S 1s: Southlake Carroll boys, Kingwood girls

The South Boys

By Paul Schmitz

 n 2014 Texas continued its dominance over the rest of the field in the South region. Southlake Carroll won its fourth consecutive regional title and the rest of the teams from Texas made the South Region a virtual Texas merged state event.  The Lone Star state has claimed 13 of the 15 podium spots since 2010.  In fact, just two teams, Southlake Carroll and The Woodlands have claimed 10 of those 15 spots with each team making it to the podium for the last 5 years.  

Two teams from Arkansas, Rogers and Bentonville have broken up this Texas party in the South with third place finishes in 2014 and 2011, respectively.  This could be the year that Oklahoma could bring home some hardware.    

1.  Southlake Carroll TX:  Southlake Carroll doesn’t rebuild, it reloads.  Graduating two of the top three hurt, but SLC has the depth and the talent to bring home gold again.  Dyestat rankings will keep them #1 until they prove us wrong!  

2. The Woodlands TX:  Very close to #1. Five of seven return on a team whose seven runners finished 42nd or better in the team scoring in the South Region.  

3. Jenks OK:  Five of their top six are 11th graders.  They should continue to improve as they work for the podium but they may be a year away from challenging for NXN.  

4. New Braunfels Canyon TX: Strong up front with junior Sam Worley. 

5. The Woodlands College Park TX:  This ranking is based upon a good track season converting to 5K.  

Watch list:  

Bentonville AR.  

Frisco Wakeland TX

St. Paul’s School LA  

Houston Strake Jesuit TX

Har-Ber AR    

The South Girls

By Adam Kopet

Texas has long dominated the South Region and this year appears to follow that trend. While the Texas dominance was broken up last year on the boys side, it seems unlikely to budge on the girls side. While one team has separated itself form the pack early, it looks to be a closely contested battle for the second and final automatic invitation to Portland. However, November is a long way away and anything can happen between now and NXN South.

1. Kingwood TX: Returning five from the varsity squad from a year ago that finished third at the Texas 6A State Championships and at the South Regional, the Mustangs are well poised for a fantastic season. Based on last year's performances, Kingwood has set themselves apart from the pack.

2. Marcus TX: The Marauders graduated only a single girl from last year's squad. After finishing second in both the Texas 6A State Championships and the South Regional, the now senior-dominated team will be looking to improve on their previous runner up finishes.

3. Cinco Ranch TX: Last year the Cougars finished off the podium at the state and region championships. Returning everyone from last year's squad, they are well placed to move up.

4. The Woodlands TX: The Highlanders went from a seventh place finish at the Texas 6A State Championships to fourth place finish at NXN South. They only return four girls from last year's varsity squad, but have the depth to comeback this year with a good chance of improving.

5. Hebron TX: Last year's eighth place team at Nike Cross Nationals will be looking to make a return trip. The Hawks graduated their No. 2 runner, but remain strong contenders in Texas. However, first goal will likely be to retain their State and Region titles.

Watch list:

Smithson Valley TX

Woodlands College Park TX

Southlake Carroll TX 

Seven Lakes TX 

New Braunfels TX

The Road to Portland and the Introduction of the 2015 Dyestat Nike Regional Rankings. 

The DyeStat regional rankings offer a glimpse of who we think has the best chance to qualify for Nike Cross Nationals in Portland, Ore. on Dec. 6. 

As such, the "regions" are established by the nine areas created by Nike for their qualifying purposes. There have been slight variations to this configuration over time but since 2008 they have remained consistent:  New York, given its dominance in the sport over the years, is a region unto itself.  California, given its massive population and success, is also a region and its qualifiers come from a power merge at the conclusion of the CIF state championships. The rest of the country is divided into 7 areas:

The Southeast:  Delaware, Maryland, Virgina, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Tennessee, Kentucky, West Virginia and District of Columbia.

The South:  Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Texas and Mississippi.

The Heartland:  Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wisconsin.

The Midwest:  Indiana, Illinois, Ohio, Michigan and Missouri.

The Northeast:  New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Vermont, Rhode Island and New Hampshire.

The Southwest:  Colorado, Utah, New Mexico, Arizona and Nevada.

The Northwest:  Wyoming, Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Alaska and Hawaii.  

These regional meets are open to any high schools from its corresponding states. If there is high demand, selectors ensure that the top teams are guaranteed a spot in the championship race.   The top 2 teams in each of the eight regions and the top 2 teams from the California merge all automatically qualify for NXN.  Nike also invites the top five individuals from the nine regions.  In addition to the automatic qualifiers, there is a committee that selects the next four deserving teams in the nation, bringing the total of participating teams to 22 each year.  

Every two weeks on Dyestat, Paul Schmitz (boys) and Adam Kopet (girls) will examine each region and make predictions about which teams are most likely to auto qualify for NXN. It is a big country to cover and we welcome your feedback. DyeStatCal editor Erik Boal handles the California rankings.