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South Region Boys Preseason XC Rankings 2018Published by
Flower Mound TX Primed For A Big Run In South By Paul Schmitz of DyeStat Boys NXR South Preview This fall, the South could be dominated by one storyline: Can anyone run with the team from Flower Mound TX and its 1-2 punch of Alex Maier and Jarrett Kirk? Projections have Flower Mound the runaway team to beat in the region. The numbers for Flower Mound at the top are impressive: Maier and Jarrett are the top two returners from the 2017 NXR South regional. At the national level, Maier is the fifth-fastest returner from NXN last year and the second-fastest returner from the team competition. Kirk is the fourth-fastest returning junior from NXN and the fastest returning junior from the team race. Flower Mound returns four of its top five and looks to repeat on the regional level. Since the first South regional 2007, the top two spots (auto qualifiers) have come from the state of Texas. This year it is no different. Kingwood TX and Smithson Valley TX have the best chance to challenge Flower Mound. Traditional Texas powers Southlake Carroll and The Woodlands have won nine of the past 12 NXR South championships and secured 22 of the 32 invites to nationals. Both are rebuilding in 2018, with SLC graduating its top two and four of seven, and The Woodlands graduating all but one of its top seven runners from a team that won the UIL 6A title in but slipped to fourth in the regional. Fayetteville of Arkansas has the best chance of competing with the top Texas squads. The Arkansas Class 7A runner-up last year returns its entire lineup 1-7 and is the pick in the Razorback State. Bentonville AR returns five of seven and could be close as well. 1. Flower Mound TX. The Jaguars return four of the seven guys who won NXR South and went on to place 14th at NXN. A healthier Alex Maier could power this team to greater heights this fall. ALEX MAIER NIKE ELITE CAMP INTERVIEW 2. Kingwood TX. The Mustangs return six of the seven runners who collectively finished sixth at the Texas 6A final and then seventh at NXR South in 2017. Led by trio Nick Majerus, Carter Storm and Trent Nolan, improvement on the back end of the lineup could help this team hold off the contenders listed below. 3. Smithson Valley TX. Early projections place this team very close to Kingwood. SV actually finished one spot ahead of Kingwood at the state championships (fifth) and NXR South (sixth) and returns its top five runners. 4. Fayetteville AR. Camren Fischer, the top runner in the state, gives the Purple Bulldogs a better low stick than either of the two teams right in front of them (Kingwood and SV). Fischer is the third-fastest returning runner from the NXR South team race, behind only the big two from Flower Mound. If this team can can make some gains, especially 4-7, it can become a threat to make it to NXN. 5. Southlake Carroll TX. With very little separating teams 2-5, it would not be a surprise to see Southlake Carroll back in the winner’s tent filling out the paperwork for NXN. SLC has the team culture and proven track record to make it happen. Watchlist |
