While most former 5A teams were moving up, Grapevine stayed put, and that helps make them a title contender in 2014.
Grapevine is noteworthy for being one of the few teams in the state that is NOT changing classifications this year, and that is one of the factors that makes this team a title contender. As many of the former 5A powers have moved up to 6A, the Mustangs have inherited the spot as the top returning team in 5A, according to the database. Of course, the talent on the team is also a big factor - Grapevine ranks 7th in the overall returning rankings from 2013, considering all classifications. Three seniors are gone from the team that failed to make the 5A state meet last fall, but there is still quite a bit of depth back, and the Mustangs will be led by Alex Cleveland, who ran 9:31 in the spring. Three more guys will graduate this upcoming school year, meaning this team will have lost 6 of its top 10 over a 2-year span; that's hard to overcome for almost any program. That should bring a sense of urgency, so expect Grapevine to take advantage of the new opportunity the realignment has provided.
| Grapevine (TX) | |||
| 1) Alex Cleveland | 15:46.50 | ||
| 2) Riley Gonzales | 16:28.00 | ||
| 3) Matthew Melcher | 16:35.00 | ||
| 4) Hayden Murphy | 16:49.00 | ||
| 5) Israel Rodriguez | 16:52.70 | ||
| Average Time: 16:30.24 Total Time: 1:22:31.20 1-5 Split: 1:06.20 | |||
| 6) Kyle Brozovich | 17:24.00 | ||
| 7) Ramiro Medina | 17:28.00 | ||