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Northeast Region Boys Preseason XC Rankings 2018Published by
CBA NJ, Xavier CT Still Hold Sway In Northeast By Paul Schmitz of DyeStat Boys NXR Northeast Preview Since 2010, the Nike Northeast Regional can be summarized by two things: the dominance of CBA at the top and parity beyond. The Christian Brothers Academy Colts of Lincroft, N.J. have qualified for NXN eight consecutive years and they have been joined by eight different schools during that time. Last year Xavier CT joined CBA for its first trip. In 2018, look for CBA to make a ninth straight appearance and for Xavier to join CBA again. The Northeast has not been awarded an at-large bid since 2012. Expect that to change in 2018. Two teams from Rhode Island, Bishop Hendricken and La Salle Academy, return strong lineups and can compete at the national level. Bishop Hendricken was the third-place finisher at NXR Northeast last year and returns six of seven from that squad. With depth and great pack running, the returning RI Champions slot just behind CBA and Xavier. New Jersey is typically well represented in the regional and it is sunusual this year to have only CBA in the top four. Behind the top four there are four teams from New Jersey that have a chance to compete in the region if they can fill voids in the back of their lineups. The teams from Haddonfield Memorial, West Windsor-Plainsboro South, Cherokee and Kingsway are the picks to give CBA the biggest challenge in the Garden State. The team from Cherokee could be a year away from challenging for NXN with all of its projected top five still underclassmen. 1. Christian Brothers Academy NJ. After another year of inconsistencies and injuries, Christian Brothers Academy finished second at NXR NE and then finished the season with its best race of the year at NXN, taking seventh. Led by top returners Luke Reid and Tim McInerney, CBA touts one of the deepest teams in the country and will be right back in the national mix again in 2018. 2. Xavier CT. The Connecticut state champions were one of the surprise teams in the country in 2018. With four underclassmen in the top five, the Falcons steadily improved through the year and peaked with an NXR NE regional championship. Then they finished a respectable 18th in their first trip to Portland and could improve on that finish in 2018. 3. Bishop Hendricken RI. Bishop Hendricken finished third in NXR Northeast in 2017 and bring back six of seven. Led by a solid top three of Aiden Tierney, Nick Braz and Jack McMahon, this year a top-three finish in the Northeast could be enough to punch a ticket to Portland. However, if the pack behind the top three close the gap, BH might not have to rely on the selection committee to earn that trip. 4. La Salle Academy RI. Also in the mix from Rhode Island is last year's 10th place NXR NE finisher. La Salle finished just behind Bishop Hendricken in the R.I. state championship meet last year and returns three of its top five and five of the top seven. 5. Haddonfield Memorial NJ. There is a considerable drop off from the top four to the pack of New Jersey teams starting at No. 5. Haddonfield Memorial finished sixth in New Jersey in 2017 and 12th at NXR NE. However, the Dawgs return all seven of the runners from that team and can compete with the top four with even modest improvements on the times from last year. Watchlist More news |
