Boys Regional Rankings - 10/3/19

By Paul Schmitz of DyeStat

There is a shake-up in many of the regions across the country this week as the preseason projection potential fades and real results drive most of the numbers.

In the South, Flower Mound TX takes over the No. 1 spot from preseason favorite The Woodlands. Flower Mound continued its dominant season at the McNeil Invite in Round Rock TX. The national No. 10 team placed three runners in the top nine (Jarrett Kirk first, Thomas Romanow fifth and Jacob Ricks ninth) in the massive 88-team field, scoring 53 team points. The Woodlands took home the title at the prestigious Nike Desert Twilight Festival in Casa Grande Arizona, defeating competition that included NXR Southwest teams Niwot, Fort Collins and Highland Academy and the South NXR defending champions, El Paso Eastwood. Flower Mound vs. The Woodlands is going to be a fantastic matchup.      

In the Heartland, it was a statistically strange day for the boys race at the annual Roy Griak Invitational in Minnesota. The fastest 1-5 team average was owned by eighth-place finisher St. Paul Highland Park. One of the early season favorites in the Heartland, the Scots have a dominant 1-3 led by Oliver Paleen. However, this team has been unable to put together a full competitive lineup thus far. White Bear Lake MN took home the title over a lineup that included the one of the top teams in Iowa, Dowling Catholic, and the two favorites in Wisconsin, Madison West and Middleton.

Middleton, regional No. 2 and national No. 22 coming in, was without one of its top runners. However, even with a good projected time for that runner, White Bear Lake would most likely have won.  

In the Northwest, Tahoma WA had a nice bounce-back weekend at Nike Portland XC with a win over Franklin OR and Camas WA and over previous California No. 4, Clovis North. Tahoma finished 14th the previous weekend at the Bob Firman invite in Idaho over teams primarily from the Southwest. This win renews the hopes of Tahoma for a first trip to NXN and solidifies the dominance of the Southwest at this stage of the season. 

The Pat Patten Invitational was a contrast in styles as the top two teams in the Southwest squared off in a midseason battle. National No. 5 and regional No. 1 Mountain Vista used pack running to edge out US#11 and regional No. 2 Dakota Ridge by one point. Dakota Ridge low stick Connor Ohlson took home the win, but the 29-second 1-5 spread of Mountain Vista was enough to get the job done. Both teams finished with a 15:56 1-5 average, but the distribution of the field favored Mountain Vista just enough. In the larger, more competitive field at the Southwest NXR with Ohlson’s 30-second gap over Mountain Vista’s best guys, Dakota Ridge may end up being the favorite going into the postseason given the improvement in its lineup. 

Sticking with the Southwest, preseason regional No. 1 and national No. 2 Corner Canyon is making a bid to return to the top of the regional rankings. After losing to the rebuilt American Fork UT team at the BYU Classic, Corner Canyon shrunk the 1:14 1-5 split from that race down to 38 seconds and took home the title at the elite Bob Firman Invite on Sept. 21. The Corner Canyon team continued that improvement and put up a 34-second 1-5 split at the Park City Invitational last Saturday and scored only 16 points in the 20-team meet. This team bumps to just third in the region for now, but could return to regional favorite by the time the postseason comes.      

California has been projected all along to have two podium contenders in Newbury Park and Great Oak. Several other teams were projected to challenge for an at-large bid or two to NXN. Newbury Park and Great Oak have run up to expectations and No. 3 Bellarmine Prep is positioned to be in the mix for a bid. The next tier of top teams in California all need to improve their current projections to have a shot. No. 4 Dublin had an off race by a couple of its top runners and finished third at the Ash Creek Festival in an early season meet in Oregon behind NXR Northwest ranked teams Jesuit OR and Franklin OR. No. 5 Clovis North also traveled to Oregon and ran the Nike Portland XC invite and placed fourth behind Tahoma WA, Franklin OR and Camas WA, all ranked teams from the Northwest. 

The picture in California should clear up at the Clovis Invite on Oct. 12, where Dana Hills, Roosevelt, Torrey Pines, Newbury Park, Great Oak, Dublin and Clovis North are all scheduled to compete.       

In the Northeast, La Salle Academy RI keeps the top spot for now with only one race thus far. Christian Brothers Academy NJ slots in at No. 2 after a decisive victory at the Bowdoin Park XC Classic, led by seniors Shaw Powell and Troy Hill. LaSalle College High PA finished second in the Varsity II race at Bowdoin behind CBA and moves into the regional rankings at No. 3. Downingtown West PA looked in mid-season form winning the Carlisle Invitational last Saturday. In the merge, Downingtown West soundly defeated a field that included 90 teams.

SOUTH 

1. Flower Mound TX

2. The Woodlands TX

3. Southlake Carroll TX

4. El Paso Eastwood TX

5. Fayetteville AR 

SOUTHEAST

1. Loudoun Valley VA

2. Severna Park MD

3. Huntsville AL

4. Belen Jesuit FL

5. Panther Creek NC

NORTHEAST

1. La Salle Academy RI

2. Christian Brothers Academy NJ

3. La Salle College PA

4. Downingtown West PA

(tie) 5. Bishop Hendricken RI and Coe-Brown NH 

NEW YORK

1. Fayetteville-Manlius NY

2. Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake NY

3. Guilderland NY

4. Shenendehowa NY

5. Xavier NY

MIDWEST

1. St. Charles East IL

2. Sandburg IL

3. Wheaton Warrenville South IL

4. Brighton MI

5. New Trier IL

HEARTLAND

1. Eden Prairie MN

2. Mounds View MN

3. Dubuque Hempstead IA

4. White Bear Lake MN

5. Stevens Point WI

NORTHWEST

1. Jesuit OR

2. Kamiakin WA

3. Tahoma WA

4. Franklin OR

5. Camas WA

SOUTHWEST

1. Mountain Vista CO

2. Dakota Ridge CO

3. Corner Canyon UT

4. American Fork UT

(tie) 5. Davis UT and Skyridge UT

CALIFORNIA

1. Newbury Park CA

2. Great Oak CA

3. Bellarmine College Prep CA

4. Dublin CA

5. Clovis North CA