
Nease HS was 4th last year in the FHSAA 4A Boys Cross Country State meet. They sit atop the pre-season 4A Boys Team rankings.
Photo Credit: Chris Shonk
Summer training is in full swing across Florida. Athletes are starting to put in the mileage, teams are looking at filling their schedules, and the state's top distance runners are putting in the work that will pay off this fall. Many of the athletes who carried their seasons into postseason track meets and national competitions are beginning to shift their focus back to the upcoming cross season.
With another season quickly approaching, it's time for our first preseason look at the team landscape.
Over the next several days, we'll be breaking down the top returning teams in each of the FHSAA's new classifications. These rankings are based on the updated classification assignments for the 2026 season and give us an early snapshot of which programs return the strongest teams on paper. (*Please let us know if any are incorrect.)
It's important, however, to remember exactly what these early, pre-season rankings measure.
These projections are based solely on each returning athlete's 5K personal best from the 2025 cross country season. They don't account for offseason improvement, incoming freshmen, school transfers, injuries, or any of the countless variables that can make cross country one of the most unpredictable sports.
Some teams will undoubtedly make huge jumps by November. Others will develop runners who weren't on anyone's radar a year ago. But if you're looking for a data-driven starting point to see what teams may look like this fall, these rankings offer a great place to begin.
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FHSAA 2025 4A Boys 5000 Meter Run Finals Team Scores
| Place | Team | Points | Scorers | Times |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 58 | 3+4+7+15+29 (109+137) | 1:01 1-5 Split | 15:57 Avg | |
| 2 | 103 | 6+10+19+28+40 (68+97) | 0:45 1-5 Split | 16:16 Avg | |
| 3 | 197 | 1+22+33+49+92 (105+202) | 2:03 1-5 Split | 16:32 Avg | |
| 4 | 221 | 16+20+23+76+86 (108+138) | 1:05 1-5 Split | 16:43 Avg | |
| 5 | 246 | 24+31+46+58+87 (91+107) | 0:55 1-5 Split | 16:50 Avg |

| Rank | Team | Time | Score | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nease HS (FL) | 152 | |||
| 1) Rishi Chopra | 15:37.00 | 8 | |||
| 2) Matthew Ishee | 15:41.00 | 12 | |||
| 3) Charles Carlson | 15:44.86 | 15 | |||
| 4) Gideon Churchill | 16:07.93 | 34 | |||
| 5) Joseph Morley | 16:38.00 | 83 | |||
Average Time: 15:57.76 Total Time: 1:19:48.79 1-5 Split: 1:01.00 | |||||
| 6) Austin Courson | 16:42.00 | 97 | |||
| 7) Preston Prine | 16:46.67 | 110 | |||
| 2 | Niceville HS (FL) | 207 | |||
| 1) Sebastian Riemer | 16:03.50 | 26 | |||
| 2) Bryant Olson | 16:10.10 | 37 | |||
| 3) Brayden Riemer | 16:11.67 | 39 | |||
| 4) Reid Sadowski | 16:14.00 | 41 | |||
| 5) Brody Mathis | 16:27.40 | 64 | |||
Average Time: 16:13.33 Total Time: 1:21:06.67 1-5 Split: 23.90 | |||||
| 6) Carson Jackson | 16:42.26 | 98 | |||
| 7) Luke Chavers | 16:42.97 | 100 | |||
| 3 | Plant (FL) | 318 | |||
| 1) Wyatt LaGasse | 15:33.00 | 3 | |||
| 2) Antonino Pipia | 15:57.50 | 23 | |||
| 3) Jack Christy | 16:07.10 | 32 | |||
| 4) Fischer Speer | 16:43.10 | 101 | |||
| 5) Ryan Pavliga | 17:07.60 | 159 | |||
Average Time: 16:17.66 Total Time: 1:21:28.30 1-5 Split: 1:34.60 | |||||
| 6) Akhil Nayak | 17:44.10 | 258 | |||
| 7) Igor Sousa Gordiano | 19:13.50 | 610 | |||
| 4 | Lake Minneola HS (FL) | 318 | |||
| 1) Quentin Thompson | 15:40.90 | 11 | |||
| 2) Drew Sasson | 16:03.90 | 28 | |||
| 3) Jacob Kelly | 16:04.80 | 29 | |||
| 4) Matthew Lydiard | 16:40.90 | 92 | |||
| 5) Mathias Perez | 17:07.59 | 158 | |||
Average Time: 16:19.62 Total Time: 1:21:38.09 1-5 Split: 1:26.69 | |||||
| 6) Preston Pautienus | 17:15.00 | 172 | |||
| 7) Joshua Ping | 18:07.80 | 344 | |||
| 5 | 390 | ||||
| 1) Nicholas Garcia | 16:08.00 | 35 | |||
| 2) Jeremiah Elington | 16:25.00 | 59 | |||
| 3) Steven Lundin | 16:33.00 | 76 | |||
| 4) Xander Muchallah | 16:39.70 | 89 | |||
| 5) Jose Luis Cordero | 16:55.20 | 131 | |||
Average Time: 16:32.18 Total Time: 1:22:40.90 1-5 Split: 47.20 | |||||
| 6) Valerio Rodriguez | 17:20.70 | 189 | |||
| 7) Paul Cardenas-Gomez | 17:22.20 | 193 | |||
| 6 | George Steinbrenner (FL) | 406 | |||
| 1) Jack Bronder | 15:36.30 | 6 | |||
| 2) Max Tschopp | 16:17.70 | 48 | |||
| 3) Oliver Day | 16:46.21 | 108 | |||
| 4) London Paladino | 16:46.80 | 111 | |||
| 5) Luke Bronder | 16:55.80 | 133 | |||
Average Time: 16:28.56 Total Time: 1:22:22.81 1-5 Split: 1:19.50 | |||||
| 6) Vincent Nguyen | 18:11.44 | 363 | |||
| 7) PUNYA DESAI | 19:03.70 | 570 | |||
| 7 | 481 | ||||
| 1) Liano Lacayo | 16:19.50 | 52 | |||
| 2) Lucas Knight | 16:26.00 | 60 | |||
| 3) Jacob Castanedo | 16:29.60 | 72 | |||
| 4) Ian Vicente | 17:00.20 | 143 | |||
| 5) Jaeden Liranzo | 17:06.40 | 154 | |||
Average Time: 16:40.34 Total Time: 1:23:21.70 1-5 Split: 46.90 | |||||
| 6) Praxedis Arguello | 18:14.00 | 375 | |||
| 7) Anthony Cano | 18:29.00 | 438 | |||
| 8 | Newsome (FL) | 493 | |||
| 1) Jonas Williams | 15:35.73 | 5 | |||
| 2) Johnathan Robison | 16:14.90 | 44 | |||
| 3) Justin Belteau | 16:30.10 | 74 | |||
| 4) Ronald Ramos | 17:13.99 | 170 | |||
| 5) Drake Jones | 17:26.32 | 200 | |||
Average Time: 16:36.21 Total Time: 1:23:01.04 1-5 Split: 1:50.59 | |||||
| 6) Chase Wilk | 17:56.90 | 302 | |||
| 7) Chance Fowler | 18:14.20 | 378 | |||
| 9 | Crestview HS (FL) | 499 | |||
| 1) Tucker Sheldon | 16:10.78 | 38 | |||
| 2) Westin Waller | 16:37.09 | 81 | |||
| 3) Emery McGriff | 16:44.16 | 104 | |||
| 4) Caleb Turner | 16:50.26 | 116 | |||
| 5) Julien Saul | 17:09.01 | 160 | |||
Average Time: 16:42.26 Total Time: 1:23:31.30 1-5 Split: 58.23 | |||||
| 6) Zaivier Dillard | 17:12.98 | 165 | |||
| 7) Alex Sunyak | 17:43.01 | 255 | |||
| 10 | East Ridge HS (FL) | 509 | |||
| 1) Axel Sallault | 15:01.11 | 1 | |||
| 2) Watson Dunham | 16:20.90 | 54 | |||
| 3) Jonahel Vazquez | 16:24.20 | 58 | |||
| 4) Aubin Sallault | 16:27.40 | 64 | |||
| 5) Tyce Ertel | 18:03.70 | 332 | |||
Average Time: 16:27.46 Total Time: 1:22:17.31 1-5 Split: 3:02.59 | |||||
| 6) Aiden Floudiotis | 18:26.90 | 433 | |||
| 7) Gavan Flaugher | 19:36.50 | 711 | |||

Nease HS was 4th last year in the FHSAA 4A Boys Cross Country State meet. They sit atop the pre-season 4A Boys Team rankings.
Photo Credit: Chris Shonk