Coach Raposo's Boys ROC Outlook
Individuals
After his recent 14:57 5K performance at Spanish River, Ryan Pickering of John I. Leonard is poised to continue his drive to be considered Florida's top male athlete this season. After much early and presason debate about this subject--mainly centered around Armando Del Valle and Jimmy Clark--Pickering now has to be the odds-on favorite after his 12 second drop of Armando Del Valle this past Saturday.
While Del Valle and his Miami Columbus will be traveling to Great American in North Carolina, Pickering will still have his hands full after a last minute entry by the state's other big name, that of Jimmy Clark from Creekside. It looks like the title of "state's best" (at least for now) will be determined this weekend at Chain of Lakes!
These two guys both have sub-15 potential ahead of them and will probably be leading a chase pack of a couple of dozen athletes that can break 16 minutes outright. Last year's race saw 24 boys dip below that 16 flat mark and this year's race has the talent to potentially achieve as many.
There are several other names who could be in the mix based on their early season performances. Elliot Clemente of Belen Jesuit is one of the strongest young guys out there. And he'll be challenged by athletes like Phil Duncan of Boone, Dylan Cook of Coral Reef, Tyler Cardillo of Charlotte, Chris Godwin of Buchholz and Max del Monte of Chamberlain. All of them currently posting times in the 15's.
Duncan, Cardillo and Godwin are all coming off of outstanding performances from UF; Cook finally broke through the 16 barrier at Spanish River and will soon be known as one of the bigger names around that state; and del Monte is one of those athletes that can suprise many people if he has a good day and puts it all together. If anyone wants to catch this group, they'll have their work cut out for them.
Teams
With Trinity Prep, Christopher Columbus and Holy Trinity making the trek to Great American, and Pensacola Washington competing in Jacksonville this weekend; I think Belen Jesuit should be able to come home with the overall team title over last's years champions: Dr. Phillips. But look for these teams to be challenged by such other teams as up-and-coming Charlotte, Plant, Ft. Walton Beach, Niceville and Estero; plus traditional powerhouse Leon. Watch out for John I. Leonard and the Georgia teams (Norcross and Woodstock) to be teams that can possibly round out the top ten.
Jason's Predictions
Let's get the downside over with: Columbus, Trinity Prep, Colonial, Holy Trinity, Winter Park, and Pensacola Washington will not be on the list of attendees. Most of those are going to Great American, except for Washington who is making the long drive east on I-10 but stopping in Jacksonville at Bartram Trail.
Despite that, this is going to be another exciting year! We will probably not see quite as many this year dip under 16 minutes, but if race tactics play out aggressively again we should see another incredible finish battle and see a lot of guys driven to huge new PRs and national class times!
It's a tough call, but if I have to pick I've gotta go with Jimmy Clark over Pickering in my predictions. Clark has been dying to let loose this year, but has pretty much just owned every race he's been in. I'm thinking that pinned up desire plus the fact that he has more big race experience plays in his favor.
Pickering, to his credit, passed the test with flying colors last week and by all accounts ran a smart and well-disciplined race all while running to a stunning sub 15-minute time. Can he do it again? Either way the title of Florida's best should finally be decided here--at least until Prestate.
Beyond those two, it should be a pretty big war between a host of others. Really they're so close it's just going to be a matter of who comes out ready to race. Elliot Clemente and Belen Jesuit always look good when they key for certain races--let's hope this is one of them. Everyone is wondering how good new star Chris Godwin really is. I think Del Monte is going to have a breakthrough race. Quincy O'Connor is pretty unknown, since he just moved here from New York, but he dismantled the field at Winter Haven and ran completely solo around 16-flat. What will he do with company?
Two guys who have struggled thus far this season but could really play a factor if they're on are JL Hines and Will Stanford. Lest we not forget, Hines is the top returner from this race last year when he ran a 15:21. Can he shake off the cob webs and do it again? The other x-factor is Will Stanford of Leon. He was one of the top athletes in the state as a sophomore, running right with Matt Mizereck, and then had a really rough season battling illness last year. This year has been more struggle, but they say he's fit enough.
Turning to teams, it really is Belen Jesuit's to win or lose. It should be in their hands. After that it's a hard call . In a race like this you have guys running 16:50 to 17:10 range which would normally be a strong end to your pack, but suddenly in this race they are a liability and adding a lot of points. So really those second and third slots should be determined likely by the four and five man. There are plenty of teams with some power up front, but it's going to be the depth in this one that wins it.
Individuals
1. Jimmy Clark (Creekside)
2. Ryan Pickering (John I. Leonard)
3. Elliot Clemente (Belen Jesuit)
4. Max del Monte (Chamberlain)
5. Chris Godwin (Buchholz)
6. Phil Duncan (Boone)
7. Quincy O'Connor (Celebration)
8. Tyler Cardillo (Charlotte)
9. Riley Doherty (Leon)
10. Dylan Cook (Coral Reef)
Others to watch:
Bo Nalsen (HB Plant), JL Hines (Boone), Will Stanford (Leon), Trent Craig (Cypress Lake).
Teams
1. Belen Jesuit
2. Charlotte
3. Dr. Phillips
4. Plant
5. Woodstock, GA
Others to watch:
Leon, Naples, Ft. Walton Beach, Niceville.
Virtual Meet
Boys Team Rankings
=================================================================================
Rank Team Total 1 2 3 4 5 *6 *7 *8 *9
=================================================================================
1 FL Belen Jesuit Preparat 133 2 10 26 42 53 61 64 -- --
Total Time: 1:22:40.93
Average: 16:32.19
2 FL Dr. Phillips HS 154 8 18 36 38 54 82 95 --
Total Time: 1:23:46.3
Average: 16:45.26
3 FL Charlotte HS 191 4 11 17 63 96 108 138
Total Time: 1:23:39.69
Average: 16:43.94
4 GA Woodstock High School 200 12 13 24 33 118 123 128 -- --
Total Time: 1:24:23.24
Average: 16:52.65
5 FL Leon HS 234 9 20 50 77 78 117 131 --
Total Time: 1:24:48.57
Average: 16:57.71
6 FL Niceville HS 234 21 23 52 65 73 122 137
Total Time: 1:25:07.4
Average: 17:01.48
7 FL Fort Walton Beach HS 237 27 40 44 55 71 90 100 --
Total Time: 1:25:13.04
Average: 17:02.61
8 FL Estero HS 237 6 43 45 59 84 93 103 -- --
Total Time: 1:24:49.7
Average: 16:57.94
9 GA Norcross High School 266 31 34 35 80 86 101 105 --
Total Time: 1:25:26.51
Average: 17:05.3
10 FL John I. Leonard HS 284 1 7 58 79 139
Total Time: 1:24:20.63
Average: 16:52.13
Full virtual meet team results...
Entries
Teams
Archbishop McCarthy
Astronaut
Belen Jesuit
Boone
Chamberlain
Charlotte
Cypress Lake
Dr. Phillips
Estero
Ft. Walton Beach
HB Plant
John I. Leonard
Leon
Naples
Niceville
Norcross, GA
Olympia
Ransom Everglades
Sarasota
Spruce Creek
St. Thomas Aquinas
Tampa Jesuit
Timber Creek
Vero Beach
Woodstock, GA
Individuals
Jimmy Clark (Creekside)
Dylan Cook (Coral Reef)
Quincy O'Connor (Harmony)
Will Bridges (Edgewater)
Tim Hendricks (North Broward)
Nicholas Palmero (North Broward)
Chris Godwin (Buchholz)
Santiago Zerda (Coral Glades)
Coach Raposo's Boys ROC Outlook
Individuals
After his recent 14:57 5K performance at Spanish River, Ryan Pickering of John I. Leonard is poised to continue his drive to be considered Florida's top male athlete this season. After much early and presason debate about this subject--mainly centered around Armando Del Valle and Jimmy Clark--Pickering now has to be the odds-on favorite after his 12 second drop of Armando Del Valle this past Saturday.