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National High School Boys Team Rankings - 11/9Published by
Christian Brothers Academy Crashes Utah Party After Excellent Performance At Holmdel Park; Three NXR Regional Meets Arrive This Weekend With NXN Berths At Stake By Doug Binder, DyeStat Editor To start things off, it may have gone somewhat unnoticed last Saturday as more than 20 state championships were being held, but a gathering of high school runners at Pleasant Grove High in Utah, called "Pre-Foot Locker," brought another American Fork-Herriman showdown. Herriman turned the tables on the state meet result with a 26-43 win in what was essentially a workout/dual meet between the national title contenders. (AF's Danny Simmons won it by half a minute; teammate Kaden Evans was absent and Chase Pack seemed to be taking it easy). The two Utah teams have been neck-and-neck atop the rankings all fall, and could easily finish that way in Portland -- in either order. But, Christian Brothers Academy of New Jersey showed last Saturday at the NJSIAA Non-Public A Group final that it, too, belongs in the national championship conversation. The Colts ran as well at Holmdel Park as any team before in its storied history, including the 2011 national champions and 2013 runners-up. Junior Joe Barrett ran 15:21 and may be looking to go even faster this weekend at the Meet of Champions. CBA's state meet performance was a little bit better than Herriman's, so the Utah teams are split this week. Three NXR regional meets on deck all have compelling storylines and of course the stakes are raised with Nike Cross Nationals berths on the line. In the Northwest, No. 11 Crater OR and No. 13 Coeur d'Alene ID will meet for the first time this season and the competition for the top spot could be very close. Crater won the Oregon Class 5A title last week with junior Tayvon Kitchen stepping into the lead role vacated by graduated senior Tyrone Gorze, last year's NXR Northwest champion. No. 16 Franklin OR, No. 21 Jesuit OR and a couple of longshot contenders, Star Valley WY and Rocky Mountain ID, are all in play for the top spots. And after last year's second (Jesuit) and fourth (Crater) at nationals, it's not far-fetched to think the Northwest could receive a third spot. In the Midwest, a collision of state champions from Illinois (No. 8 Downers Grove North) and Indiana (No. 9 Carmel) will provide must-see action on Sunday in Terre Haute. DGN won the Illinois 3A title last Saturday with a 22-second compression from 1-5. At the regional meet, Carmel may put two low numbers on the board with Tony Provenzano and Kyle Grove before DGN's pack arrives. No. 23 Plainfield North IL and No. 26 Plainfield South IL, as well as Jackson (Massillon) OH and Rock Bridge MO, are all relevant and looking for a path to NXN. In Sioux Falls at Sunday's Heartland regional, No. 10 Stevens Point is the team to beat after a dominating 36-point performance at the Wisconsin state championships. Steadily rising Wayzata, into the rankings again at No. 29, won the Minnesota state meet title and is looking to rejoin SPASH in the top two. Iowa schools Dowling Catholic, Cedar Falls and Ankeny are all in the mix, as well as Bismarck of North Dakota. There are also five teams in the rankings from the South, which will be contested next week on Nov. 18. No. 5 Southlake Carroll won the Texas 6A title and Austin Vandegrift moved up to No. 12 with a strong showing for second. Meanwhile, No. 25 Deer Creek of Edmond, Okla., No. 27 Jesuit of New Orleans and No. 28 Bentonville of Arkansas would all love a rare chance to represent their states at NXN. Top 30 More news |
