobcat Invite with a lot of wind and placed 2nd in the team competition. They will whirl their way into the Spanish River XC this weekend.
9. Lakeland Christian: 23:02 TEAM AVERAGE This Viking team always is a tough competitor. The team showed this a weekend ago at the tough Jim Ryun Holoway course. The Vikings placed 5th with a strong field of runners. The Vikings will take a voyage to St. Cloud this weekend.
10. Tampa Bay HEAT: 23:06 TEAM AVERAGE This team put the heat on their competition with a win at the IRCS Invite. The Heat will be hot going into this weekend's meet at Seffner Christian. Elizabeth Poe's 2nd place leading the team to second place and a new PR will surely put the heat on this season. Who will be able to extinguish this team?
Other teams to look out for:
Father Lopez, Bishop Synder, Community School of Napled, Benjamin School and Village School of Naples
EARLY SEASON Individual Rankings
Commentary: The saying is "What you do during your summer training will guide the direction of your season." By looking at these early standings and tons of personal bests and a group of very young and talented girls, this could be one incredible season! Wishing everyone a fantastic journey and may all of your dreams and goals be fulfilled!
Rank. Name, Grade -- School = Comments
1. Ava Povich JR. Evangelical Christian School 18:28 PR = 1st at DDD Sommer Invite, 2nd at Leigh Lightning Invite, 1st at the Dunbar Invite this past weekend, Best time in 2020 was 19:18 Ava must have done her homework over the past year to make herself a top runner and a real threat to make some noise this season. Ava was 7th last year at the state meet
2. Eliana Black 8th Cambridge Christian 18:36 = 1st at the Babe Zaharias Twilight, Elaina has been on the top since the 6th grade. She placed 3rd in 2019 as a 6th grader, 2nd last season and now she will come into the season as the favorite to win the individual title.
3. Madeleine Gear 10th Cambridge Christian School 19:21 PR = 2nd to her teammate Elaine at the Babe Zaharias Twilight, I was not able to find any previous stats on this young lady but what a great new addition to a very powerful Cambridge team this season.
4. RaeAnne Tutton 10th Pensacola Christian Academy 19:38 PR = 1st at the Pace Patriot Invite, This young lady didn't break 20;00 last season and finished 4th at the region meet with a time of 20:07. She will lead a very competitive team this season.
5. Jaimee Tutton 8th Pensacola Christian Academy 19:38 PR = 2nd at the Pace Patriot Invite to her sister, This young lady in 2019 was running in the 22:00"s and has started to come into her own. She finished 5th behind her sister last year at the region meet. She placed 109th in 2019 at the state meet. Having her sister to help push her will make these two a dynamic duo for sure.
6. Sarah Rudolph Sr. Circle Christian 19:39 PR = 12th place at Cecil Field invite, You would think after the graduation of Sinkenesh Parker that CC would lose some of its dominance in 1A but will not be the case with this young lady taking on the top position for the season and leading the Centurions into XC battles.
7. Grace DeJesus 10th Circle Christian 19:40 PR = 13th place at Cecil Field, Grace placed 15th last season with a time of 20:14 at the state meet. Look for Grace to help her teammate Sarah to help the Centurions on the podium with that first place trophy.
8. Katie Beam Jr. Baptist Academy 19:41 PR = 3rd at the Dunbar Tiger Jamboree, Katie has been very consistent and has persevered throughout her high school career thus far. Katie finished 9th last season at the state meet. Her 5k PR is 19:11. Katie knows how to compete and is on track for another great season.
9. Sydney Miller Jr. Oak Hall 19:50 PR = 18th place at Cecil Field, Sydney will be the team leader for the Eagles to try to defend their state title. She finished 14th at the state meet 2020 and her strong performance at Cecil Field shows her PR of 19:32 will probably be broken this season.
10. Elizabeth Poe Sr. Tampa Bay Heat 19:51 PR = 2nd at the IRCS Invite running her new PR. Elizabeth placed 29th at the state meet last season with a time of 20:34. Her strong start could indicate a great breakthrough year.
11. Ava Wyant Sop Masters Academy Oviedo 19:54 PR = 4th place at the Winter Springs Invite and smashing her old PR of 21:34. Ava must have had a fantastic summer training. Ava could be a dark horse this season.
12. Susan Gracie Koeppel Sop MaClay 19:57 PR = 2nd place at Big Bend XC Invite with her new PR. I could not find any stats for Susan but as always MaClay has always been a contender and with this young lady as an addition don't count MaClay out for a run at the state title.
13. Addison Dempsey Sop Cardinal Mooney 19:58 PR = 2nd place at the Lemon Bay Invite with her new PR. Another young lady to watch. No additional stats to be found.
14. Mary Clayton Soto So Maclay 20:05 PR = 26th place at Cecil Field Mary will add depth to the MaClay squad this season. It's interesting to see a pole vaulter converted to a runner. Mary will be soaring to new heights in this xc season.
15. Reagan Smith FL 8th Pensacola Academy 20:11 PR = 35th place at Cecil Fields with her new PR. Megan's previous best was 20:35 in 2020. Look out for this young lady to make some noises as only an 8th grader this season.
2A Girls Rankings
By David Suarez, Gulliver Prep, dsuarez@gulliverprep.org
Team Rankings:
Commentary: Here are the first state rankings for your 2A girls
Rank. (Previous Rank) School = Comments
1. Bolles HS = The defending state champions opened their season as expected at the Cecil Field Summer Classic with their top 3 girls under 20 minutes, while still missing some crucial pieces. It will be interesting to see what teams can bridge the gap behind Bolles this season. They did not race a girl's squad at the Ocala Horse Park Invitational this week.
2. Satellite High School = With a 1-5 spread of 1:02 at the Ocala Horse Park Invitational, this Satellite team looks great and young. All though they lost to Berkeley Prep at Horse Park, I'm ranking them #2 ahead of them because of their strength at #5. With 4 of their top 5 either sophomore's or freshmen, I can see this team progressing well this season under the guidance of Coach Doug Butler.
3. St. Brendan High School = This St. Brendan team looked legit at the DDD Sommer invitational which I wheeled myself to be 50 meters long and with some tough terrain. With a great #1 in Emma Hencock 11, who will surely be contesting for a top 5 finish at the state meet in November, and a great 2,3,4 working together they look to make some noise this year. The only worry for them is the lack of a #5 at the moment. Freshmen Gabriela Page looks like a real talent after her 6th place finish at the DDD Sommer invitational.
4. Berkeley Prep = The Berkeley Prep girls are fresh off two great back-to-back races. They finished 4th overall at the Ocala Horse Park Invitational. With a great 1-4 group they have a great pack to work with. Their lack of a #5 similar to St. Brendan is a weakness they will surely be looking to work on. As well as a lack of a true front runner may cost them some points at bigger meets.
5. Bishop Kenny = Bishop Kenny had a great season opener at the Cecil Field Summer Classic. They did not race this past weekend so I'm missing more evidence to see how good they look. They had 3 girls under 21 minutes and a solid #4, #5, and #6 closely behind. They've got a pretty deep squad and I'm sure they will continue to stay highly ranked throughout the year.
6. Clearwater Central Catholic = Clearwater central catholic girls had an impressive showing at the Osceola home meet with a perfect score. The week before they did not look as strong, but this is a good squad with a mix of young and experienced runners. They're definitely going to be a team to keep an eye on in the coming weeks to see how they run on different courses.
7. Bishop Verot HS = Bishop Verot has run 3 races already this season so they've gotten the engines running well already. They opened the season at the Dunbar Tiger Jamboree finishing 2nd overall as a team. They've also got a great mix of young and experienced runners. They also went on to finish 2nd overall as a team at the Lehigh Lightning Invitational behind the strong IMG girls. After missing some athletes this past week, they still finished 4th as a team at the DDD Sommer invitational.
8. Mount Dora HS = Mount Dora girls started up their season at the Cecil Field Summer Classic with their top 2 under 20 minutes. Noelle Vu 10, is a great young returner who will look to be mixing it up with the top packs at big meets. With a strong #1 and #2 I give them the edge over Pinecrest. If they can continue to progress their #4 and #5 runners they will definitely be a top 10 team.
9. Pine Crest HS = Pinecrest girls opened their season up at the Park Vista Cobra Country XC invitational but really made big improvements this week at the Ocala Horse Park Invitational. With Brooke Hopper 10, as a recent transfer addition, she is someone who can finish well at many big meets just like she did this weekend with a 4th place finish. If she gets the right support behind her, they'll continue to be a top 10 team.
10. Lake Highland Prep = Opened their season at the Trinity Prep Invitational, they looked much better however at the Deland Invitational this weekend placing 2 girls in the top 10 and finishing 2nd overall to a strong Olympia girls' side. They have pretty good depth and will look to improve as the year progresses.
11. Gulliver Prep = First time ranking my own girls' team. We opened our season up at the DDD Sommer invitational after a last-minute entry once our FNU invitational meet was cancelled. Returning 5 of our top 7 from the 4th place finishing side last year leaves us in good hands. A decent 1-5 spread of 1:02 with some runners still missing out also shows good depth but room for improvement. I'm sure the girls will progress as they continue to race more.
12. Episcopal School of Jacksonville = Episcopal have only raced once this season so far. Opening their season up at the Cecil Field Summer classic. With a great front runner in Lucrezia Growdy 9 leading the 2A classification with her 19:02, they need to group up the rest of their squad and they can make some noise this season. We'll see how they continue to run on different courses this season.
13. The King's Academy = The Kings Academy girls are a group that I think will move much higher up the rankings as the season goes on. With Mia Rodriguez 12, and Avery Frontrath 10, as their 1-2 punch. They will be well set up front in races. If they can continue to develop a #3, #4, and #5 they will be a high finishing team this season.
14. Trinity Prep = Trinity Prep girls have run 2 meets so far this season. This past weekend at the Deland Invitational they finished 5th overall as a team. With Morgan Cox 11, leading the line for them they look to continue to progress this year.
15. Mckeel Academy = Mckeel Academy has run one race so far this season at the Falcon Invitational. They will look to race more this season and continue to improve.
Other teams to watch out for:
Tavares HS
Montverde Academy
Cardinal Gibbons HS
Individual Rankings:
Commentary: The first individual state rankings for 2A girls!
Rank. (Previous Rank) Name, Grade -- School = Comments
1. Lucrezia Gowdy, 9 -- Episcopal School of Jacksonville = 19:02 and 4th place finish at the Cecil Field Summer Classic.
2. Emma Hencock, 11 -- St. Brendan HS = 2nd place finish at the DDD sommer invitational chasing an impressive Ava Povich.
3. Elizabeth Csikai, 11 - Bolles HS = 19:17 and 7th place finish at the Cecil Field Summer Classic.
4. Brooke Hopper, 10 -- Pinecrest HS = 4th at the Ocala Horse park invitational. Season best of 19:28 so far this year.
5. Emma Flowers, 11 -- Berkeley Prep = 19:36 PR and 4th place finish at Babe Zaharias Twilight Challenge.
6. Carlyn Bobo, 11 - Lake Placid HS = 19:44 season best and solo win at T Lovett Sr. XC invitational
7. Noelle Vu, 10 -- Mount Dora HS = 19:43 season best and 15th place finish at Cecil Field Summer Classic.
8. Elizabeth Mcclure, 9 -- Bolles HS = 19:42 PR and 14th place finish at Cecil Field Summer Classic
9. Hannah Douglas, 9 - Mount Dora HS = 19:46 PR and 17th place finish at Cecil Field Summer Classic
10. Hailey Howard, 12 - Calvary Christian Clearwater = 19:46 season best at Roaring Tiger Jamboree
11. Julia Reitz, 11 - Bishop Verot HS = 19:49 PR and 6th place finish at Dunbar Tiger Jamboree
12. Anna Mcdermott, 12 - Berkeley Prep = 19:52 and 6th place finish at Babe Zaharias Twilight
13. Paige Jaszczak, 12 - Titusville HS = 20:00 season best and win at Wickham Jamboree
14. Estella Bruneau, 9 - Bolles HS = 19:53 PR at Cecil Field Summer Classic
15. Maddie Popp, 12 - Bolles HS = 20:03 at Cecil Field Summer Classic
Other individuals to watch out for:
Leila Bata, 10 - Bolles HS
Mackenzie De Lisle, 9 - Bishop Verot HS
Kathryn Saunders, 12 - Bishop Kenny HS
Mia Rodriguez, 12 - The Kings Academy
3A Girls Rankings
by Bonnie Fleming, FACA/The Pine School, bfleming@thepineschool.org
Team Rankings:
Commentary: Great start to XC 2021! Keeping it simple for round 1- will be exciting to see what the next two weeks will bring!
Rank. (Previous Rank) School = Comments
1. Osceola HS
2. Leon HS
3. Winter Springs HS
4. Our Lady of Lourdes Academy
5. Bishop Moore HS
6. Fort Myers HS
7. Naples HS
8. Dillard HS
9. St. Augustine HS
10. Ponte Vedra HS
11. Fleming Island HS
12. Ocala Vanguard HS
13. Choctawhatchee HS
14. Wakulla HS
15. Robinson HS
Other teams to watch out for:
St. Thomas Aquinas, Sunlake HS, Seabreeze HS
Individual Rankings:
Rank. (Previous Rank) Name, Grade -- School = Comment
1. Caroline Wells, Winter Spring HS
2. Reilly Barber, St. Augustine HS
3. Lilly Moore, Leon HS
4. Christiana Coleman, Dillard HS
5. Samantha Lorey, Bishop Moore HS
6. Kennedy Downey, Osceola HS
7. Avery Latto, Osceola HS
8. Paige McCaul, Bishop Moore HS
9. Addison Boyer, South Fork HS
10. Jolynn Rodriguez, Winter Springs HS
11. Abigail Clements, Osceola HS
12. Lillie Tang, Leon HS
13. Amy Meng, Fort Myers HS
14. Cristal Gomez, Lake Wales HS
15. Mallory Robinson, Leon HS
Other individuals to watch out for:
Chloe Fernander, Choctawhatchee HS; Olivia Olney, Fort Myers HS; Stella Lewis, Leone HS; Pippa Worden, Ocala Vanguard HS
4A Girls Rankings
by Dylan Hermelee, Carrollton School of the Sacred Heart, coachhermelee@gmail.com
Team Rankings:
Commentary: Hello all, and welcome to the first edition of the 2021 4A Girls Rankings! It's still early in the season so we will keep it simple this round. If you have any additional information that you'd like me to use for next round's rankings, let me know!
Rank. (Previous Rank) School = Comments
1. Newsome HS = Had a very impressive season opener at the East Hillsborough Invite where they put 10 runners in the top 13. They have two runners in the top 6, and after finishing 2nd last year, there's no reason to think that they cannot win the team title this year.
2. Buchholz HS = They look very strong early in the season after missing the state meet last year. The put 3 runners under 19:32 and their #5 is flirting with breaking 21. If they can get their 4-5 runners a bit closer to their top 3, then they might be real title contenders!
3. Timber Creek HS = They had a gutsy 4th place finish at the state meet last year. #1 runner Amber Schulz has already run 3 races this season and has look impressive in all 3. They have a nice 2-3-4 pack but they will need help from their 5th runner if they are going to have a shot at the podium.
4. Niceville HS = They finished 6th at Cecil Field and won the Dolphin Dash Invitational. They have a really nice 2-7 pack that's less than a minute apart. They could be a team to watchout for this yea.
5. HB Plant HS = The defending state champs sneak into the top 5. They only graduated 2 of their top 7, so I expect them to improve throughout the season. I also didn't see some of their top returning runner from last season, so I will wait another couple weeks before sounding the alarm.
6. Olympia HS = Another team that missed the state meet last year that is looking strong early on this year. They have a very strong top 4 right now, but their 5th is ranked 173 and after that their 6th is ranked 279. Depth might be an issue for the Titans, but it's also too early to make that call.
7. Winter Park HS = With top 15 finishes in the Elite races at Cecil Field and Florida Horse Park, Winter Park is looking to improve on their 14th place finish at the state meet last year. They have a solid top 3, but like most teams early in the season, depth is something they need to work on.
8. Viera HS = Beat Winter Park at Cecil Field and won the Vero Beach Invite. However, there is a 1:40 drop off between their 2nd and 3rd runners. If they are going to compete at the state level they need to close that gap.
9. Bartram Trail = I finally get to stop my broken record. Bartram Trail has DEPTH! There's less than a 60 second split between their 1-5 runner and they have atheir entire top 7 under 22 minutes. However, at the moment they don't have anyone inside the top 50 individual rankings, and that could be a problem.
10. Lakewood Ranch HS = They finished an impressive 8th place at Florida Horse Park and 2nd at Jim Ryun. They haven't had more than 6 runners finish a race yet this season, so I am keeping them at 10th until we see more.
11. Spanish River HS = They have a fantastic 1-2 punch with Zoe Pustilnik and Samantha Sadorf. But they have work to do after that.
12. Mandarin HS = Ran well enough to finish 3rd at the Bob Hans invite despite missing a few of their top runners. I'd like to see them race as a full team, but right now they look promising.
13. G. Holmes Braddock HS = They ran well at Florida Horse Park, but there is almost a 4 minute gap between their #1 runner and their #5 runner.
14. West Orange HS = They have a fantastic 1-2 runners, and a solid 3-4 runners. But depth is an issue for them right now and they will need to improve their 5-6-7 runners to stay in the top 15.
15. Creekside HS = With less than 40 seconds separating their top 5 runners, Creekside is a team to watch out for this season.
Individual Rankings:
Commentary: It is still early and not all cross country courses are created equal. Please take these rankings with a grain of salt, because they are certain to change in the next 2 weeks!
Rank. (Previous Rank) Name, Grade -- School = Comments
1. Amber Schulz, 12 -- Timber Creek HS -- like is did with Harrison, I'm giving the defending state champion the nod here. She finished second at Cecil Field, albeit behind the #2 runner on this list, but she has had an impressive start to the season, and we will give it a couple weeks to see what she does before moving her off this top spot.
2. Kate Drummond, 11 -- Buchholz HS -- Fantastic start to the season by winning Cecil Field and defeating the former 4A state champ in the process. I'm exciting to see how she progresses this season.
3. Brooke Reif, 12 - Wharton HS -- Finished 2nd at FL Horse Park against a very competitive field. She's off to a great start after finished 3rd in both the 1600 and 3200 last track season.
4. Megan Wells 12, Newsome HS -- Won East Hillsborough with ease. She finished 5th at the state meet last year and it looking to improve on that performance.
5. Zoe Pustilnik, 12 -- Spanish River -- Finished 3rd at Cecil Field two weeks ago with an impressive 19:02 season opener. She did not run cross last year and it looks like she's ready to make up for it during her senior campaign.
6. Kendall Hughes, 12 -- Newsome -- Finished 2nd at East Hillsborough behind her teammate. She ahs the 6th fastest time in 4A right now and has over 15 seconds on the next fastest runners
7. Megan Dolan, 11 -- Boone HS -- Won the Kowboy Invite in a meet that saw 4 girls break 20 minutes and 11 girls break 21. I'd like to see more from her, but she's off to a great start.
8. Lucy Voss, 10 -- Buchholz HS -- Finished 8th overall at Cecil Field and looked impressive in the process. She did not race at the XC of TF state championships last year, but despite that, she's looking to make the podium this year.
9. Emma White, 10 -- Buchholz HS -- Finished 9th at Cecil Field behind her 2 teammates. She's also looking to make her first state championship podium.
10. Kayla Mccarth, 10 -- Lake Brantley HS -- Won the Mike Gibson Summertime preseason meet and defeated some other girls on this list in the process.
11. Hannah Foley, 11 -- Boone HS -- She was 3rd at the Kowboy Invite. She also didn't qualify for states in track or cross last year, so it would be a huge jump for her to make the podium.
12. Emily Knopfle, 9 -- Olympia -- She easily won the DeLand Invite and the Trinity Prep invite. She definitely a freshman to watch out for.
13. Annabella Cardona, 10 -- G Holmes Braddock = She was 5th at Florida Horse Park. She finished 15th at the state meet last year in cross and 5th in the 3200, so she is also one to watch as she moves up the rankings.
14. Alexandra Raquet, 11 -- Sickles HS -- She won the Pasco Invite by almost 90 seconds. It is still early in the season, but she's off to a great start.
15. Brooke Gerrits, 10 -- Viera HS -- 11th at Cecil Field.
Other individuals to watch out for:
Ella Klyce, 10 -- West Orange HS
Ava Baldauf, 12 -- West Orange HS
Anika Shah, 12 - Newsome HS
Samanth Sadorf, 12 -- Spanish River HS
Kaylin Olivarez, 9 -- Niceville HS
BOYS STATE RANKINGS
1A Boys Rankings
By Paul Opitz, Out of Door Academy, paul.opitz65@gmail.com
Team Rankings:
Commentary: Here are the first state rankings for your 2A boys!
Rank. (Previous Rank) School = Comments
Should be close all year with these 3 teams.
1. Circle Christian = undefeated against 1a teams. 5th at Cecil field, avg 16:57. 8th at Horse park avg 17:05
2. Indian Rocks Christian = won their invite at Taylor Park in impressive fashion. Coach Labrant has his guys ready to go. avg 17:10
3. Oak Hall = 11th at Cecil field avg 17:20; 9th at Horse park avg 17:17
4. Pensacola Christian = 14th at Cecil field avg 17:48, won the pace patriot invite in 17:37 avg, Great job. Winning races is fun and a great accomplishment.
5. Seffner Christian = the reigning, and defending two time state champs, 14th at the Horse park avg 18:01
6. Maclay = 18th at Cecil field avg 18:00, 3rd at the Big Bend invite, without one of their top runners
7. St. Francis Catholic = 20th at Cecil field avg 18:16, 23rd at at Horse park avg 18:29
8. Cambridge Christian = 9th at Babe Zaharias avg 18;09
9. SW Fla Christian = 4th at Estero invite avg 18:54, tough course, i heard they run thru a bunch of sand pits down there, no thanks. 7th at Lehigh invite
10. Out of Door Academy = led by Tristan McWilliam (t-money) 5th at muddy Lemon Bay invite, 3rd at Indian Rocks invite at Taylor Park.. I think those tempo runs, and summer miles are paying dividends
Individual Rankings:
Commentary: The first individual state rankings for 1A boys!
Rank. Name, Grade -- School = Comments
1. Matthew Stratton, 12 - St Johns Country Day = Opened up with a very fast 15:21 PR, 2nd place at Cecil field, did not race they next week too bad, would have gone up against Mr. Harrison at the Hans invite
Note: The next four runners seem pretty close
2. Jack DeJesus, 11 - Circle Christian = 6th at Horse park 16:04,18th at Cecil 16:18
3. Christian Giller, 12 - Seffner Christian = 11th at Horse park in 16:18
4. Caden Montini, 11 - Oak Hall = 23rd at Horse park 16;36, 9th at Cecil 15:58 nice time
5. Jonathan Tuttion, 12 - Pensacola Christian = won pace patriot invite in 16:14, great job, 13th at Cecil field in 16:05
6. Mateo Luna, 12 - Indian Rocks Christian = won the IRC invite at Taylor park in 16:30, looked strong at the finish; that's a good thing.
7. Hayden Tank, 11 - SW FL Christian = a pair of 4th place finishes in 16:31 at wet Dunbar and in 17:02 at sandy Estero, see earlier reference
8. Andrew Stowe, 12 - Seffner Christian = 38th at Horse park in 16:59, gets healthy look out
9. Andrew Brix, 11 - Pensacola Christian = 4th at pace invite 16:38,, 32nd at Cecil field 16:49
10. Tristan McWilliam, 12 - Out of Door Academy 2nd at muddy, long Lemon Bay invite 17:07; 3rd at Indian Rock invite in 16:40
Other individuals to watch out for (in no particular order):
Will Neeld, 9 - Circle Christian = 16:44
Asher Dorbin, 12 - Oak Hall = 17:03
Julian Bautista, 12 - St. Francis Catholic = 16:54
Dylan Bailey, 11 - Canterbury St Pete = 17:02
Michael Kirwin, 11 - Circle Christian = 16:54
2A Boys Rankings
By David Suarez, Gulliver Prep, dsuarez@gulliverprep.org
Team Rankings:
Commentary: Here are the first state rankings for your 2A boys
Rank. (Previous Rank) School = Comments
1. Satellite High School = The Satellite boys all though graduating a core group of athletes last year, still look very strong. With Justin Wilson 12, as their returning #1 leading the way chasing an individual title this year as well as a solid pack behind him they look to be the favorites all year looking to win a 3rd consecutive state title. They finished 2nd as a team this past weekend at the Ocala Horse Park Invitational behind a strong Belen team with a 16:30 team average.
2. Bolles HS = The Bolles boys will surely look to challenge Satellite to a state title this year. With a very solid front 3 in Will Brady 12, Colin Duhnoski 12, and Aidan Ryan 11, they are a serious threat to Satellite this season. It will be fun to watch these guys and Satellite battle it out at the big meets this season. They finished 5 points behind Satellite for 3rd at the Cecil Field Summer Classic and finished 5th as a team at the Ocala Horse Park Invitational while missing their #1 in Will Brady 12, which surely would've accounted for around 40-50 less points.
3. Berkeley Prep = The Berkeley Prep boys rounds out what I think is a clear top 3 teams so far this season. With Ethan Lipham 12, coming off a win at the Babe Zaharias Twilight Challenge, and a second place finish at the Ocala Horse park invitational. He will surely be challenging for an individual state title this season. With a solid #2 as well in Kirin Karver 11, that gives them good front running points. If they can progress their #3, #4, and #5 this season they can bridge the gap between them and the top 2 ranked teams.
4. Calvary Christian (Clearwater) = Coming in at #4 are the Calvary Christian boys from Clearwater. With Zackary Florendo 12, as their #1 and a solid #2 and #3. They've got a nice group to work with moving forward this season. If they can gain some depth at the #4 and #5 they can be a real top 5 team this season. They finished 2nd at the ICRS invite with a 17:33 team average.
5. Montverde Academy = Montverde Academy are a team who I think can make real improvement this season. With junior transfer Riley Novack looking like a serious contender for an individual state title this season, they simply need to put together the right pieces behind him to support him. They opened their season by winning the Whispering Pines Invitational followed by the Winter Springs Invitational with a 17:30 team average.
6. Bishop Kenny HS = The Bishop Kenny boys may lack front running quality but they've got really solid depth in their squad. If they can get that pack of boys progressing throughout the season they can challenge for a top 5 finish this season. They've only raced once this season also at the Cecil Field Summer Classic.
7. Clearwater Central Catholic HS = The Clearwater boys ran their full varsity at the Osceola Home meet. With a 17:55 team average and Dylan Nolan 11, leading the way with the dominant win they started off the season bright. If the rest of their top 5 can pack up and progress well throughout the season, they can be a strong team.
8. Pinecrest HS = The pinecrest boys looked very solid at the Ocala Horse Park Invitational. They've got a solid #1 and #2 in Jack Gabrielle 11, and Max Dudak 12. With a pack working together to complete their top 5 they can continue to drop time throughout the season. This will be a team to look out for this season to continue moving forward.
9. Sebring HS = Sebring HS boys haven't put together a full varsity at a meet this season. They opened up their season at the Dunbar Tiger Jamboree but then were missing their #1 and #2 at their second meet of the season at the T. Lovett Sr. XC Invitational. Once they race their full varsity together I can see them moving up the rankings.
10. Lake Highland Prep HS = The Lake Highland boys have started their season on a good note grabbing the final spot in the top 10. Some of their boys have raced twice opening up their season at the Trinity Prep invitational and then this past week racing at the Deland XC Invitational. With a tight knit group they can work together to keep dropping time throughout the season. Only 2 seniors in the top 7 makes it a relatively young team.
11. The Kings Academy = Similar to Lake Highland Prep. The Kings Academy boys have a very young team. With no seniors in their top 7 at the moment they have a lot of room for growth. With Colton Lawson 11, as their returning #1 under 17 minutes. They have someone to lead the charge in their progression this season.
12. Bishop Verot HS = Another extremely young team in the top 15. No seniors in this top 7 and lots of room for growth. These young teams will be looking to make big leaps this season to bridge the gap on the top teams. They've raced 3 times this season so far and have a sub 17 #1 in Cooper Banks 11.
13. Mater Lakes Academy HS = With Jeshoua Osorio 11, as a fast #1 who is a top 15 individual at the moment. The Mater Lakes Academy boys have a great leader for their pack. They've been consistently improving season after season down in South Florida and will look to build on that this season. Although they did not score a boys team at the Dunbar Tiger Jamboree they went on to win the STU Invitational down here in Miami.
14. West Shore HS = I placed West Shore HS here at #14 because of their very small 37 second 1-5 spread. If a pack like that can make big improvements throughout the season as a unit they can go far.
15. Lemon Bay HS = The Lemon Bay boys finished 3rd at the Lemon Bay Invitational. That is their only race of the season so far and with weakness at the #5 they rank at #15 so far this season. If they develop some more depth throughout the season they can make big improvements.
Individual Rankings:
Commentary: The first individual state rankings for 2A boys!!
Rank. (Previous Rank) Name, Grade -- School = Comments
1. Nick Carpenter, 12 - Trinity Prep = Nick Carpenter takes the first place spot for this week's ranking after his 3rd place finish and impressive 15:26 at the pretty loaded Cecil Field Summer Classic. I think this #1 spot though is completely up for grabs this season with lots of great individuals.
2. Ethan Lipham, 12 - Berkeley Prep = Given that Ethan has run under 15:50 twice this season already I gave him the edge over some others. With a win at Babe Zaharias and a 2nd place finish at Ocala Horse Park, he looks very fit so far this season.
3. Justin Wilson, 12 - Satellite High School = Justin gets the #3 spot with his consistent reputation and how he's opened up the season so far this year. 1st place at Wickham Jamboree, 5th place at Cecil Field Summer Classic and a 12th place finish at Ocala horse park which I think was an off day for him.
4. Riley Novack, 11 - Montverde Academy = I ranked Riley at #4 even though he has the 2nd fastest time this season amongst 2A boys. If he can consistently be a sub 16 runner throughout the season and place high at bigger meets, this could change.
5. Aidan Ryan, 11 - Bolles HS = Aidan gets the nod at #5 spot because of his two back to back consistent performances. A 16:14 at the Cecil Field Summer classic and a 16:15 9th place finish at the Ocala Horse Park Invitational. He'll surely be chasing a sub 16 performance soon.
6. Kirin Karver, 11 - Berkeley Prep = Berkeley Prep's #2 gets the next spot after showing consistency early in the season as well. 4th place at the Babe Zaharias Twilight Challenge and an 8th place finish at the Ocala Horse Park invitational shows he's had a great start to the season.
7. Dayton Law, 12 - Satellite High School = Dayton's lacked the consistency to be further up this list but he's still run 15:56 at the Cecil Field Summer Classic. If he gets consistent sub 16 performances this season it'll be hard to beat the Satellite boys.
8. William Brady, 12 - Bolles HS = Will has only raced once this season so far at the Cecil Field Summer classic. He missed the majority of last cross country season but he put together a solid track season in the spring. If he races consistently I'm sure he'll move up the rankings.
9. Andrew Mahorner, 11 - Satellite High School = Andrew has made great improvements this season so far. PR'ing in his last 2 races. 16:22 for for 14th place at Ocala Horse Park set the tone to get him the #9 spot on this list. He'll surely be looking to continue dropping time in Satellite's hope to win another state title.
10. Aidan Mason, 12 - Satellite High School = Aidan's progression this early season has been similar to his teammate ranked right above him. If he consistently continues to drop time this season as he has been doing so far this season. He'll continue moving up the rankings.
11. Colin Duhnoski, 12 - Bolles HS = Colin started off his season phenomenally at the Cecil Field Summer Classic with a 16:12 14th place finish. But his off performance at Ocala Horsepark moves him down the rankings this week. As he continues to race this season at more meets this could change.
12. Dylan Nolan, 11 - Clearwater Central Catholic = Dylan has started off his season very well. With his 16:32 solo win at the Osceola Home meet, I can tell he has a lot left in the tank. He'll be someone to keep an eye out this season and surely be chasing the sub 16 performance once he gets into a bigger meet.
13. Jeshoua Osorio, 11 - Mater Lakes Academy HS = It's nice to see a South Florida boy on this list finally. Jeshoua opened his season up at the Dunbar Tiger Jamboree with a 16:33 5th place finish, a time faster than his previous PR by 36 seconds. If he can consistently put together these type of performances then he'll be a real noise maker down in South Florida and at any other meets he goes to.
14. Zackary Florendo, 12 - Calvary Christian Clearwater = Zack opened his season up well and is looking to keep taking his running to a new level this season with his 16:35 PR at IRCS invite.
15. John Carbone, 12 - Brooksville Central HS = John ran 16:36 at his season opener at the Wickham Jamboree. With a solid PR from last year he'll look to build on that this season.
Other individuals to watch out for:
Cooper Banks, 11 - Bishop Verot HS
Colton Lawson, 11 - The Kings Academy
Andrew Mcgraw, 11 - Bolles HS
3A Boys Rankings
By "anonymous", ryanraposo@gmail.com
Team Rankings:
For this first rankings installment as a prognosticator, an emphasis will be placed on last season XC and Track results and the returners. Pre-season and the first few weeks of meet performances will have little bearing for this first installment. Plus, outside of these first few sentences, the initial rankings list below was drafted a few weeks ago prior to competition so the next week's rankings will reflect these season predictions with adjustment for recent performances. I always will take into consideration course difficulty (with some courses being up to 20 to 35 seconds faster or slower than an average course), and so performance averages instead of best times will always carry more weight in the rankings in addition to head-to-head team results. I will post course difficulty time adjustments throughout future installments.
With seniors graduating and the prospects of freshmen having an impact on some program's performances, adding in the continuing struggles with Covid and quarantines, this 2021 FL CC season will be a rocky one and so it will be exciting to see how things shake out.
As far as overall team expectations for this season are concerned, many of the existing elite programs will continue to find a way to be in the hunt for the top spots. Programs like Fort Myers, Sunlake, Ponte Vedra, Tampa Jesuit and Leon will continue to perform well. Osceola is a program on the rise, and Dunbar is poised for a breakout season. Belen Jesuit remains the top dog with their recent impressive run of accomplishments and are poised to pull off an unprecedented 5th concurrent team championship. One of the teams that may challenge is Sunlake,who (on paper prior to season kick off) rank slightly ahead of Belen Jesuit in team average times and composite returners track performances.
Rank. (State Finish 20') School - Comments
1. (1) Belen Jesuit -- (private 7 year program) The champs will always be hard to beat and seem to just "re-load" every year. Their front runner (Adam Magoulas) is one of strongest in the state, their 2 through 5 leaves the door open for others, but depth reigns supreme and Belen Jesuit has that in spades. A guarantee to be on the podium.
2. (2) Sunlake -- (public 4 year program) With a 1-2 punch in Colby Robbins and Alex Pena and a 3rd on the rise, they only lost one senior from last year's State runner up performance, so this team looks good and should make things interesting. But I'm not ready to put them ahead of the champs.
3. (5) Fort Myers -- (public 4 year program) Palmer is their stud front runner, but what is interesting about this team is that he is the only senior. This team looks to have some lasting power with a sophomore and three juniors rounding out their top 5. Expect to see them make a deep run and a potential podium finish.
4. (n/a) Osceola (Seminole) -- (public 4 year program) Program is growing in numbers and performance. Girls team is very strong, boys team challenged to not be outdone by them.
5. (7) Dunbar -- (public 4 year program) Coach Romero has these boys motivated for a strong season. I expect to see them challenge for podium finishes in competitions throughout the year.
6. (n/a) Naples -- (public 4 year program)
7. (11) Leon -- (public 4 year program)
8. (n/a) Ocala Vanguard -- (public 4 year program)
9. (3) Ponte Vedra -- (public 4 year program)
10. (6) Tampa Jesuit -- (private 4 year program)
11. (9) Fort Walton Beach -- (public 4 year program)
12. (n/a) Fleming Island -- (public 4 year program)
13. (n/a) St. Thomas Aquinas HS -- (private 4 year program)
14. (14) Winter Springs -- (public 4 year program)
15. (10) St. Augustine -- (public 4 year program)
15. (13 in 2A) Citrus -- (public 4 year program)
Other teams to watch out for:
Citrus (13th in 2A last year), Bishop Moore, River Ridge
Individual Rankings:
Commentary: Here are the individual state rankings!
Rank. (Previous Rank) Name, Grade -- School - Comments
1. Patrick Koon, 10 -- Leon
2. Adam Magoulas, 12 -- Belen Jesuit
3. Jake Rogers, 11 - Leon
4. Colby Robbins, 12 - Sunlake
5. Colsen Palmer, 12 -- Fort Myers
6. Alex Pena, 11 -- Sunlake
7. Kolten Pickard, 12 - Estero
8. Luke Larkin, 12 -- Fort Walton Beach
9. William Stone, 12 -- Osceola (Seminole)
10. Joshua Ruiz, 10 -- Belen Jesuit
Other individuals to watch out for:
Zack Poekert, 10 -- Cypress Creek,
Martin Goodwin, 11 -- St. Thomas Aquinas
Cason Meyer, 12 -- Sunlake
Quin Roberts, 11 -- Fort Myers
Pack of Belen Jesuit runners (basically their next 3-4 guys)
4A Boys Rankings
by Dylan Hermelee, Carrollton School of the Sacred Heart, coachhermelee@gmail.com
Team Rankings:
Commentary: Hello all, and welcome to the first edition of the 2021 4A Boys Rankings! It's still early in the season so we will keep it simple this round. I had a few coaches and athletes reach out to give me some details on their offseason, early season plans, and additional information that you can't find on FLRunners.com. If you have any additional information that you'd like me to use for next round's rankings, let me know!
Rank. (Previous Rank) School = Comments
1. Viera HS = A team many believed would win the 4A title last year has started off the season dominating both early season races. They defeated Satellite and Bolles HS (1st and 2nd at the 2A meet in 2020) at Cecil Field Summer Classis in Jacksonville. Then they won the Vero Beach Invite by 90 points against some good competition. They have 3 runners ranked in the 4A top 10 and currently lead the 4A team rankings by over 100pts and there's really no reason to think otherwise.
2. HB Plant HS = They won their season opener beating a good Berkeley Prep team and another good Osceola HS. They went on to finish 4th at the Florida Horse Park Invite, losing to state powerhouses like Belen and Satellite. They have one of the best 1-2 punches in the state, but they need numbers 3-4-5 to step up if they plan on challenging Viera for that top spot.
3. Nease HS -- They seem to have raced different squads at different races and I don't have any information on that. Oregon commit, Rheinhardt Harrison won his season opener with a 16:00, but won by 53 seconds. It will be interesting to see what they do as a team when they are all in the same race.
4. Creekside HS -- Had a nice pack at their season opener. Less than a minute separated their #1 and #5 runner. They have solid depth with 7 runners under 17:30, however, without a low stick to get them single digit points at the state meet (for now), I have them just behind Nease.
5. Bartram Trail HS = We are splitting hairs between Bartram Trail and Niveville, but since Bartram Trail beat Niceville at Cecil Field, we give them the nod. Bartram has a nice pack of 6. It looks like their 1-2-3 and 4-5-6 may have purposefully raced together in their season opener, so it will be interesting to see if those packs stay together throughout the season.
6. Niceville HS = Another deep squad. The have 7 guys under 17:36 and look like they can push for a top 3 spot at the state meet. Their depth will definitely help them.
7. Newsome HS = More splitting hairs. I could easily have ranked Newsome in the top 5. They dominated their season opener by putting 5 in the top 10. Behind lead runner Jason Swartzlander, they might be a team to watch out for this year.
8. Buchholz HS = Their top runner Emerson Miller running a huge over a minute PR in his season opener certainly helps Buchholz this year. But if they want to hold a top 10 spot this season, then they will need help from runners 3-4-5-6.
9. Chiles HS = Their lead runners Ben Kirbo and Wyatt Townsend looked very good in their first two races of the season. Chilles finished 4th last year and returned enough horses to make another run at a top 5 finish, but they haven't shown a top 5 ranking yet.
10. Christopher Columbus HS = Last year's state champs sneak into the top 10 for our initial rankings this year. They graduated 5 of their top 6 runners last year, but they clearly had some depth going into the JV squad, because they already have 7 runners under 17:53. I'm not sure if they have enough to win it all this year, but don't sleep on them.
11. Palmetto Ridge HS = We only have preseason times for them so I won't say much yet. But for now they are in the top 11.
12. Spanish River HS = They have a good lead runner in Sam Jaramillo and they have a nice 2-4 pack. If they want to jump in the top 10 they will need their #5 runner to join the front 4.
13. Braddock HS = Similar to Spanish River, they have a good #1, solid 2-4, but there's a 50+ second gap between 4 and 5.
14. Timber Creek HS = Solid top 3 runners but need a 4-5-6 to contribute.
15. Bloomingdale HS = Top 4 under 18 minutes, but their #5 is a full 54 seconds behind their 4th. If their #5 can step up they are in business!
Other teams to watch out for:
16: Melbourne HS
17. Hagerty HS
18. Boca Raton HS
19. Winter Park HS
20. Alonso HS
Individual Rankings:
Commentary: It is still early and not all cross country courses are created equal. Please take these rankings with a grain of salt, because they are certain to change in the next 2 weeks!
Rank. (Previous Rank) Name, Grade -- School = Comments
1. (1) Rheinhardt Harrison, 12 -- Nease HS = Defending State Champion and recent Oregon commit. Until runs faster than him in the same race, then he's staying on top of the Mountain.
2. Michael Toppi, 12 -- Viera HS = 5th at the state meet last year and currently has the fastest time in the state by a good 16 seconds. He might have what it takes to give Harrison a run for his money.
3. Emerson Miller, 11, Buchholz HS = Ran a HUGE PR for his first race of the season, but it's not the surprising when you look at his progression over the years and check out his track times for last year. He's also someone to watch out for.
4a. Albert Tawil-Brown, 11- HB Plant HS = Started off the season with a bang and is currently 1 of 6 runner under the elusive 16 minute mark.
4b. Ryan Maney, 12 = HB Plant HS = It's a coin flip between the HB Plant boys. It's going to take a few more races before we separate them.
6. Jason Swartzlander, 12 -- Newsom = Easily won the East Hillsborough Invite and broke the 16 minute barrier for the first time.
7. Cameron Raney, 11 -- Viera HS = A top 20 finisher at last years state meet is looking to break into the top 10 this year.
8. Robbie Naberhaus, 12 -- Viera HS = Robbie puts 3 Viera boys in the top 10. Finished 12th at last years state meet and looks like he will improve on that finish this year.
9. Ben Seymour, 11 -- Hagerty HS = He won the DeLand Invite by 35 seconds. That's good enough for a top 10 spot on the list.
10. Raekwon Hopkins, 12 - Alonso HS = Has run two really good races to open up his season. He finished 21st at the state meet last year and is looking to make the podium this year as a senior.
11. Ben Kirbo, 12 -- Chiles -- Finished in the top 10 at the state meet last year. No reason not to think he could do it again this year.
12. Jack Dravo, 11 -- Creekside = Top 15 finish at Cecil Field while racing against some great competition. That gets you on the list.
13. Sam Meyers, 11 -- Nease HS = 19th at Cecil Field in 16:20.
14. Same Jaramillo, 12 -- Spanish River HS = 20th at Cecil Field in 16:21.
15. Benardo Barnhart, 11 -- Palmetto Ridge = 2nd at the Dunbar Jamboree. Could be ranked higher, but I'm waiting for him to run an official race before moving him up.
Other individuals to watch out for:
Wyatt Townsend, 11 -- Chiles HS
Noah Musselwhite, 11 -- Apopka HS
Collin Brooks, 12 -- Boca Raton HS
Eduardo Diaz, 12 -- West Port HS
Wade Larue, 12 -- Newsome HS
Important Reminder:
- Please remember that all of these rankings are done by volunteer coaches and are meant to increase the overall enjoyment of the sport for athletes, coaches, parents, and fans. They are just for fun and should not have a lot of weight put on them. But if there is a concern, such as a missed athlete or team, please email the individual pollster for your classification & gender.
- Please direct any other issues to FACA Rankings Representative: Ryan Raposo @ ryanraposo@gmail.com
Now that the cross country season has officially kicked off, here's the first edition of the 2021 FACA XC State Rankings!
For complete information, read: 2021 FACA XC State Rankings & Info