A Preview of the FLRUNNERS.COM Middle School Boys and Girls races
BOYS ROC INDIVIDUAL CHAMPIONSHIP
The Race of Champions (ROC) at the 26th FLRUNNERS.COM INVITATIONAL should be very competitive, with 10 boys coming in with sub-16 performances on the year. It is interesting to note that except for Sunlake senior Oscar Brown's 15:53.90 at the HOKA NIGHTS OF THUNDER, all of the top times come from North Port and the Spanish River XC Invitational. That being said, the Venue record on the Holloway Park course is 15:30.85, set by Adam Magoulas of Belen Jesuit in 2022, and only 28 boys have run under 16:00 since 2015. The course is demanding, and the top seeds in this year's race will be challenged to go sub-16 on the course based on the times they have run so far in the 2025 season. The top seed this year is Mariner HS senior Angel Cruz. Cruz has had a stellar senior year thus far, with three wins and a second-place finish. His second was at North Port, where he ran a 15:05.85. He was 8th last year in the 3A state finals. He is the #4-ranked runner in the state. He was 6th in last year's ROC with a 16:16.67.
Angel Cruz of Mariner HS is the top-seeded boy in this year's ROC. The senior was 6th in last year's ROC.
Here are the Top Seeded Sub-16:00 Boys (Based upon Times Run this Season)
BOYS ROC TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP
The boys' ROC team title will be a battle between
Fort Myers,
Catawba Ridge HS (SC), and
Christopher Columbus. The Fort Myers boys are ranked #8 in the state, and Christopher Columbus is ranked #11. It's difficult to pick between the two as the times run this year and the courses that they were run on were different. The Fort Myers t
imes come from historically fast North Port, and the Christopher Columbus times come from Spanish River. However, don't overlook the Catawba Ridge boys. They are ranked #15 in South Carolina and it will be interesting to watch the race develop.
TOP SEEDED ELITE BOYS TEAMS
GIRLS ROC INDIVIDUAL CHAMPIONSHIP
Oasis HS senior Jazlyn Forbes is the number one-ranked girl in Florida with a 17:02.44. She has run four times this season and has established four new course records. She was second in a close race in the 2024 Friday - Varsity Girls race to sophomore Madison Muller of Sarasota Riverview, with Muller winning in 18:42.29 and Forbes just behind in 18:45.19. Muller is running in the Friday race again this year. She is the number two-ranked girl in Florida with a 17.18.96. Seven of the eleven top-seeded girls' times came at the fast North Port XC Invitational. The always-demanding Holloway Park course will challenge the girls, and it will be more about effort than time. However, expect Forbes to take the lead early and challenge the other girls to go with her.
Expect Freshman Dorothy Hutchins of the Heathwood Hall (SC) girls team to be n the mix. She is the number two-ranked freshman girl in SC at this time and was the runner-up in the 2024 SCISA Girls 5K - 4A Championships as an eighth-grader with an 18:31.29.
The course record of 17:19.76 was set in 2019 by IMG Academy's Carly McNatt.
Oasis senior Jazlyn Forbes was second last year in the Friday-Varsity Girls race. She is the number one-seeded girl in this year's ROC.
Here are the Top Seeded Sub 19:00 Girls (Based upon times run this season)
TOP SEEDED ELITE GIRLS TEAMS
The Heathwood Hall girls team from Columbia, SC, is the number four-ranked girls team in South Carolina. They are the defending SCISA Girls 5K-4A state champions. They will have their hands full with the Florida number 10-ranked Plant girls. It should be a good test for both teams at the halfway mark of the season. The edge has to go to the Heathwood Hall girls, however, with a 7-second better Average Time of 19:22.72 and a 1-5 Split of 55.37. A lot will depend on Plants' numbers four and five girls, and whether they can close the gap on their one through three runners.
A Preview of the FLRUNNERS.COM Middle School Boys and Girls races
BOYS ROC INDIVIDUAL CHAMPIONSHIP
The Race of Champions (ROC) at the 26th FLRUNNERS.COM INVITATIONAL should be very competitive, with 10 boys coming in with sub-16 performances on the year. It is interesting to note that except for Sunlake senior Oscar Brown's 15:53.90 at the HOKA NIGHTS OF THUNDER, all of the top times come from North Port and the Spanish River XC Invitational. That being said, the Venue record on the Holloway Park course is 15:30.85, set by Adam Magoulas of Belen Jesuit in 2022, and only 28 boys have run under 16:00 since 2015. The course is demanding, and the top seeds in this year's race will be challenged to go sub-16 on the course based on the times they have run so far in the 2025 season. The top seed this year is Mariner HS senior Angel Cruz. Cruz has had a stellar senior year thus far, with three wins and a second-place finish. His second was at North Port, where he ran a 15:05.85. He was 8th last year in the 3A state finals. He is the #4-ranked runner in the state. He was 6th in last year's ROC with a 16:16.67.
