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High School Regional Rankings Boys XC 2023 - 10/19Published by
Boys Regional Rankings - 10/19/2023 By Doug Binder, DyeStat Editor The volatile Southeast region saw one of the biggest shake-ups of the past two weeks as three new teams moved into the top five rankings. Belen Jesuit Prep of Miami is firmly established as the top team in the region with numerous big invitational victories. Add Great American and the FSU Pre-State to the list. It's the spot behind Belen Jesuit that is up for grabs, the second NXN automatic qualifying berth. Marvin Ridge of North Carolina takes over that No. 2 spot this week after strong pack running carried the Mavericks to third place at Great American. Top runner David Firestone was 37th in the race but he and four teammates were separated by 35 seconds. Nease of Florida and University of West Virginia take over the Nos. 4 and 5 spots and there are a few other teams that are just as strong lurking outside the top five. The Northeast is proving to be one of the strongest regions in the country this year. Christian Brothers Academy NJ ran the second-fastest team time in Manhattan Invitational history on Van Cortlandt Park's 2.5-mile layout and team leader Joe Barrett ran an all-time top 15 performance in the meet. New Jersey also has two more strong teams with Westfield and Union Catholic. Brookline of Massachusetts is a potential NXN qualifier and Ridgefield of Connecticut ran to an impressive second place at Great American. There is also a sixth team that deserves mention and is also a serious contender for a nationals berth. La Salle College High of Pennsylvania, led by Cole Casadei, ran to a second-place finish behind CBA at Manhattan. If there is any margin at all between Ridgefield and La Salle College, it's not much. The 44th ASICS Clovis Invitational reset the order in California as practically every significant team ran on the state meet course at Woodward Park. Preseason No. 1 Ventura has slipped out of the top five this week, although top runner Anthony Fast Horse, a recent Oregon commit, is climbing in the individual rankings after his win. Dana Hills topped Great Oak by five points at Clovis and vaults into the No. 1 spot as a result. Oakdale placed third, San Clemente was fourth and Mira Costa was fifth. In the Northwest, Crater OR and Coeur d'Alene ID could be a toss-up. The Comets took on a challenge last week when they ran all-out for 5,000 meters on the track and then drove 300 miles to Portland the next day to compete in the Rose City Championship Invitational. Some of the tired legs were evident as Crater took third. But it can't be ignored that three members of the team ran under 15 minutes on the track. Tayvon Kitchen ran 14:41 on a Thursday night and 15:03 the next day on a golf course. Still, if Crater can't close the gap between its fourth and fifth runners, Coeur d'Alene or Rocky Mountain of Idaho could win the region. In the Southwest, the anticipation is building for the Utah and Colorado state meets, which are next week. On Tuesday, No. 1 Herriman and No. 2 American Fork will go head to head in the first of several high stakes races that should be very competitive. Later in the week, Colorado will roll out all of its great teams, led by Niwot and Classical Academy, and others, for a spectacular state meet at Norris Penrose Event Center. Wayzata of Minnesota won the Lake Conference title and is showing the expected progress that should make it a contender in the Heartland region. Three Iowa teams, Cedar Falls, Ankeny and Dowling Catholic, are in this week's top five. CALIFORNIA HEARTLAND MIDWEST NEW YORK NORTHEAST 1. Christian Brothers Academy NJ NORTHWEST SOUTH SOUTHEAST SOUTHWEST More news |
