By Michael Newman

TFX National Director

[email protected]

Q  = NXN Team Qualifiers

** = Eligible for NXN At-Large

Notes – A shift in the top of the Boys lists. It is not a surprise. The three schools in the front should be the NXN Favorites in December.

It was a great race for Fayetteville-Manlius as they placed five runners in the top 10 to win the New York Class A State Championship with only 25 points. Their team time of 81:09 at Sunken Meadow State Park was the fastest team time ever on what some consider the toughest course in the state. Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake easily won the Class B State Championship with only 22 points. However, their team time was over one minute behind (82:35) behind Fayetteville-Manlius. The two schools are easily the tops in New York and head for a showdown in less than two weeks at NXR New York.

The Hornets move this week to the top spot but just slightly ahead of Loudoun Valley VA and Great Oak CA. I am guessing these spots will be interchangeable in the final two lists before Nike Cross Nationals. Loudoun Valley scored only 16 points placing five runners in the top seven. The Vikings were led by a 1-2-3 finish from Sam Affolder, Jacob Hunter, and Kellen Hasle.

LaSalle Academy bounced back from a second-place finish in the Rhode Island State Championships to win the New England XC Championships ahead of Rhode Island State Champ Bishop Hendricken 49-80. That win moves them into the top five. Bolles School FL, led by the individual win from Charles Hicks, took the Florida 2A team title winning by almost 100 points. Their team split of 50 seconds on the top five moved them into the top ten teams nationally and closer to Loudoun Valley as the two teams will face each other the Saturday after Thanksgiving in the NXR Southeast Regional.

The start of the process to decide who will run on December 1 at the Nike Cross Nationals kicked off last weekend with three regional championship meets.

Kamiakin WA and Central Valley WA switched their finish from 2017 when Central Valley won the Northwest Regional on Saturday. In this race, Ryan Child’s ninth-place finish led a Kamiakin 43 second on their top five to win the regional championship with 86 points. It was close for the other qualifying spot as Central Valley, who finished second the week before in the Washington 4A State Meet, took the second qualifying spot just one point ahead of Lewis & Clark WA.

The order was switched in the Midwest Regional race from six days before at the Illinois 3A State Meet. Hersey, who finished second in the Illinois 3A Meet, used a second-place finish from Josh Methner and only an 11 second split from their second to fifth runners to narrowly win the regional championship with 146 points. Illinois 3A State Champions Wheaton-Warrenville South also will make their first trip to Portland placing three runners in the top 29 finishing second with 149 points. York hopes to continue a tremendous end of season as they finished third (156 points) just seven points behind the Tigers as Ethan Kern led the Dukes with a fifth-place finish.

Mounds View MN surprised the pack at Sunday’s Heartland Championship race. The Mustangs, led by the 11^th place finish from Austin Streit, won the regional championship with 135 points. Mounds View finished second last week in the Minnesota 2A State Meet. Middleton WI will make a repeat trip to Portland with their best race so far this season. After finishing second two weeks ago in the Wisconsin D1 State Meet, Middleton came into this meet and finished second (156 points) led by Caleb Easton’s fifth-place finish. Edina MN, who won the Minnesota 2A State Championship, finished third (164 points) and will have to wait to see if they receive an at-large bid.

We are early in the process in determining the four at-large spots for NXN. York and Lewis & Clark are the two best teams among the six teams eligible after last weekend. We will go deeper into that next week.

Two NXR Regional Meets take place this weekend headlined by the Southwest Regional. American Fork UT and Dakota Ridge CO are the two favorites in this meet. Keep an eye on Mountain Vista CO. In the Southwest entries released on November 14, Easton Allred was in their championship lineup. Allred transferred this summer from Rock Canyon to Mountain Vista but was not allowed to run for his new school this fall by the CHSAA (Colorado High School Activities Association). Saturday is not an CHSAA meet. Allred finished third last year in this race and 22^nd at NXN as a sophomore. The addition of Allred to their lineup could move Mountain Vista into the top three teams.

The Woodlands, the Texas UIL 6A State Champion, will be challenged by Flower Mound and Southlake Carroll for the NXR South Regional title also held on Saturday.

Boys Regional Lists