FL Boys Top 10 Subjective Rankings- Beyond the Clock (Wk 5)

Florida Boys Top 10 Subjective Rankings - Beyond the Clock

(Sept. 14-Sept. 19)

Mantecon Breaks 14:50, Belen Dominates Southern Showcase in Week 5 Top 10

Week Five produced, as expected, big shifts in the Florida cross country landscape as teams traveled to premier regional meets like the Southern Showcase, Roy Griak Invitational, Spanish River and the North Port XC Invitational.

Marcelo Mantecon solidified his firm grip on the statewide No. 1 spot by posting a U.S. Top 20, 14:41.60 at the Southern Showcase in Huntsville, Alabama, leading Belen Jesuit to a dominant team performance. Teammate Armando Cruz also went sub-15 with a 14:58.60, while junior teammate Jack Michalak jumped into the Top 5 after running 15:01.70, completing Belen's sweep in Huntsville.

Axel Sallault maintained his winning ways with a victory at the Hawks on the Hill XC Invitational in 15:05.90, climbing to No. 3. Meanwhile, Fletcher Rodbro dropped to No. 7 as other top runners build deeper résumés against tough competitive fields, and Nease's Matthew Ishee moved into the No. 8 spot after putting together a standout 15:13.20 effort at the Roy Griak Invitational in Minnesota.

These rankings evaluate season-best times, complete-season résumés, recent performances, head-to-head results, course difficulty, and championship pedigree.

MileSplit Florida Boys' Top 10 Subjective Rankings

1. Marcelo Mantecon, Belen Jesuit

Current MileSplit rank by time: No. 1 - 14:41.60, Class 3A No. 1

Mantecon delivered the performance of the season so far at the Southern Showcase in Huntsville, winning the race in 14:41.60. His performance marks the fastest 5K time in the state this season by over twelve seconds and reinforces his status as Florida's top cross country runner. The two-time Class 3A state champion remains undefeated against Florida competition and holds the No. 1 subjective rank without question.

2. Armando Cruz, Belen Jesuit

Current MileSplit rank by time: No. 3 - 14:58.60, Class 3A No. 2

Cruz joined the sub-15 club with a stellar 14:58.60 effort at the Southern Showcase, placing third overall in a deep interstate field. Cruz has now broken 15:10 twice this season. Mantecon remains the only Florida runner to cross the line ahead of him this year.

3. Axel Sallault, East Ridge

Current MileSplit rank by time: No. 5 - 15:05.90, Class 4A No. 1

Sallault continues his upward trajectory, climbing four spots to No. 3 after winning the 16th Annual Hawks on the Hill XC Invitational in 15:05.90. Sallault is now undefeated in his last three races and holds the fastest time among FHSAA Class 4A runners.

4. Jack Michalak, Belen Jesuit

Current MileSplit rank by time: No. 4 - 15:01.70, Class 3A No. 3

Michalak makes a deserved debut in the Top 10 at No. 4 after running a solid 15:01.70 at the Southern Showcase. The junior 800m specialist capitalized on Huntsville's fast but fair course to finish as Belen's third runner, establishing himself as one of the state's top runners.

5. Isaiah Howdeshell, Largo

Current MileSplit rank by time: No. 9 - 15:20.00, Class 3A No. 4

Howdeshell holds a strong position in the upper half of the rankings. With a season-best of 15:20.00 from Cecil Field and wins at both Seffner Christian and Parker Valby, the Largo senior remains one of Class 3A's top-ranked runners.

6. Quentin Thompson, Lake Minneola

Current MileSplit rank by time: No. 8 - 15:16.00, Class 4A No. 2

Thompson's 15:16.00 season opener at Cecil Field is the eighth-fastest time in Florida this season. Coupled with his third-place finish at the Florida Horse Park Invitational, his early-season résumé keeps him securely inside the Top 10.

7. Fletcher Rodbro, IMG Academy

Current MileSplit rank by time: No. 2 - 14:54.00

Rodbro slides to No. 7 despite a 14:54.00 win on his home course at the IMGA XC Summit Challenge earlier this month. As Florida's second-fastest runner by raw time, the IMG Academy junior remains in the Top 10, but drops as other top runners build deeper résumés against established statewide and interstate competition. Rodbro was 15th in Huntsville with a 15:21.60.

8. Matthew Ishee, Nease

Current MileSplit rank by time: No. 6 - 15:13.20, Class 4A No. 2 (Tied)

Ishee moves up to No. 8 in the subjective rankings after a huge performance at the Roy Griak Invitational in Minnesota, where he clocked 15:13.20 to finish 15th as Nease's top runner. His mark is the sixth-fastest raw time in Florida this season and came in a strong effort in a deep, talented field.

9. Sean Cunningham, Providence School

Current MileSplit rank by time: No. 7 - 15:15.70, Class 1A No. 1

Cunningham surges into the Top 10 following a standout 15:15.70 clocking at the Southern Showcase. His 11th place finish makes him the top 1A runner in the state by time and earns him a spot among Florida's Top 10.

10. Douglas Seth, Flagler Palm Coast

Current MileSplit rank by time: No. 11 - 15:20.70, Class 4A No. 4

Seth moves into the Top 10 after a 13th-place, sub-15:25 PR performance at the Southern Showcase (15:20.70). Building on a 4th-place finish at the Florida Horse Park Invitational earlier this season, Seth claims the final spot inside the statewide Top 10.

Just Outside The Top 10

Reed Hagen (Fort Myers) - MileSplit No. 15 (15:30.30): Hagen backed up his Fort Myers XC Invitational win by dropping down to a 15:30.30  PR at the North Port XC Invitational. The sophomore only lacks consistency and more sub-16 runs to move up from his No. 15 state ranking.

Jonathan Kiros (Chiles) - MileSplit No. 16 (15:36.50): Kiros improved his season best to 15:36.50 at the Southern Showcase.

Jacob Sackenheim (Robinson) - MileSplit No. 17 (15:37.07): Sackenheim ran 15:37.07 PR for third place at North Port. His previous PR was a 16:25.50 win at the 3rd Grayling Memorial Invitational. He needs to be consistently under 16:00.

James Pfuhl (IMG Academy) - MileSplit No. 18 (15:37.40): Pfuhl holds a 15:37.40 season-best from the IMGA XC Summit Challenge behind teammate Rodbro.

Dylan Macias-Buenrostro (Mariner) - MileSplit No. 19 (15:38.46): Macias-Buenrostro ran 15:38.46 at North Port, following up top-two finishes at Fort Myers and 3D Sommers.

Jaxon Kiper (Strawberry Crest) - Milesplit No. 40 (15:54.30): Kiper drops out of the Top 10 after holding at 15:54.30 from Holloway Park. He was 5th at the 2026 Central Hillsborough Championship in 18:06.20 and 35th at the 2026 Raider Open-East Hillsborough with an 18:18.83.

Gabriel Harris (Lake Wales) - MileSplit No. 24 (15:43.72): Harris retains a strong credential from his 15:43.72 runner-up finish to Rivera at St. Cloud.

Andrew Sides (Buchholz) - MileSplit No. 30 (15:49.00): Sides remains in the conversation with his 15:49.00 mark from Cecil Field.