Boys Regional Rankings - 11/14/19

By Paul Schmitz of DyeStat

The first tickets to Portland were punched Sunday at Yankton Trails in South Dakota at NXR Heartland. Preseason favorite Mounds View MN repeated as regional champion and earned a second trip to Nike Cross Nationals. Wisconsin runner-up Stevens Point held off Eden Prairie MN and Wisconsin state champion Middleton 177-188-227 to earn its first trip to Portland.

It has not been a strong year overall in the Heartland and an at-large bid is unlikely for Eden Prairie or Middleton. 

The region with the biggest shake-up is the Northwest. Ashland took home a 5A state title in Oregon in impressive fashion. Led by Evan Holland and his 14:30 on the slightly faster Lane Community College course, Ashland’s 1-4 is incredibly strong, but a 72-second gap between 4 and 5 will cause an issue in the massive NXR Northwest field. Ashland debuts in the region at No. 4. Franklin OR maintains its No. 3 spot after a 6A Oregon victory and that drops Jesuit down to regional No. 5. Franklin defeated Jesuit 62-101. The top two spots in the Northwest belong to the 3A and 4A state champions in Washington, Kamiakin and Camas. Looking ahead to the regional race, these two teams project to be very close to each other. Kamiakin gets the nod based upon its proven record at NXR and the depth of its team provides a margin of error that other contenders don't have.  

The Texas state meet doubles as a virtual preview for NXR South with the Lone Star State securing 33 of the 34 NXN bids since the inception of the race in Portland. Expect the top two NXR South spots to be won by a combination of Southlake Carroll, The Woodlands, El Paso Eastwood or Flower Mound. El Paso Eastwood was the surprise NXR champion in 2018 and is peaking at just the right time to defend its title. Eastwood easily won the 5A title and projects right next to the top 6A schools. In 6A, Southlake Carroll and The Woodlands had identical 15:22 1-5 averages but the title went to SLC 80-115 based on its tight pack and distribution of other runners. The Woodlands has a chance to put two runners, Ryan Cardinal and Ethan Hammer, in front of the other top teams No. 1 and will take home the title if they can shrink their 63-second 1-5 gap. 

The rankings in the Southeast maintain the status quo. No. 1 and No. 4 Loudoun Valley VA and Western Abilene VA scored 16 and 15 points, respectively, in their section meets leading up to the Virginia state meet on Friday and Saturday. The rest of the field, No. 2 Severna Park MD, Satellite FL and Belen Jesuit Prep FL all won decisive titles in their divisions at their state meets and all hope for the coveted second spot in the NXR Southeast behind the dominant favorite Loudoun Valley. 

The top four spots stand pat in the Midwest after the all-important Illinois state meet. St. Charles East held off Wheaton Warrenville South 64-68 and those two teams are the clear favorites heading into the Illinois-dominated NXR Midwest. After placing second in the Midwest in 2018, Wheaton Warrenville South is running for a second trip to Portland, while St. Charles East is hoping to earn an NXN bid for the first time. Moving into the top five is Fort Wayne Concordia Lutheran after an impressive win at the Indiana state meet.

La Salle Academy maintains its year-long hold on the No. 1 spot in the Northeast after taking home the Rhode Island state title and the New England XC Championships title. In-state rival Bishop Hendricken RI returns to the regional ranking with a second-place finishes in both of those meets. Bishop Hendricken ran within a 10-second 1-5 average of La Salle Academy at New Englands but has a 1-5 gap that will make it difficult to overtake the deep La Salle team in the elite field at the NXR Northeast.

Christian Brothers Academy NJ holds at regional No. 2 but there are quality challengers behind them. Downingtown West took home a state title over La Salle College and the two Pennsylvania teams check in at No. 3 and No. 4. Behind Bishop Hendricken at No. 5 there are several teams who can compete for one of the two top spots and earn a trip to NXN. West Windsor-Plainsboro North NJ, Tolland CT and Coe Brown NH can all step to the line Nov. 30 in Wappingers Falls, N.Y. with dreams of winning a trip to Portland.   

SOUTH  

1. Southlake Carroll TX

2. The Woodlands TX

3. El Paso Eastwood TX

4. Flower Mound TX

5. Klein TX 

SOUTHEAST

1. Loudoun Valley VA

2. Severna Park MD

3. Satellite FL

4. Western Albemarle VA

5. Belen Jesuit Prep FL

NORTHEAST

1. La Salle Academy RI

2. Christian Brothers Academy NJ

3. Downingtown West PA

4. La Salle College PA 

5. Bishop Hendricken RI

NEW YORK

1. Fayetteville-Manlius

2. Shenendehowa

3. Guilderland

4. Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake 

5. Xavier 

MIDWEST

1. St. Charles East IL

2. Wheaton Warrenville South IL

3. York IL

4. Sandburg IL

5. Fort Wayne Concordia Lutheran IN

HEARTLAND

1. Mounds View MN

2. Stevens Point WI

3. Eden Prairie MN

4. Middleton WI

5. Eastview MN

NORTHWEST

1. Kamiakin WA

2. Camas WA

3. Franklin OR

4. Ashland OR

5. Jesuit OR

SOUTHWEST

1. Corner Canyon UT

2. Dakota Ridge CO

3. Niwot CO

4. Mountain Vista CO

5. Davis UT

CALIFORNIA

1. Great Oak

2. Newbury Park

3. Bellarmine College Prep

4. Dublin

5. Claremont