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National High School Boys Team Rankings - 10/10Published by
Great Oak Settles In Behind Newbury Park At No. 2 By Paul Schmitz of DyeStat Great Oak CA traveled to the Great American Cross Country Festival in Cary, N.C. and showed the country that the fastest two teams in the nation reside in California. Two weeks after losing to a historically fast Newbury Park team Sept. 21 at the Woodbridge Classic, Great Oak dominated the field consisting of many ranked teams, including two-time reigning Nike Cross Nationals champion and previous No. 2 Loudoun Valley VA. Great Oak had an incredible 14-second 1-5 split and placed all five scorers in the top 26 in an elite field of 37 teams. Loudoun Valley had an uncharacteristic off day highlighted by an unusually high 53-second 1-5 split. Loudoun Valley is still within striking distance of the top two teams. These three teams have a clear separation from the rest of the country and no other teams have put together a complete race to join this top tier. Preseason national No. 11 La Salle Academy RI finally fielded a full lineup in a 5K race and showed it belongs in the mix as a top 10 team. A third-place finish behind Great Oak and Loudoun Valley at Great American moves La Salle Academy up to No. 7. The No. 1-ranked team in the Northeast held off in-state rival and preseason national No. 15 ranked Bishop Hendricken RI, which slides one spot to 16th with its fourth-place showing. Jesuit OR moves back into its preseason position at No. 14 with the return of Jack Bennett, the third-fastest returner from the Oregon 6A meet in 2018. He re-joined an already accomplished lineup. The Crusaders took home the title at the 34-team Nike Twilight Invitational in Washington scoring only 33 points. Its 26-second 1-6 second spread was led by Ryan Schumacher. Jesuit is undefeated so far with wins over rivals Franklin and Ashland as well has California No. 4 and national No. 26 Dublin. York IL opened the season as the No. 1-ranked team in the Midwest and No. 7 nationally. After early season races with incomplete lineups and disappointing results, the Dukes put a complete race together at the Nike Valley Twilight Invitational in Indiana. York averaged a solid 15:54 with a 34-second 1-5 split while welcoming back potential top runner Ethan Kern. The field included many top teams from Indiana, including state powerhouse Carmel. York moves back into the top 30 at No. 19. Not to be outdone, No. 5 St. Charles East IL continued its incredible 2019 with a decisive victory at the Peoria Invitational in Detweiller Park. This field included MW regional No. 2 Sandburg IL. St. Charles East is still the pick in the region on the strength of its pack running, led by Bob Liking, the low stick at Peoria. Top 30 17. Christian Brothers Academy NJ 27. Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake NY |
