A few weeks into the cross country season and it's time for the second edition of the 2021 FACA XC State Rankings!
GIRLS STATE RANKINGS
1A Girls Rankings
By Sue O'Malley (FLCHS) somalley@fatherlopez.org
Team Rankings:
Commentary: With some big Invitationals coming up these next two weeks there will be some fantastic racing with many of these top schools going head to head.
Rank. (Previous Rank) School: Comments
1. (1) Cambridge Christian: 18:39 TEAM AVERAGE The Lancers drop their team average by almost 2 minutes! The Lancers with 4 runners in the top 5 will be hard to catch this season! Could they get a perfect score at the state meet this season? The Lancers won the Lecanto and North Port XC Invite these past two weeks.
2. (2) Circle Christian: 20:00 TEAM AVERAGE Team places 3rd at Horse Park and wins the St. Cloud Invitational this past weekend.
3. (3) Maclay: 20:37 TEAM AVERAGE 5th place at the St. Paul Invite and 3rd place at the Alligator Alley XC Invitational
4. (4) Pensacola Christian Academy: 20:36 TEAM AVERAGE 2nd place at Gulf Coast Stampede and wins the Washington Wildcat XC Invite
5. (5) Oak Hall: 20:45 TEAM AVERAGE The Eagles drop their team average with a 2nd place team finish at Alligator Alley XC Invite
6. (6) South Florida Heat: 21:25 TEAM AVERAGE Comes off of their 2nd place team finish at Vero Beach to win the King's Academy Invite this past weekend.
7. (NR) Benjamin School: 21:46 TEAM AVERAGE Welcome to the elite 10! 2nd place team finish this past week at the Jupiter XC Meet #2
8. (8) Carrollton School of the Sacred Heart: 21:39 TEAM AVERAGE The Tornadoes drop their team average over a minute 2nd place at the Spanish River XC Invite
9. (9) Lakeland Christian: 22:06 TEAM AVERAGE The Vikings win the George Whitmere Classic last week
10. (NR) Community School of Naples: 22:25 TEAM AVERAGE 4th place in the small school division at the North Port XC Invite
Other teams to look out for:
(7) Holy Trinity, (10) Tampa Bay Heat, Out of the Door, Southwest Florida Christian School, Village School of Naples, and of course Father Lopez
Individual Rankings:
Commentary: Cambridge Lancer Girls hold the #1-2-3-5 positions in the second round of rankings! These girls are on fire! Some new faces have made their way into the rankings! We are in the meat of the season now and with hopes of cooler weather coming soon the next two weeks should be some exciting races!
Rank. (Previous Rank) Name, Grade School = Comments
1. (NR) Mary Ellen Eudaly 12th Cambridge Christian School = 17:51, Mary Ellen wins the North Port XC Invite 9/18 and new to the rankings. PR is 17:35 and is a transfer runner from a 4A HB Plant program where she placed 13th at the state finals last year with a 19:21 time.
2. (NR) Caroline Lehman 12th Cambridge Christian = 18:04, Caroline finished 2nd to her teammate Mary Ellen at the North Port XC Invite. Caroline is new to the rankings. Caroline will be one of the favorites for the state 1A title this season. She won the state 1A title last year with a time of 18:07.
3. (2) Elaina Black 8th Cambridge Christian = 18:16 PR, Elaine places 3rd at the North Port XC Invite. Elaine drops from the number two spot but this will not faze this lady look at her teammates she can learn so much from to develop her talents after her two teammates graduate.
4. (1) Ava Pouich 11th Evangelical Christian School = 18:28, 18:44. 6th at North Port XC Invite, 18:50.7 1st Fort Myers XC Invite
5. (2) Madeliene Gear 10th Cambridge Christian School = 18:52 PR, 18:52.41 9th North Port XC Invitational. 19:35.00 2nd Lecanto Invitational
6. (NR) Andrea Montaner 10th Carroltton School of the Sacred Heart = 19:25 PR, 19:25.00 1st Spanish River XC Invitational
7. (6) Sarah Rudolph 12th Circle Christian =19:32 PR, Sarah drops her PR by 10 seconds! 1st St. Cloud Invitational
8. (3) Raeanne Tutton 10th Pensacola Christian Academy = 19:38 PR, 21:14.00 1st 49th Annual Washington Wildcat. 19:53.9 4th Gulf Coast Stampede
9. (10) Elizabeth Poe 12th Tampa Bay Heat = 19:38 PR, Drops her PR by 13 seconds! 15th place to a 1st place in a week! 19:38.30 1st Don Bishop Invitational. 21:09.83 15th Seffner Christian Invitational
10. (5) Jaimee Tutton 8th Pensacola Christian Academy = 19:38, 2nd 49th Annual Washington Wildcat. 5th Gulf Coast Stampede
11. (13) Addison Dempsey 10th Cardinal Mooney = 19:39 PR, 2nd North Port XC Invitational, 1st Seffner Christian Invitational
12. (7) Grace DeJeus 10th Circle Christian = 19:40, 6th St. Cloud Invitational
13. (8) Katie Beam 11th Baptist Academy = 19:41, 4th North Port XC Invitational. 9th Seffner Christian Invitational
14. (NR) Gabriella Santucci 11th Canterbury School (Fort Myers) = 19:44.7, A new member to the elite 15! This young lady was 50th at the 1A State finals last season with a 21:13 and look where she is now! 3rd North Port XC Invitational. 19:44.70 PR 6th Fort Myers XC Invite
15. (9) Sydney Miller 11th Oak Hall = 6th 13th Alligator Lake XC Invitational Presented by B3R Sports
Others to watch out for:
(11) Ava Wyant 10th Masters Academy Oviedo
(12) Susan Grace Koeppel 10th MaClay
(14) Mary Clayton Soto 10th Maclay
(15) Megan Smith 8th Pensacola Academy
2A Girls Rankings
By David Suarez, Gulliver Prep, dsuarez@gulliverprep.org
Team Rankings:
Commentary: The newest FACA State XC Rankings. Lots of changes this week and lots of moving around of the rankings. Big races from a lot of teams as they settle into the racing season. As someone who was coached and mentored by Ryan Raposo, I'm a big advocate for course integrity. This is why I carry on the tradition of wheeling courses that I don't know the length of. Coaches it would be very helpful for the rankings and for everyone around the state if more of us did this. Be honest to your athletes if they PR by 30+ seconds on a course. Here we go!
Rank. (Previous Rank) School = Comments
1. (1) Bolles HS = The Bolles girls came out full throttle in their out of state trip to North Carolina for the Adidas XC Challenge. Jillian Candelino 11, ran a blazing state leading 17:38 to lead them. They followed that up with their #2, #3, #4 all under 20 minutes. This team really does look unstoppable this year. Excited to see them race against fast Florida competition in the coming weeks.
2. (2) Satellite High School = Satellite were one of the other teams to travel out of state for a meet this week as they traveled to Huntsville, Alabama for the Southern Showcase. Braelyn Wahy 10, led the way for them with a nice PR of 19:29. The rest of their top 5 finished well. This 2nd podium spot looks to be wide open this season and my guess is it'll come down to whoever has the best day on November 12th. With a young team they could progress well.
3. (4) Berkeley Prep HS = Berkeley Prep girls had a great showing at the North Port Invitational. With a great 1-4 spread led by Anna Mcerdmott 12, in 19:43 they finished 6th overall behind some very good teams. Still lacking a faster #5 they are just short of a podium spot in my opinion. They could continue to progress well this season and I'm looking forward to seeing what they do at more big meets.
4. (3) St. Brendan HS = The St. Brendan girls also had a phenomenal showing at Spanish River winning the girls 2A division by 1 point over Gulliver Prep. Given the course is 80 meters short, it was still a fantastic performance from their 1-4. Led by Emma Hencock 11, in 19:06 finishing in 2nd place and Gabriela Page 9, running a huge PR of 19:42 to finish 4th. With their 3 and 4 closely following they have a great bunch. They seriously lack a #5 though and will be tacking on many points in bigger meets this season if they can't bridge that gap. If they can really develop a #5 they are favorites for the other podium spot this year.
5. (11) Gulliver Prep = After finally racing a fully healthy top 7 at Spanish River we moved up the rankings. Kathleen Serig 9, opened her season up right behind our #1 Nina Starvaggi, 12. With the #3, #4, #5, #6 all close together with more room to grow based off last season, we look to keep progressing this season. Losing to St. Brendan by just 1 point at Spanish River leaves the floor open for more exciting races against them this season.
6. (7) Bishop Verot HS = Bishop Verot girls had a good showing again at the North Port Invitational. They move up 1 spot in these rankings. They finished 8th overall at North Port not too far behind the Berkeley Prep girls. If they can close in their #3, #4, and #5 they can be podium challengers as well.
7. (8) Mount Dora HS = Mount Dora Girls move up 1 spot after their solid performance at North Port. With a great 1-2 punch in Noelle Vu 10, and Hannah Douglas 9, both under 20 minutes. They lead the way for their team. Their #3, #4, #5 need to bridge the gap more if they want to be more competitive in 2A.
8. (9) Pine Crest HS = Pine crest girls move up a spot in these rankings after another solid performance. With Brooke Hooper 10, running 19:03 for a fantastic win at Spanish River leading the way and the rest of their pack continuing to progress well, they look super solid. Depending on how their 2-5 develops over the season they can continue to move up the rankings. As they race in more big meets this season we will be keeping an eye on them.
9. (Unranked) American Heritage MS/HS Boca DelRay = American Heritage seems to be the team that made the most improvement in the past weeks after some very solid performances. They cracked the top 10 this week. Tanya Pach 11, led the way for them at Spanish River finishing 14th just under 21 minutes. Their #2, #3, #4 were not too far behind. If they can continue to make big gains this season they should stay within the top 10.
10. (Unranked) Cardinal Gibbons HS = Cardinal Gibbons another South Florida team makes big leaps in this week's rankings. They ran very well at Spanish River as well. Their #1 Sydney Sinclair ran a PR of 19:44 to finish 5th. With a solid #2 and #3 they've got a good core group of girls to work with. If they continue to move up and race at big meets this season I see them being a consistent top 10 ranked team.
11. (5) Bishop Kenny HS
12. (6) Clearwater Central Catholic
13. (10) Lake Highland Prep
14. (Unranked) South Walton HS
15. (Unranked) Montverde Academy
More teams to look out for:
The Kings Academy
Episcopal School of Jacksonville
Mckeel Academy
Trinity Prep
Individual Rankings:
Commentary: The first individual state rankings for 2A girls!
Rank. (Previous Rank) Name, Grade -- School = Comments
1. (Unranked) Jillian Candelino, 11 - Bolles HS = Ran a state leading 17:38 at the Adidas XC challenge in North Carolina. Will be hard for anyone in 2A to beat her this season.
2. (4) Brooke Hooper, 10 - Pine Crest HS = The victory in the 1A/2A Division at Spanish River running 19:03 against good competition. Great closing last 200 meters in that race.
3. (2) Emma Hencock, 11 - St. Brendan HS = 2nd place at Spanish River to Brooke in a very close fight to run 19:06 tying her personal best. Will be interesting to see her run with more competition instead of just small individual battles.
4. (1) Lucrezia Gowdy, 9 - Episcopal School of Jacksonville = Has yet to race again this season after her season opener.
5. (3) Elizabeth Csikai, 11- Bolles HS = 19:21 at the Adidas XC Challenge. Will surely continue to progress this season and assist in Bolles State Title run.
6. (Unranked) Ella Mickler, 9 - Bolles HS = 19:23 at the Adidas XC Challenge, looks to be back in last year's form.
7. (Unranked) Braelyn Wahy, 10 - Satellite HS = 19:29 big PR at the Southern Showcase.
8. (Unranked) Avery Frontrath, 10 - The Kings Academy = 19:34 for 3rd place at Spanish River invitational. Looking like she did during last track season.
9. (Unranked) Carlyn Lobo, 11 - Lake Placid HS = 19:38 to win the Small Schools division at North Port. Has had good progression so far this season.
10. (Unranked) Gabriella Page, 9 - St. Brendan HS = 19:42 at Spanish River Invitational. Has a lot more left in the tank and her ceiling is super high.
11. (7) Noelle Vu, 10 - Mount Dora HS = 19:51 at North Port Invitational.
12. (11) Julia Reitz, 11 - Bishop Verot HS = 19:43 PR at North Port invitational.
13. (12) Anna Mcdermott, 12 - Berkeley Prep HS = 19:43 at North Port Invitational.
14. (Unranked) Sydney Synclair, 11 - Cardinal Gibbons HS = 19:44 at Spanish River Invitational.
15. (9) Hannah Douglas, 9 - Mount Dora HS = 19:53 at North Port Invitational
Other individuals to watch out for:
Mackenzie De Lisle 9, Bishop Verot HS
Emma Flowers 11, Berkeley Prep HS
Hailey Howard 12, Calvary Christian Clearwater
Bella Del Busto 10, Calvary Christian Ft. Lauderdale
Mia Rodriguez 12, The Kings Academy
3A Girls Rankings
by Bonnie Fleming, The Pine School, bfleming@thepineschool.org
Team Rankings:
Commentary: I have to say…short courses and courses with more than a bit of concrete are my nemesis! I believe it's fair to say that Ryan Raposo has changed me over the years! We have seen a fair amount of races on short courses/majority concrete over the last couple weeks, but in the end, head to head competition prevails! There is nothing worse than taking athletes to a short course, building false confidence, and having to watch them strive for better times throughout the season. Meet directors want teams to come back for all the wrong reasons…host a great meet with a well-marked and accurate course, have timers who get results right on the spot, be an inviting host, and make it a fun day for our athletes! That's all that should be expected! With many of our state's most respected events coming up, it's safe to say, it will all get ironed out in the wash! I also expect to see teams with a low 1-5 split move up in ranks…you know what they say about those who race together…LOLJ
Rank. (Previous Rank) School = Comments
1. (1) Osceola HS- 19:50.35 average; 26.69 second 1-5 split! These young ladies are holding their own right now! With a 42 point advantage over OLL, they are in control.
2. (NR) Our Lady of Lourdes Academy- 19:53.25 average; Great meet at Spanish River! We will need to see runners 4-5 step up to get a boost towards the top spot! I expect to see this team put on the heat over the next couple weeks!
3. (3) Winter Springs HS- 20:12.08; Led by the best in the state (Caroline Wells), these ladies will no doubt be ready to compete for the big stage when all is said and done.
4. (8) Dillard HS- 20:36.09; After coming into 2020 with a top ranked team and not being able to compete in the state series, I anticipate this well-coached team to have a great deal of fight going into October. 2:41 split 1-7 shows depth that many other teams do not have at this moment…expect to see movement within their ranks as they defend a top 5 spot in the state.
5. (10) Ponte Vedra HS- 20:52.72; 36.90 1-5 split! Solid racing at Bale-N-Trail…not a fast course by any stretch. This program always contends for a top spot, with this year no different!
6. (2) Leon HS- 20:04.80; Cecil Field obviously short; however, these ladies beat out St. Augustine in a head to head battle.
7. (NR) St. Thomas Aquinas HS- 21:07.24; with approximately a minute average improvement over two weeks on the same course, this young team is making quick strides in the right direction! Keep it up!
8. (7) Naples HS- 20:37.23; Inconsistent across several meets; hoping to see great head to head competition in the coming weeks!
9. (5) Bishop Moore HS- 20:27.78; Unfortunately, these ladies are still chasing times from their Sept. 4th meet…hoping to see this team in one of the upcoming big invitational meets for a better perspective.
10. (9) St. Augustine HS- 20:54.22; Solid footing from last season tells us not to count these girls out too soon!
11. (6) Fort Myers HS- 20:26.11; 53.30 1-5 split! Inconsistent across several meets…watching for these girls to settle in a bit.
12. (NR) Sunlake HS- 21:29.26; these ladies look poised for a big meet soon!
13. (13) Choctawhatchee HS- 21:33.99; pretty consistent racing across several meets; looking for Coach LaFollette to bring out the best in these ladies!
14. (12) Ocala Vanguard HS- 21:08.51
15. (NR) Estero HS- 21:12.44
16. (NR) Fleming Island HS- 21:17.46
17. (NR) St. Petersburg HS- 21:31.68
18. (NR) Seabreeze HS- 21:24.95
19. (15) Robinson HS- 21:36.76
20. (NR) Cape Coral HS- 21:39.48
Other teams to watch out for:
Wakulla HS, Fort Walton Beach HS, Gulf Breeze HS, Lake Minneola HS
Individual Rankings:
Commentary: Exciting additions to competition over the last two weeks! We are certainly starting to see who the contenders will be for a podium finish in Tallahassee. I expect the race to heat up in the coming weeks, with a couple of ladies solidifying their spots and a few more looking to heat up the competition for top 10!
Rank. (Previous Rank) Name, School = Comments
1. (1) Caroline Wells, Winter Springs HS- 17:53.30
2. (NR) Lily Henne, Lake Minneola HS- 18:55.63
3. (NR) Olivia Fraga, Our Lady of Lourdes- 18:51.04
4. (4) Christiana Coleman, Dillard HS- 18:52.20
5. (NR) Ashley Fitzgerald, American Heritage HS- 19:05.24
6. (9) Addison Boyer, South Fork HS- 18:59.54
7. (3) Lily Moore, Leon HS- 19:09.00
8. (2) Reilly Barber, St. Augustine HS- 19:10.00
9. (NR) Grace Finneran, St. Thomas Aquinas HS- 19:29.82
10. (NR) Johanna Diez, Our Lady of Lourdes- 19:37.90
11. (12) Lillee Tang, Leon HS- 19:35.00
12. (5) Samantha Lorey, Bishop Moore HS- 19:16.7
13. (6) Kennedy Downey, Osceola HS- 19:38.40
14. (8) Paige McCaul, Bishop Moore HS- 19:31.60
15. (11) Abigail Clements, Osceola HS- 19:44.31
Other individuals to watch out for:
(14) Cristal Gomez, Lake Wales HS; (7) Avery Latto, Osceola HS; Tara Watkins, Naples HS; Olivia Rodriguez, Our Lady of Lourdes; Amelia Jones, Naples 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 second edition of the
2021 4A Girls Rankings! This round we have considerably more races to work with, so we have a much better picture of the state rankings. Please note that these rankings are subjective and not all courses are created equal. I also use head-to-head performances and team victories in conjunction with team averages.
Rank. School = Comments
1. Newsome HS = I'm keeping Newsome at #1 again for this round. They have not matched the fast times they ran at East Hillsborough, but they finished a team second at Lecanto to arguably the best all classification team in the state, Cambridge Christian School. They then went on to win the Don Bishop Invitation over teams like Robins HS and Academy of Holy Names. We will see how they do in the next couple of weeks, but for now, they remain on the top.
2. Buchholz HS = Maybe I should call Buchholz 1(b), because there seems to be a large gap between 1-2 and 3rd. They just scored 29 points to win the Alligator Lake XC invite defeating Oak Hall (60), Maclay (71) and Niceville (88) in the process. They also finished 2nd at the Bale and Trail invite to the #1 2A school in the state Bolles a couple weeks ago. It's still early, but it's safe to say the 4A state championship race is a must see!
3. Timber Creek HS = During the last rankings I said Timber Creek needed their #5 runner to step up and she certainly did. Timbe creek now as 5 runners under 20:50 and 6 runners under 21:30. Depth doesn't seem to be an issue anymore, making their charge to the podium looking more likely.
4. HB Plant HS = I'm moving HB Plant up to 4th this round. I received some information that several of their runners transferred out and I thought that might hurt them, but that doesn't seem to be the case. They recently finished 4th at the North Port XC Invite behind Cambridge Christian, Oceola, and IMG and had EIGHT runners under 22 minutes. HB Plant is certainly a team to look out for.
5. Niceville HS = They won the Gulf Coast Stampede and finished 4th at a highly competitive Alligator Lake Invite. They have 7 runners under 21:10 and look like a top 5 team in a very competitive 4A state meet.
6. Lakewood Ranch HS = Having a low stick helps, and right now Grace Marston is on a roll! She finished 7th at the North Point invitation in a blistering 18:51. Lakewood Ranch also finished the meet in 5th as a team, only 4pts behind HB Plant. There's drop off between there 1 and 2 runners, but with 5 runners under 21:15, depth is not a problem.
7. Olympia HS = This team is looking better every week. They recently won the Lake Buena Vista Invite and finished 2nd at a highly competitive Astronaut invite. Right now, their biggest weakness is the 90 second gap between their 4th and 5th runner. If they can bridge that gap, they can make some noise.
8. G. Holmes Braddock HS = They finished 1st in the 4A division against Viera and Spanish River. They have a very strong top 5 runners, but there is a major drop off to #6 and again to #7. They are poised for a top 10 finish, but they will need to stay healthy to make it happen.
9. Wharton HS = Brooke Reif currently has the 2nd fastest time in 4A and has done it against so of the top competition in the state. They finished 7th at the North Port invite against some tough competition. The worry here is that they have an almost a 3-minute gap between their #5 and #6 runners. So, health will be key here.
10. Winter Park HS = Not a lot of movement here. They had a decisive victory at the Windermere Meet of Champions, but that's their only race since the first set of rankings. They are a top 10 team for now, but 4A is extremely competitive this year, so we will see how the season goes.
11. Sarasota HS = They finished 11th at the North Port Invite with a solid 21:05 team average and 5th at the Seffner Christian Invite. With 7 runners under 22:35, they have the depth to jump back into the top 10.
12. Bartram Trail HS = They don't have a low stick, with their #1 runner being ranked 68th 4A, and that hurst them. However, they have 7 runners under 21:50 and have lots of opportunities to drop points and jump into the top 10.
13. Viera HS = Finished 2nd to Braddock at Spanish River. They have a good front pack but lack the depth other teams have.
14. Dr. Phillips = They were third at the Lake Buena Vista Invite with a solid 21:38 team average. They have a solid top 3, but need everyone to be on the same page if they are going to be a top 15 team at the state meet.
15. Spanish River = They have 2 runners under 19:50, which is a huge advantage at state meet competition. They were 3rd at the Spanish River invite, getting edged out by Braddock and Viera.
Other teams to watch out for:
16. Mandarin HS
17. Park Vista HS
18. Palmetto Ridge HS
19. George Jenkins HS
20. Creekside HS.
21. West Orange HS
22. Palm Harbor Univ HS
23. Jupiter HS
24. Melbourne HS
25. Gulf Coast HS.
Individual Rankings:
Commentary: It is still early and not all cross-country courses are created equal. If an athlete ran fast in August but hasn't run close to that time yet in September, they got bumped down the list a bit. With already 30 girls breaking that elusive 20-minute barrier, so I have a feeling these rankings are going to change quite a bit of the next couple weeks.
Rank. Name, Grade -- School = Comments
1. Amber Schulz, 12 -- Timber Creek HS -- She has the 5th fastest time in 4A, but she's one of only 2 athletes in 4A that have run under 19 minutes multiple times. As stated in the first set of rankings, she stays at the top until we see a reason to bump her.
2. Kate Drummond, 11 -- Buhholtz HS -- Has the fastest time in 4A this year and has finished 1st or 2nd in every race she's ran in. Drummond ran very fast in her first meet, but her times haven't been close since. The combination of times slowing down but continuing to win races keeps her ranks 2nd this round.
3. Brooke Reif, 12 - Wharton HS -- The second girl on the list that has broken the 19 minute barrier multiple times this year. She had a 5th place finish at North Port against some of the best runners in the state and looks primed to make a run at the individual title this year.
4. Haley Thornton 11 -- Palm Harbor -- The state Champ at 1600 and runner up at 3200 has started her cross-country season off with a bang. Thornton has steadily improved her times every race this season and made a BIG jump finishing 7th at the North Port Invite. She is definitely one to watch out for this season.
5. Grace Marston 12- Lakewood Ranch
-- Finished just behind Thornton at North Point and has multiple top 8 finishes in some of the largest meets in the state
6. Megan Wells 12, Newsome HS -- Finished 4th at the Lecanto invite against some elite competition.
7. Kendall Hughes, 12 -- Newsome HS -- Finished 5th at the Lecanto invite.
8. Zoe Pustilnik, 12 -- Spanish River -- Had a rough 17th place finish at Spanish River, but with a long history of running fast, we will call it a single difficult race and not hold it against her.
9. Emily Knopfle, 9 -- Olympia -- Knopfle was 2nd at both the Astronaut Invite and the Lake Buena Vista Invite. She has progressed well over the season and is poised for a top 10 finish at the state meet.
10. Lucy Voss, 10 -- Buchholz HS -- 4th at Bale-N-Trail and 2nd at Florida Gator Lake. If she keeps it up, she's a lock for the podium in November.
11. Emma White, 10 -- Buchholz HS -- 6th at Bale-N-Trail and 4th at Florida Gator Lake. Buchholz is looking strong with 3 in the top 11.
12. Julianna Courville 12 -- Venice HS -Ran a fast 19:25 for a 3rd place finish at Fort Myers, but has a bit of a disappointing shot at North Port. Still did enough to make the top 12.
13. Megan Dolan, 11 -- Boone HS -- Recently won the Windermere Meet of Champions against some top 4A competition.
14. Catalina Edwards, 11 -- Celebration HS -- She was 2nd at the St. Cloud Invite with a 19:32 PR, and also 2nd at the Vero Beach invite.
15. Hannah Foley, 11 -- Boone HS -- she's sporting a 19:37 PR and recently finished 2nd at the Windermere Meet of Champions.
Other individuals to watch out for:
16. Annabella Cardona, 10 -- G Holmes Braddock HS
17. Alexandra Raquet, 11 -Sickles HS
18. Kailana Decker, 9 -- Harmony HS
19. Ella Klyce, 10 -- West Orange HS
20. Ava Baldauf, 12 -- West Orange HS
21. Brooke Gerrits 11 -- Viera HS
22. Anika Shah, 12 - Newsome HS
23. Samanth Sadorf, 12 -- Spanish River HS
24. Ella Menke, 11 -Sarasota HS
25. 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 second state rankings for your 2A boys!
Rank. (Previous Rank) School = Comments
1. (1) Circle Christian = won the St Cloud invite with their fastest avg this year 16:54. In a 1a region 3 preview, took place at the North Port Invite elite division
2. (2) Indian Rocks Christian = placed 5th with avg 16:58, 2nd at the Seffner Christian invite. At Holloway park in 17:27 avg on hilly course, 1st FL team.
3. (3) Oak Hall = 2nd at Alligator Lake 17:32 avg
4. (8) Cambridge Christian = placed 8th at North Port 17:35avg, 6th at tough Lecanto invite without top runner
5. (5) Seffner Christian = 11th at North Port avg 17:57, 5th at their own invite avg 18:28
6. (4) Pensacola Christian = won Washington Wildcat invite in 18:43 avg, great job on the win. 3rd at Gulf Coast Stampede 18:02 avg
7. (7) St. Francis Catholic = 9th at Seffner Christain 18:57 avg, 7th at Alligator Lake avg 18:54
8. Out of Door Academy = 17th at North Port elite div in 18:05, 7th at Fort Myers avg 17:58. That New coach Sam Pederson has his boys running well, taking a week of from racing, most likely going to run some hills on Sat?
9. (6) Maclay = 10th at Alligator Lake 19:29, missing someone?
10. (NR) Palmer Trinity = won the 1a division at Spanish River invite with avg 17:35.
11. (9) SW Fla Christian = 23rd at North Port, hopefully Mr Duda can make a full recovery
Individual Rankings:
Commentary: The first individual state rankings for 1A boys!
Rank. Name, Grade -- School = Comments
1. (1) Matthew Stratton, 12 - St Johns Country Day = not much racing got 2nd at Bale nTrail in 16:25
2. (2) Jack DeJesus, 11 - Circle Christian = 2nd at St Cloud invite in 16:29
3. (6) Mateo Luna, 12 - Indian Rocks Christian = 2nd at Seffner Christain invite 16:36, 7th at North Port 16:06
4. (10) Tristan McWilliam, 12 - Out of Door Academy = 3rd at Ft Myers invite 16:01 school record, 6th at North Port 16:00, new school record pretty cool 2 school record in a row, thats hard to accomplish
5. (3) Christian Giller, 12 - Seffner Christian = 6th at Seffner Christian invite 16:54, 10th at North Port 16:07
6. (5) Jonathan Tuttion, 12 - Pensacola Christian = won Washington Wildcat invite
7. (4) Caden Montini, 11 - Oak Hall = 2nd at Alligator Lake 16:41
8. (NR) Braxton Legg, 11 - Cambridge Christian = 14th at North Port in 16:32
9. (NR) Nicholas Zamora, 10 - Indian Rocks Christian = 22nd at North Port in 16:48
10. (7) Hayden Tank, 11 - SW FL Christian = 25th at North Port in 16:53
Other individuals to watch out for (in no particular order):
(8) Andrew Stowe, 12 - Seffner Christian = 16:59
(9) Andrew Brix, 11 - Pensacola Christian = 16:38
George Stark, 12 - Palmer Trinity = 16:30
Charles Meagher 11, - Cantebury FM = 16:50
Mehari Van Der Riet, 12 - Foundation Academy = 16:48
2A Boys Rankings
By David Suarez, Gulliver Prep, dsuarez@gulliverprep.org
Team Rankings:
Commentary: Rankings for the boys 2A for the week! Lots of races in and lots of movement in the rankings!
Rank. (Previous Rank) School = Comments
1. (1) Satellite HS = The boys from Satellite maintain their #1 spot on the rankings. With an out of town trip to Alabama to race at the Southern Showcase against some elite competition. Justin Wilson 12, leading the way with a 15:36 this weekend. Followed by Aidan Mason 12, with his first sub 16 performance of the season. With Bolles not racing this weekend they look very comfortable at the 1 spot.
2. (3) Berkeley Prep = Berkeley Prep boys had a great showing at the North Port Invitational. Their top 4 all left with PR's. Ethan Lipham 12, got the win in 15:29 and their #2 in Kirin Karver 11, also broke 16 with a 15:51 for 3rd place. They moved up to the 2 spot with Bolles not having raced this weekend. Will need to see them and Satellite head to head again to see how they compare at this point of the season. They lack the depth that Satellite has at #4 and #5 but they look like a fantastic team.
3. (2) Bolles HS = With the Bolles boys not racing this weekend they move down 1 spot in the rankings after a big week by Berkeley Prep. They are entered however into Katie Caples this week ready to go head to head against the Satellite boys in what will be a great battle to watch. Much will be taken out of that race this weekend.
4. (4) Calvary Christian Clearwater = The boys of Calvary Christian Clearwater hold their spot at #4. Only their #1 Zackary Florendo 12, raced this week at the Mitchell Invitational staying consistent with a win in 16:41. He's got a solid pack of guys behind him in the 17's which can help their chances at staying in that top 4 in 2A.
5. (12) Bishop Verot HS = Bishop Verot boys move up in the rankings. Coach Fleitas' teams are making big gains this season with both his boys and girls ranked in the top 6 teams in each gender. They're still missing their #1 in Cooper Banks 11, but the rest of the pack is filling in quite well in his absence.
6. (5) Montverde Academy = Montverde boys with the power of their #1 in Riley Novack 11, sit nicely in the 6 spot. Novack, still undefeated this season, ran a blazing 15:07 at the Hernando HS Zak Lukas Invitational. With a front runner like that you just need the rest of your guys to get their job done and you can see them placing well at many meets.
7. (10) Lake Highland Prep = Lake Highland Boys came through the week hot with their entire top 5 setting PR's at the Lake Buena Vista XC Invitational. Josh Webster 12, led the way with a 16:53 for 5th place. They finished 2nd overall at the meet behind Winter Springs.
8. (6) Bishop Kenny = Bishop Kenny boys did not race this past weekend but they last raced at the Bale n' Trail Cross country original. They fall back a couple places due to most teams having raced this weekend but they still stay within the top 10. We'll be on the lookout for what they do in the coming weeks and how they progress.
9. (13) Mater Lakes Academy = Mater Lakes boys put on a show at the Spanish River Invitational winning the boys 2A division against some great competition. Jeshoua Osorio, 11, continues to show he is becoming a very good runner who can compete with the top packs at many meets. With a great 2-5 spread they are the current favorites to win Region 4 if they keep it up throughout the season.
10. (7) Clearwater Central Catholic = Clearwater have a solid #1 in Dylan Nolan 11, but what makes them take the last spot in the top 10 is their 2-5 spread of just 17 seconds. If that pack of boys can progress throughout the season then they can move up the rankings. They ran this weekend at the Mitchell Invitational winning that meet as a team by 10 points.
11. (8) Pine Crest HS 2nd at Spanish River invitational to Mater Lakes Academy
12. (11) The Kings Academy
13. (9) Sebring HS
14. (Unranked) Miami Sunset HS
15. (15) Lemon Bay HS
More teams to look out for:
St. Andrews
Gulliver Prep
Nature Coast Tech
South Walton HS
West Shore HS
Individual Rankings:
Commentary: Lots of movement here for the boys in this week's rankings. Will need to see some guys run on legit courses soon though to get a real feel for where they lie on the rankings!
Rank. (Previous Rank) Name, Grade -- School = Comments
1. (4) Riley Novack, 11 - Montverde Academy = Still undefeated this season with a 15:07 PR this past weekend at the Zak Lucas Invitational. Has not ran against any one as elite as him this season so I am very interested in seeing him duke it out against the best out there this weekend at Katie Caples.
2. (2) Ethan Lipham, 12 - Berkeley Prep = 1st place win at the North Port Invitational Elite boys race. Having a phenomenal season so far with â…” wins. It was a hard decision between him and Novack for the 1 spot but after the next couple weekends I'll be able to see them duke it out and then may have my mind changed.
3. (3) Justin Wilson, 12 - Satellite HS = 15:36 at the Southern Showcase this weekend in Alabama. Also entered in Katie Caples this weekend and I'm sure he'll be up there contesting for the win.
4. (6) Kirin Karver, 11 - Berkeley Prep = 15:51 for 3rd place at North Port invitational. Kirin will also be mixing it up with the big dawgs this weekend at Katie Caples.
5. (1) Nick Carpenter, 12 - Trinity Prep = Hasn't raced since the very muddy Astronaut Invitational where he finished 2nd to elite Michael Toppi. Will be on the lookout for his next couple races to see how he develops and maintains this spot or not.
6. (10) Aidan Mason, 12 - First sub 16 performance for Aidan at the Southern Showcase in Alabama. 15:52. Likely to mix in well and continue to progress throughout the season.
7. (Unranked) Tyler Wadsworth, 12 - Victory at the Spanish River Invitational for 1A/2A division. 16:08 against a strong Will Romac. Will be keeping an eye on him in the coming races to see how he does in fast races with more competition.
8. (Unranked) William Romac, 12 - St. Andrews = 16:11 for 2nd place to Tyler Wadsworth in a great 1v1 battle at Spanish River. Another one to keep an eye on in bigger races with loaded fields.
9. (9) Andrew Mahorner, 11- Satellite HS= 16:05 at the Southern Showcase to add on to the other Satellite runners in the top 10. He takes on the stacked field at Katie Caples this weekend.
10. (7) Dayton Law, 12 - Satellite HS = The 4th Satellite runner in the top 10 shows how dominant they really are. He ran 16:08 at the Southern Showcase to add on to their already stacked squad. If he keeps consistently dropping time and improving he'll move up the rankings.
11. (5) Aidan Ryan, 11 - Bolles HS
12. (8) William Brady, 12 - Bolles HS
13. (Unranked) Carson Waggoner, 11 - Satellite HS
14. (13) Jeshoua Osorio, 11 - Mater Lakes Academy
15. (Unranked) Liam Jordan, 9 - Berkeley Prep
Other individuals to watch out for:
Colin Duhnoski, 12 - Bolles HS
Dylan Nolan, 11 - Clearwater Central Catholic HS
Clemente Esponilla, 12 - Dunedin HS
Colton Lawson, 11 - The Kings Academy
Dennis Moreno, 12 - Miami Sunset HS
3A Boys Rankings
By "anonymous", ryanraposo@gmail.com
Team Rankings:
As we head into the midway mark (or the first third anway) of the season, things are beginning to settle into place. Some predictably scorching times are being run on fast courses and the top programs are predictably rising to the top of the rankings with few exceptions. Now that we have witnessed a few more head to head competitions, the rankings become a bit clearer.
Rank. (Prev. Rank) School, team avg based on avg times - Comments
1. (1) Belen Jesuit, 16:17 -- Based on courses run (Spanish River, Horse Park), we could add 25-35 seconds to their team average, yet they would still rank here at the top. Their 2 through 5 runners appear to no longer be a potential weakness and instead may in fact be their strength.
2. (2) Sunlake, 16:58 -- Based on courses run (Holloway, Lecanto, S&D) we could subtract 25-35 seconds from their team average. Coach Reeves has them running difficult courses early with little end in sight, but they will get their chance to go head to head with the best teams at Hoka FL Runners on October 2nd where they have the opportunity to solidify their spot as one of the best teams in FL.
3. (3) Fort Myers, 17:02 -- Have run some scorchers, and so a 15 second addition to their team average keeps them further behind Sunlake as the number 2 team in 3A, but they may be closing the gap. They go head to head with Sunlake and their arch rival Naples at Hoka FL Runners in a few weeks.
4. (7) Leon, 17:10 -- There is some youth in this squad that will keep getting better and better. Koon keeps their team in the hunt with his exceptional performances as one of the top young runners in FL. This squad is about a year or two away from challenging for a top spot but they are making strides this season already.
5. (6) Naples, 17:25 -- On paper, they show as a better team than Fort Myers, which just verifies how relevant the courses are when it comes to these rankings. Their average team "best times" have them at 16:45 ahead of Fort Myers 16:46, but in the latest head to head, Fort Myers beat Naples at North Port with the help of stronger number 1 and 2 runners.
6. (8) Ocala Vanguard, 17:27 -- Ocala Vanguard handily took the championship trophy at The Villages Buffalo Invite this past weekend scoring an impressive 35 points and placed 3rd at Lecanto, behind only Newsome (2nd) and Sunlake (1st).
7. (14) Winter Springs, 17:47 -- Winter Springs has moved up in the rankings significantly. They haven't raced a lot and will probably show up when it maters most, so look out for this team on the rise. Won the Lake Buena Vista Invite this past weekend with a team average of 17:34.
8. (5) Dunbar, 17:56 -- Looking for that 5th man to be a complete team.
9. (9) Ponte Vedra, 17:59 -- Lost four of top five from last year's 3rd place finish at State. Good coaching and a strong foundation keeps them in top 10.
10. (4) Osceola (Seminole), 18:15 -- Team looked pretty good at Dunbar Tiger Jamboree early but have since fallen off a bit.
11. (n/a) Ida S. Baker, 18:04
12. (11) Fort Walton Beach, 18:09
13. (n/a) Cape Coral, 18:12
Other teams to watch out for:
Charlotte, Bishop Moore, St. Thomas Aquinas
Individual Rankings:
Commentary: Here are the individual state rankings!
Rank. (Previous Rank) Name, Season Average, Grade -- School -- Comments
1. (2) Adam Magoulas, 15:26, 12 -- Belen Jesuit -- Consistently racing up front and putting up consistent fast times, albeit on consistently fast courses. No matter, he's legit.
2. (1) Patrick Koon, 15:38, 10 -- Leon -- Even at this spot this kid is potentially underrated.
3. (4) Colby Robbins, 16:14, 12 -- Sunlake -- A strong front runner having to run tough courses which skews his performance rankings a bit. Consistently elite.
4. (5) Colsen Palmer, 16:00, 12 -- Fort Myers -- Consistently elite and only at this spot (and not higher) due to course comparisons.
5. (6) Alex Pena, 16:23, 11 -- Sunlake -- Strong number 2 of a potent 1-2-3 punch at Sunlake
6. (10) Joshua Ruiz, 16:02, 10 -- Belen Jesuit -- Kid is rising to be a contender in any race.
7. (n/a) Zack Poekert, 16:25, 11 -- Cypress Creek -- Dipped below 16:00 at Florida Horse Park beating Ruiz from Belen in process.
8. (3) Jake Rogers, 16:27, 11 -- Leon -- Jake makes up the 2 in their team's strong 1-2 punch.
9. (7) Kolton Pickard, 16:33, 12 -- Estero -- Hasn't raced since September 4th, but put up two strong finishes at DDD Sommer and Lehigh Lightning.
10. (8) Luke Larking, 16:33, 12 -- Fort Walton Beach -- Ran 16:18 at Cecil Field and a 17:03 most recently.
Other individuals to watch out for:
Isaiah Barajas, 12 -- Naples
Clayton Knight, 11 -- Ocala Vanguard
Martin Goodwin, 11 -- St. Thomas Aquinas
Cason Meyer, 12 -- Sunlake
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 second edition of the 2021 4A Boys Rankings! This round we have considerably more races to work with, so we have a much better picture of the state rankings. Please note that these rankings are subjective and not all courses are created equal. I also use head-to-head performances and team victories in conjunction with team averages. As always, if you have any additional information that you'd like me to use for next round's rankings, let me know!
Rank. School = Comments
1. Viera HS = Viera holds steady at #1 again this round. They are coming off a huge win of South Florida powerhouse Belen at Spanish River. At Spanish River, their team averaged an impressive 15:55, making them the class of 4A.
2. Christopher Columbus HS = Last year's state champs bounced back from early season struggles in a big way. The Miami squad finished 2nd at the King of the Hill and finished 3rd overall and 2nd in the 4A division at Spanish River. With a 16:30 team average, they have some work to do if they want to repeat as state champs.
3. HB Plant HS = They were 3rd at the North Port Invite behind Berkley Prep and IMG. They have a great 1-2 punch, but they will certainly need help from runners 3-7 to make the podium. Good news for them is that they have all 7 guys under 17:35, so there is plenty of potential help lurking. I certainly wouldn't count them out.
4. Creekside HS -- Creekside coming off a 1pt victory at Bale-N-Trail over 4A rival Nease. They put 3 guys under 17 at that meet, which is no easy task. And a week later they won the Middleburg Bronco Classic while missing one of their top runners. Creekside is definitely a team to keep an eye on heading into the second half of the season.
5. Nease HS -- As previously stated, Nease lost to Creekside by 1pt at Bale-N-Trail, so they get ranked one spot below them. We still haven't seen Oregon commit Rheinhardt Harrison run under 16, but you have to believe it's coming. With only 2 races under their belts, they already have 7 guys under 17:30. They are another sneaky team that could steal a podium spot come November.
6. Bartram Trail HS = One of only 3 teams on this list with 5 runners under 17 minutes. Bartram Trail has the depth to do some damage at the state meet but is still lacking a front runner to jump them into the top 5. They have run some difficult courses this year, so I won't be surprised if they eventually find something fast and make a major jump in the rankings. But for now, they stay at 6.
7. Buchholz HS = They finished 5 at Bale-N-Trail and only a couple points behind Creekside, Nease and Bartram. A week later they came back to win Alligator Lake, where their #1 runner Emmerson Miller took home the individual title. With 7 runners under 17:50, Buchholz looks like the real deal this year and poised to make some noise at the state meet.
8. Niceville HS = Recently finished 3rd at Alligator Lake, but were also a full 40pts behind Buccholtz. Niceville is another deep squad. The have 7 guys under 17:30. Problem is, many of those guys ran those times in early August on a fast Cecil Field Course. They've still shown enough to ear an 8th place ranking this round.
9. Palmetto Ridge HS = Palmetto Ridge might have the 3rd best top 4 group in all of 4A. The problem is that their #5 runner runs over 18 minutes and their #6 runner is almost a minute behind him. If they can find someone to dip into the mid 17's, then they have a real shot at a top 5 finish at states.
10. Newsome HS = Recently finished 2nd at Lecanto to a very good Sunlake HS team and last week they won Don Bishop Invite. They have some work to do, but right now they are a top 10 team in 4A.
11. Spanish River HS = They recently won the Kings Academy Invite against some good 1A and 2A competition. They also just finished 3rd in the 4A Division at Spanish River, only losing to #1 Viera and #2 Columbus in the process.
12. Chiles HS = Chiles has a solid top 3 but needs help from their 4-5-6-7. They have recently won the St John Paul Invite and the Big Bend Invite, so they winning pedigree is there. Now they just need to run a couple fast races to back it up.
13. Braddock HS = Braddock stays at 13 this week. They had a solid 4th place finish in the 4A division at Spanish River. But like many other teams on this list, the 40 second gap between their 4th and 5th runner could hurt them in larger meets.
14. Boca Raton HS = They were 5th at Spanish River, edging out Melbourne in the process. They also took 2nd at Kings Academy a few weeks back.
15. Melbourne HS = Deep squad that currently has 7 guys under 18 minutes. But they don't have that lead runner yet to get them into the top 10.
Other teams to watch out for:
16: Tohopekaliga HS
17. Celebration HS
18. Hagerty HS
19. Timber Creek HS
20. Winter Park HS
21. Alonso HS
22. Bloomingdale HS
23. Olympia HS
24. Orange City HS
25. Dr. Phillips HS
Individual Rankings:
Commentary: It is still early and not all cross-country courses are created equal. If an athlete ran fast in August but hasn't run close to that time yet in September, they got bumped down the list a bit.
Rank. Name, Grade -- School = Comments
1. Rheinhardt Harrison, 12 -- Nease HS = He's the defending State Champ in the 1600, 3200 and XC. He hasn't run fast times yet this season, but he's still undefeated. As stated in the earlier rankings, I'm waiting for someone to beat him before moving him off that top spot.
2. Michael Toppi, 12 -- Viera HS = Ran a blistering 15:08 on a fast Spanish River course. He has also broken 16 in every race he's run so far this year. If Harrison wasn't around, he'd be above and beyond the favorite to win the 4A title.
3. Emerson Miller, 11- Buchholz HS = He ran his 15:50 PR in his season opener and has had several good showings since. He was 3rd and Bale-N-Trail (behind Harrison) and won Alligator Lake. He stays at 3 for now.
4. Bernardo Barnhart, 11- Palmetto Ridge HS = He has consistently run fast all season and won a fast race at the Fort Myers Invite. Look for him to be one of the few that make a push for the #1 spot in the state.
5. Albert Tawil-Brown, 11- HB Plant HS = He has gone sub 16 in all 3 of his races with a 4th place finish at Horse Park and a 5th place finish at North Port. He's running against good competition and holding strong.
6. Ryan Maney, 12 - HB Plant HS = He was 3rd at Horse Park and 8th at North Port. The HB Plant senior helps give his team the 1-2 combo they need to make the podium at the state meet.
7. Cameron Raney, 11 -- Viera HS = He has dipped under 16 twice this year, most recently at Spanish River where he finished 4th overall in a loaded field.
8. Raekwon Hopkins, 12 - Alonso HS = Coming off a huge PR to break 16 for the first time at North Port, the Alonso senior is poised to finally make the podium at the state meet.
9. Same Jaramillo, 12 -- Spanish River HS = ran a big 15:57 PR at Spanish River to take 5th. He also has a strong 3rd place finish at Kings Academy the week prior.
10. Robbie Naberhaus, 12 -- Viera HS = Robbie broke 16 for the first time this weekend at Spanish River, giving Viera 3 runners under 16 minutes and more importantly, 3 runners in the top 10 for this round's state rankings.
11. Zack Zimmerman, 11 -- Fort Lauderdale HS = Won his season opener at Dillard last week and then came back 4 days later to finish 8th at Spanish River with a blistering 16:03.
12. Gabriel Garcia, 12 -- G Holmes Braddock = 10th place at Spanish River with at 16:07.
13. Brayden Seymour, 11 -- Hagerty HS = He already has 2 individual victories under his belt this season and recently ran 16:21 at the Astronaut Invite.
14. Nicholas Invonnet, 12 -- Christopher Columbus HS = 11th place at Spanish River with a 16:10.
15. Jason Swartzlander, 12 -- Newsom = Ran fast at the beginning of the season, but his times have slipped since. For now, he holds on to the 15h spot.
Other individuals to watch out for:
16. Ben Kirbo, 12 -- Chiles HS
17. Jack Dravo, 11 -- Creekside HS
18. Ryan Sarafoglu, 11 -- Coral Reef HS
19. Collin Brooks, 12 -- Boca Raton HS
20. Anthony Matthew, 12 -- Martin County HS
21. Evan Meyer, 12 -- Lehigh HS
22. Joshua Ingalls, 12 -- Viera HS
23. Sam Meyers, 11 -- Nease HS
24. Alejandro Romagosa, 10 -- Christopher Columbus HS
25. Aeden Rendek, 11 -- Viera 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