By Michael Newman

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Each week, we will be published an updated list of who we see are in the top 25 for both the Boys and the Girls. Regional lists have been increased to 10 schools and will be published every week up to the Nike Cross Nationals in December. Because teams are so close in the national rankings, the lists have been increased from 25 to 35 teams.

You can find updated lists each week on ILXCTF.com.

11/7/17 – Top 35 Boys National Lists

11/7/17 – Top 10 Boys Regional Lists

Notes

42 state meets are in the books. The outcomes of some of these races confirmed what we knew about some of the teams towards the top of the lists. We also found out who is a team to be considered to the Nike Cross Nationals. State meet results shook up all the nine NXN Regional lists.

We head now to the first of three weekends of Nike Cross Regionals to determine the 22 teams that will toe the line at Glendoveer Golf Course on the first weekend of December.

Northwest – The biggest mover up the list was Crater HS (OR) after their Oregon 5A State Championships win. Andy Monroe won the individual title on a photo finish ahead of Evan Holland of Ashland (OR). Their spread on their top five was 62 seconds. What to watch is that teammates Derek Tripp and Jantz Tostenson were only 12 seconds behind Monroe and among the top five. If this team makes it, Monroe could finish in the top ten in Portland making that pack and team even more dangerous. Portland Jesuit (OR) was just as impressive winning the Oregon 6A State Championship. They packed it up with 5 runners in the top 12 with only a 20 spread on the group led by Joshua Schumacher’s fourth-place finish. They are currently ranked third in the region but could easily be in the top two on Saturday.

Kamiakin (WA) kept the momentum going after the win in their district meet. The Braves won the Washington 3A State Championship ahead of Interlake (WA) and North Central (WA) led by top five finishes from Jonah Franco and Ryan Child. 5 runners placed in the top 31 with a 43 second spread on the group. This team has the momentum behind them and could be one of the top two squads in this region to make it to Portland in December.

Keep an eye also on defending national champions Bozeman (MT) on Saturday. They won the Montanan AA Championship on October 21 placing their top five in the first 15 spots with a 65 second spread on the group. They have not raced since state while these other schools are coming off high pressured state meets. It is a team that I would not dismiss quickly in Saturday’s race.

Midwest – Downers Grove North (IL) moved back into the top five in the national list after a strong race to win the Illinois 3A State Championship. Despite the soft grounds of Detweiller Park, the Trojans still had 4 runners in the top 25, 5 in the first 27 with only 17 seconds separating their scorers led by Jacob Ridderhoff’s ninth-place finish. Their team time also was tied for the eighth fastest ever for a team in the state meet. Illinois has run 3-miles on this course since 1971. They are the team to watch Sunday in Terre Haute, Indiana.

Neuqua Valley (IL) and Wheaton-Warrenville South were only separated by seven-points in that race but were close to 80 points behind Downers North. Neuqua was led by Zach Kinne’s fourth-place finish and still finished second without normal top five runner Chris Keeley having an off race. The Wildcats at full strength are in the hunt for a spot in the top two. Don’t overlook Wheaton-Warrenville South on Sunday. They have not been ahead of Neuqua in three races this fall but have finished seven, three, and seven points in those three races. Both teams are closer to the top two than you would think.

The team that they are close to is Carmel (IN) after the Greyhounds won the Indiana State Championship race on October 28. Carmel did not have a runner in the top ten in that race, but had a 33 second split on their scorers led by the 14^th-place finish from Keelan Grant. That kind of split could pay benefits in the regional race, but their pack needs to move up at least five seconds per runner.

Hudson (OH) won the Ohio D1 State Championship last Saturday and is the top team from this state in Terre Haute. Adam Beucler’s 11^th place finish led the team that had a 34 second spread on their scorers. Blue Springs (MO) won the Missouri Class 4 Championships behind the individual win from Victor Mugeche and seventh-place run by Oaklee Hauschild. Their spread off 66 seconds on their top five could hurt them especially in a quality field on Sunday like this.

It's too bad Michigan teams are strapped by the archaic rules of their association. Ann Arbor Pioneer and Plymouth were only separated by three points with Pioneer coming away with the D1 State Championship. Plymouth will be running in the team race in the regional, but their points will not count towards a chance to qualify for Portland. If so, they would have been one of the top five teams in that race.

Heartland – The third regional of the weekend has a clear favorite. Wayzata (MN) has been among the top ten teams all fall. The Trojans captured the Minnesota AA Championship last weekend behind the individual win from Khalid Hussein and a 40 second spread on their top five. Watch for their pack behind Hussein on Sunday. There was only a 12 second spread between their second through fifth runners. Stillwater and Edina, who finished behind Wayzata last Saturday, are among the top five teams in the regional with either of them having a chance to make it into the top two Sunday afternoon.

Middleton (WI) is currently ranked second in this regional after their win in the Wisconsin D1 Championships. The Cardinals will need to rely on a tight pack to be among the top two teams in this regional. The spread off top runner Caleb Easton on the top five was 46 seconds but only five seconds separated their top three runners.

Pleasant Valley (IA) won the Iowa 4A State title on October 28 led by the fourth-place finish from Konnor Sommer. This team could be a factor in the top teams. Their split on their scorers in that race was 33 seconds. St. Thomas Aquinas (KS) won the Kansas 6A State Championship behind the individual win from Ethan Marshall. This is a team that could be among the top five in the Heartland Region.

South – The main qualifiers from this region will come from Texas. The order of finish on October 18 could be different since the Texas State Meet last weekend was run in unseasonably warm with temperatures in the 80’s. The Woodlands are the team to beat in the South Regional after winning the Texas 6A State Championships by just seven points ahead of Southlake Carroll. The Highlanders were led by Gavin Hoffpauir’s second-place finish. His teammates packed it up behind him as there was only a five second split between the four runners. Eastwood (TX) finished third and has been in the top 25 for the past month. College Park (TX) finished 11^th in the 6A race. The heat may have had something to do with it. Those standings could change in a couple of weeks.

Southwest – Springville (UT) is the team to beat in this region and one of the favorites in Portland should they qualify. After their Utah 5A State Meet win on October 18, chances are pretty good. American Fork (UT), who won the Utah 6A title, is in third currently in the regional list. This team knows how to peak at the right time. It would not surprise me to see both schools in more than a week as automatic qualifiers.

Mountain Vista (CO) placed 5 runners in the top 19 to help them win the Colorado 5A State Championships ahead of Rock Canyon and Rampart. The five-runner spread for the team was only 25 seconds. The Golden Eagles moved into the top 35 list at #11. Desert Vista (AZ) easily won the Arizona D1 Championship last Saturday with four runners in the top nine as well as five in the first 13. Brophy College Prep (AZ) was second almost 100 points behind the Thunder. Their split was also low as only 26 seconds separated their top five runners.

Southeast – Loudoun Valley (VA) will be the big favorite in this weekend’s Virginia 4A State Meet. The Vikings had a convincing race in last week’s regional race as they placed six runners in the top nine scoring only 19 points. Sam Affolder was the individual winner four seconds ahead of teammate Peter Morris. Their spread on five runners was 71 seconds in that race.

Green Hope (NC) won the North Carolina 4A State Championships as their chances continued to improve on a trip to Portland. They scored only 43 points getting three runners in the top ten led by Finn McBride’s second-place finish. The spread for the Falcons on their top five runners was only 33 seconds. Milton (GA) slipped in the top 35 list even though they won the Georgia 7A State title by over 100 points. The Eagles took the top two places in the race as Sam Bowers outdistanced teammate Nicholas Yanek by six seconds for the individual state title. Michael Malkowski, who was only 15 seconds behind his teammates in their regional race, was the team’s sixth runner as he finished 21^st-place overall. Milton had a 73 second spread on their top five.

St. Xavier (KY) received top ten finishes from Patrick Schaefer (second-place) and Zach Larkin (tenth-place) to lead their team to the Kentucky 3A State Championship 66 to 84 ahead of Louisville Trinity. The Tigers repeat state title was paced by five runners in the top 26 with a 58 second spread on their scorers.

Northeast – Christian Brothers (NJ) remains the team to beat in this region. The Colts geared up for this weekend’s Group Championships by winning the NJCTC Championship with 67 points ahead of Pope John Paul XXIII (88 points). Their entire top seven did not run in this meet as Tanner Crochet led the team with a fourth-place finish.

Bishop Hendricken (RI) remains the second-team in this region as they won the Rhode Island Open Championships last Saturday with 31 points. LaSalle Academy (RI) finished second with 44 points. The Hawks placed five runners in the top 12 led by the 2-3 finish from Jack McMahon and Aidan Tierney. Keep an eye on this team. Their five-runner spread was only 15 seconds.

We will have a better idea about this region after this weekend with the New Jersey Group Championships, the Massachusetts Divisional Meet, and the New England Championships all taking place.

New York – Fayetteville-Manlius and Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake will be the favorites in the top two divisional races Saturday at the New York State Cross Country Championships. Fayetteville-Manlius got to state by winning the Section 3 Class A race scoring a perfect 15 points as Ben Otis ran 16:05 to win the race by 23 seconds ahead of teammate Geoff Howles. Burnt Hills, the top ranked team in this region, scored only 19 points to win the Class B race at the Section 2 Championships behind a 1-2-3 finish with Tyler Berg winning 14 seconds ahead of teammate Aidan Gillooley. Corning could be the toughest challenger to Fayetteville-Manlius in the Class A race. They placed five runners in the top six scoring only 19 points with a 44 second spread on their top five.

California – This state starts their road to Woodward Park in Fresno with regional meets across the state. National top ranked Great Oak will compete in South Sectional Prelims races on Friday in Race 4. The Wolfpack did not run their entire top seven in last week’s Southwest League Finals, but still had enough to win the league title 36 to 44 ahead of Chaparral.

Dublin won the EBAL Championship 48 to 52 ahead of Granada behind the 1-3 finish from Adrian Schroeder and Loic Scomparin. Loyola is another team to watch in the next few weeks. The Cubs won the Mission League Finals last Wednesday with a perfect 15 points led by Shane Bissell’s individual win. Eleanor Roosevelt placed four runners in the top seven to win the Big VIII League Finals led by Tyler Spencer’s individual win.