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Mantecon Leads Loaded New World Championship Field
Marcelo Mantecon returns to the New World Fall Spectacular with a title to defend and his own meet record to chase. The Belen Jesuit senior headlines a boys' championship field featuring Florida's seven fastest runners, 16 of the state's top 20, and Georgia No. 4 Jackson Hunter of Glynn Academy. With 45 boys seeded under 16:00, the battle for a top-10 finish should be among the meet's most competitive storylines.
Mantecon set the standard with his winning 14:33.00 in 2025. His Florida-leading 14:35.90 at the Great American XC Festival puts him just 2.90 seconds off that mark entering this year's race. Times from different courses offer only part of the picture, but his latest performance makes the record a compelling target if conditions cooperate.
The defending champion gets the nod to repeat. Behind him, a field loaded with returning contenders and improved challengers should make every position difficult to secure.
Belen's front-runners set the pace
Photo Credit: Cedric Gillette
Armando Cruz gives Belen Jesuit the top two athletes in Florida's current rankings. The senior ran 14:50.60 at Great American and returns after finishing seventh at New World in 15:16 last fall. His season best is 25.40 seconds faster than that performance, making him a strong choice to move onto the podium and complete a projected Belen 1-2 finish.
Teammate Jack Michalak could make it three Belen runners in the first four. The junior's 15:01.70 at The Southern Showcase ranks fourth in Florida and represents a substantial step forward from his 66th-place, 16:06 showing at this meet in 2025. This time, his credentials put him squarely among the individual contenders.
IMG Academy junior Fletcher Rodbro is the leading candidate to break up that group. Ranked third in Florida at 14:54.00, Rodbro is one of three listed entrants with a season best under 15 minutes. He finished 11th here in 15:21 last year; a similar position this time would fall well short of what his current ranking suggests is possible.
Sallault brings proven New World success
Photo Credit: Cedric Gillette
East Ridge senior Axel Sallault owns the best 2025 finish among the listed returners behind Mantecon. He placed sixth in 15:14, ahead of Cruz, Sean Cunningham, and Rodbro.
Sallault enters ranked fifth in Florida with a 15:05.90 from Hawks on the Hill. His current speed and strong previous performance at New World make him a top-five pick, with a realistic chance to challenge higher.
Nease junior Matthew Ishee and Providence senior Sean Cunningham should also factor prominently. Ishee's 15:13.20 at Roy Griak ranks sixth in Florida, while Cunningham sits seventh at 15:15.70 from The Southern Showcase.
Ishee returns after placing 27th in 15:42 last year. Cunningham has already demonstrated that he can finish near the front of this race, taking eighth in 15:18 in 2025. Ishee gets a slight predictive edge on current form, but Cunningham's previous New World result makes this a close call.
Georgia challenger adds another podium threat
Glynn Academy senior Jackson Hunter brings a 15:12.34 seed and Georgia's No. 4 ranking into the field. His listed time falls between Sallault and Ishee, placing him sixth among the supplied entrants by seed time.
Hunter is projected seventh here, with Ishee's current Florida standing and Cunningham's previous New World performance earning narrow preference. That is one of the more uncertain calls in the forecast: Hunter's seed clearly supports a higher finish, including a challenge for the top five.
Largo senior Isaiah Howdeshell and St. Cloud senior Luis Rivera round out the projected top 10. Howdeshell's 15:20.00 at Cecil Field and Rivera's 15:20.20 at North Port place them ninth and 10th in Florida, respectively. Just two-tenths separate their season bests, leaving little to distinguish them on time alone
Predicted Top 10 Individual Finish
| Predicted Finish | Athlete | Grade | School | Current State Rank by Time | Season Best | 2025 New World Place |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Marcelo Mantecon | SR | Belen Jesuit | FL 1 | 14:35.90 | 1 |
| 2 | Armando Cruz | SR | Belen Jesuit | FL 2 | 14:50.60 | 7 |
| 3 | Jack Michalak | JR | Belen Jesuit | FL 4 | 15:01.70 | 66 |
| 4 | Axel Sallault | SR | East Ridge | FL 5 | 15:05.90 | 6 |
| 5 | Matthew Ishee | JR | Nease | FL 6 | 15:13.20 | 27 |
| 6 | Sean Cunningham | SR | Providence School | FL 7 | 15:15.70 | 8 |
| 7 | Jackson Hunter | SR | Glynn Academy (GA) | GA 4 | 15:12.34 | - |
| 8 | Isaiah Howdeshell | SR | Largo | FL 9 | 15:20.00 | - |
| 9 | Douglas Seth | SO | Flagler Palm Coast | FL 11 | 15:20.70 | 63 |
| 10 | Fletcher Rodbro | JR | IMG Academy | FL 3 | 14:54.00 | 15 |
Just Outside the Top 10
| Athlete | Grade | School | Florida Rank by Time | Season Best | 2025 New World Place |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rishi Chopra | SR | Nease | 12 | 15:22.80 | 24 |
| Jaxon Kiper | SR | Strawberry Crest | 13 | 15:24.20 | - |
| Bryant Olson | SO | Niceville | 15 | 15:27.60 | - |
| David Barton | SR | Maclay | 16 | 15:28.96 | 17 |
| Jonathan Kiros | SR | Chiles | 18 | 15:36.50 | 10 |
| James Pfuhl | SR | IMG Academy | 20 | 15:37.40 | 15 |
Nease senior Rishi Chopra is a tough exclusion. His 15:22.80 ranks 12th in Florida. He was 24th in 15:37 in 2025. Another potential top-10 runner who has run well this season is Strawberry Crest senior Jaxon Kiper. Kiper, coming in after a win at the Don Bishop Invite in 15:24.20, should be in the lead group and can run fast; however, he didnt run at New World last year, and he will need to step up the last 1000m to get into the top ten. Niceville sophomore Bryant Olson, No. 15 at 15:27.60, is another top-10 consideration that adds pressure around the top-10 cutoff.
Previous New World success also keeps David Barton, Jonathan Kiros, and James Pfuhl in the discussion. Barton finished 17th last year and enters with a 15:28.96 season best. Kiros was 10th in 15:21, while Pfuhl finished 15th in 15:28-both faster than their listed 2026 season bests of 15:36.50 and 15:37.40.
Mantecon is the clear favorite, but the chase behind him is crowded. A Belen 1-2, possibly a 1-3 sweep, and a tightly matched group fighting for the final top-10 positions give this championship race plenty of fuel from the opening gun to the stretch to the finish.
New World Boys Team Preview: Belen, Nease and IMG Lead Field
Defending champion IMG Academy returns to the New World Fall Spectacular with another strong lineup, but reclaiming the boys team title will require overcoming a loaded field led by Belen Jesuit and Nease.
The championship race features all four of Florida's top-ranked boys teams and 11 of the state's top 14. Belen enters as Florida's No. 1 team, the Class 3A leader and the nation's No. 11 squad. Nease, Florida's No. 2 team and the Class 4A leader, joins third-ranked IMG at the center of the race for the team championship.
In an 11-team virtual meet, Belen has the advantage with 30 points, followed by Nease with 65 and IMG with 87.5. The team race has three storylines. Belen's bid to turn last year's runner-up finish into a win, Nease's opportunity to challenge the state's best, and IMG's pursuit of another New World title.
Last Year: IMG's Pack Delivered the Team Title
IMG won the 2025 elite boys race with 90 points, finishing 43 points ahead of Belen. The difference was its pack. IMG kept its five scorers within 33 seconds, compared with Belen's 1:33 spread, and won despite Belen's slightly faster team average, 15:31 to 15:32.
Photo Credit: Cedric Gillette
Three of IMG's five scorers return. Fletcher Rodbro leads the returners at 11th overall with 15:21.00, followed by James Pfuhll at 15th overall with 15:28.00, and Jose Cedeno-Barrer at 41st overall with 15:54.00.
Graduation took away scorers Pedro Ferreira de Abreu and Lucas Brighty, along with their sixth runner Henry Carlson. Rebuilding the depth in the four- and five-runners is central to IMG's strength as a team and any title defense.
Belen brings back defending individual champion Marcelo Mantecon, who won last year in 14:33.00, and Armando Cruz, who was seventh in 15:16.00. Nicholas Veloso and Jack Michalak also return from last year, while Davi Bodoh and Liam Salom provide additional New World experience. Belen's 1-3 are as good as anyone's in the nation. If four and five can step up, they will be one of the top 10 teams in the nation. In state, they are unbeatable.
Belen Jesuit: Front-End Firepower and Returning Depth
Belen's biggest advantage is its first three runners. Mantecon's season-best of 14:35.90 leads the virtual field, with Cruz next at 14:50.60. Jack Michalak, who ran 16:06.00 last year, enters with a 15:01.70 season best and projects fourth in the virtual scoring. He has had a standout season so far, and sub-15:00 is not out of the question for the 800m specialist.
That gives the Wolverines just seven points through three runners.
The championship push then turns to Nicholas Veloso, at 15:47.30, and Davi Bodoh, at 15:52.30. They complete a projected scoring five averaging 15:13.56, nearly 28 seconds faster than Nease's average.
Liam Salom at 15:54.00 and Dominic de Armas at 15:57.00 give Belen seven runners under 16 minutes. That depth provides valuable support if anyone falters up front.
Nease: The Closest Projected Challenger
Nease enters with the tightest projected scoring spread among the leading three teams: 53.50 seconds.
Photo Credit: Cedric Gillette
Matthew Ishee leads the Panthers at 15:13.20, with Rishi Chopra close behind at 15:22.80. They are projected at fifth and sixth in the 11-team scoring, giving Nease a strong up-front presence.
Joseph Morley at 15:49.70 and Austin Courson at 15:53.40 are close to Belen's number four and five. Those matchups will be especially important to the team's overall scoring.
Charles Carlson rounds out Nease's scorers at 16:06.70. With Gideon Churchill and Colin Lasota providing support as the sixth and seventh runners, Nease has the personnel to make this more than a two-team rematch.
IMG Academy: Can the Champions Recreate Their Pack?
IMG's Rodbro has a season best of 14:54.00, which, based solely on time, places him third in the virtual scoring, between Cruz and Michalak. This race will be a challenge for him, as he may need to run sub:15:00 to be in the mix with Belen's top three.
Pfuhl follows at 15:37.40, with Cedeno-Barrer at 15:58.50. Jackson Hawkins, 16:09.60, and Maddi Duke, 16:13.30, complete IMG's projected five scorers. Damien Riozzi and Lucas Chiang add depth to their squad.
IMG's 15:46.56 average is only 5.40 seconds behind Nease, which could make the battle between the two teams interesting. However, its projected 1:19.30 spread is considerably wider than the 33-second pack from last year's championship team. Rodbro getting into the top five, Pfuhl in the top 10, and moving the third-through-fifth runners up is essential for IMG.
Virtual Meet: Leading Three Teams
Projected scores below come from the supplied 11-team virtual meet, rather than a separately rescored three-team matchup.
| Projected Place | Team | Points | Scoring Places | Top-Five Average | 1-5 Split |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Belen Jesuit | 30 | 1, 2, 4, 10, 13 | 15:13.56 | 1:16.40 |
| 2 | Nease | 65 | 5, 6, 12, 15, 27 | 15:41.16 | 53.50 |
| 3 | IMG Academy | 87.5 | 3, 8, 19.5, 28, 29 | 15:46.56 | 1:19.30 |
A Deep Field Will Shape the Outcome
Bolles projects fourth with 133 points and an exceptionally tight 27.30-second spread, followed by Niceville with 147. G. Holmes Braddock, Wiregrass Ranch, Spanish River, Doral Academy, Christopher Columbus and Ocala Vanguard complete the virtual field. Their runners will have a big impact on how quickly points accumulate in the top teams. It's a deep field, and even small gaps on the course can become costly in the team standings.
Belen enters as the hands-down favorite, with its lead trio and seven-runner depth. Nease has the balance to apply pressure, and IMG brings back the defending champions' core. Last year, IMG demonstrated the value of a tight pack. This year, the challenge is whether anyone can place enough runners near Belen's leaders to keep the Wolverines within reach.