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South Region Boys Early Season Rankings 2024Published by
Southlake Carroll's Perch Atop The South Continues As Dragons Seek Fifth Straight Texas 6A Title, 16th Nike Cross Nationals Appearance By Doug Binder, DyeStat Editor Boys NXR South Preview Southlake Carroll's hold on Texas and the South region is firm as ever. The Dragons finished on the podium at NXN last year (third) and even if they don't rise all the way to that level again this fall, they shouldn't be too far off. With four returners back from the varsity seven, including junior Caden Leonard, Southlake Carroll's fantastic legacy should only continue. Coach Justin Leonard's boys have qualified for the national meet 15 times. The South is loaded this year, with about eight teams that could argue for spots in the top five of the early season rankings. Austin Vandegrift put up a strong performance on the last day of August at the Marcus Coach T Invitational, scoring 43 points. The Vipers, led by Hudson Haley, are nearly as deep and compact as Southlake Carroll. Bridgeland is fronted by standout Ben Montgomery and has a fantastic junior class behind him. Jesuit of New Orleans features Brady Mullen, likely the best prep distance runner in Louisiana history by the time he graduates next spring. Lucas Lovejoy also has a low stick with Caden Gary leading the way after a stellar track season. Additionally, there are some young talented phenoms to keep track of in Texas. Sophomore Cooper Lutkenhaus was a sensation last spring as he led the nation in the 800 meters (1:47.58) for Justin Northwest. He may not be a threat to win state at 5,000 meters, but his talents will continue to develop. A freshman to keep an eye on is Ruel Newberry of Denton Guyer, who won the Marcus Coach T Invitational in 14:46 and ran 8:34 for 3,000 meters last spring as an eighth grader. Senior Danny (Aidan) Torres of El Paso Eastwood leads his team and is coming back from a fourth place finish at NXR South and 44th at NXN. 1. Southlake Carroll TX. The Dragons bring back four of the seven runners who made it onto the Nike Cross Nationals podium last year. Southlake Carroll has been the gold standard in Texas cross country for two decades and the expectation of another run to nationals is part of the culture. Junior Caden Leonard, the reigning Class 6A individual champion, is one of the top runners in his class in the country. Seniors Blake Bullard, Alex Severson and Griffin Cords are poised veterans. Depth is not a problem. Seniors Hudson Lowry and Ryan Krasinski and junior Michael Fuller are next up in a long of green and white shirts. 2. Austin Vandegrift TX. The Vipers' 43-point performance at the Marcus Coach T Invitational was a great start to the season and showed that last year's third-place team at NXR South is stronger contender for the top two this fall. Senior Hudson Haley, last year's Class 6A runner-up, ran a time of 14:48 to lead his teammates. Junior Kai McCullough was close behind in 14:53. Sophomore Collin Goodwin, senior Christian Cruz-Castro and senior Jackson Stafford all finished within 45 seconds of Haley. Junior Miles Nutt and senior Jack Ebeier give the group depth and two more sub-16 performers over 5,000 meters. 3. Bridgeland TX. The Bears were already in position to make a leap forward with the return of all five scorers off of last year's sixth place team at the Texas 6A meet, but transfer of junior Griffen Saacke from Katy Tompkins has accelerated the climb. Bridgeland has become a contender for a trip to NXN in what is shaping up to be a competitive region. It starts with senior Ben Montgomery, who is one of the top runners in the region. He was third in the 6A cross country final last year and won the state title in the 3,200 with 8:51.50. There is also a deep junior class that includes Kyle Pawlak, Maddox McCallister, Nazim Benguedda, Vihan Chamkur and Layton Carlisle. This group could be building something special, if not this year then next. 4. Jesuit LA. The Bluejays of New Orleans bring back five of the seven from last year's team that scored 27 points to win the Louisiana state championship. Jesuit made its first appearance at NXR South last year and finished eighth. Senior Brady Mullen is in position to take his place on the throne as the greatest distance runner in Louisiana prep history after winning the 3,200 meters last spring in 8:48.36. He will no doubt be one of the top runners in the region. Senior Leland Crawford, juniors Brady Monahan and Joe Accardo, and sophomores David Quintana and Nicholas Braud provide ample support and should keep this team on par with the best in Texas, or close to it. 5. Lucas Lovejoy TX. The Leopards have eight guys who ran 10:01 or faster in the 3,200 meters in the spring and that kind of depth, with talented runners up front, put this team in the top five. The reigning Texas 5A champions bring back six of their top seven. Senior Caden Gary is a 4:08/9:06 guys and should be the team's low stick this fall. Seniors William Carlson, Aaron Wimbish, Jackson Reid, Henry Bennion, Tyler Morefield and EJ Morrow should be ready to move up from last year's 10th place at NXR South. Junior Joseph Reid and sophomore Tristan Arceneau are also important members of the pack. WATCHLIST More news |
