Boys Preview: With Blunt Out, Who Will Step Up To Represent Texas?
Alex Rogers, and Carter Blunt, were the only two Texans to advance last year on the guys side. With Rogers now graduated and running for UT and Blunt out with injury we're going to be looking for some guys to step up big! Parker Scott (28th) was the next closest Texas finisher to making FL Nationals in 2014. He is running this year and will look to improve on last years finish to make it to San Diego, in his senior year.
Two athletes who have already punched their tickets to Portland, but are looking to double down and make the trip to Foot Locker Nationals are Reed Brown and Matthew Kearney. Brown has had an impressive championship and post season so far placing 5th at State and winning NXN South. This will be the juniors first trip to North Carolina to run Foot Locker South. Kearney will also be making his first trip to Foot Locker South. The sophomore has had an impressive season going undefeated until his region meet where he placed 12th, to make it to State. He like many had a rough meet at State finishing 72nd, but he had a big rebound last weekend placing 7th to earn the trip to Portland. Brown's teammate Charlie Gardner will also look to make his first appearance at Foot Locker South. The junior had a big race last weekend at NXN South finishing 4th. These guys are sure to be in the lead pack again this week.
Another guy we can't leave out of the conversation for a possible top 10 finish is 2014 6A State Champion and 2015 State 3rd place finisher David Strome. Strome choose not to run NXN South last weekend to focus solely on Foot Locker his senior year. This will be Strome's first Foot Locker appearance as well. The senior is set up to have a big race having only lost to a handful of Texas runners all year.
Other guys who will be in the hunt are Adam Breaux, Nathan Gift, Kyle Doty and Justin Domangue. Breaux was undefeated almost all all of the regular season having only lost Paul Roberts at the Rim Rock Farm High School XC Classic. In the championship season he beat eventual 6A State champ Daniel Golden at their District meet, but Golden and Dallas Jesuit's Connor O'neill got the better of him at the Region 2 meet. Breaux had a rough race at state placing 33rd. Gift was the Region 3 champion, and finished 8th at State. He had a bit of a rough race at NXN South last weekend placing 37th. Both seniors will look to rebound big at Foot Locker South for a chance to represent Texas at Foot Locker. Domangu has been the class 4A state runner up the past two years. This will be his first ever big post season race. In 2014 Doty was the 3A cross country, 1600m, and 3200m state champ. This year he finished third just behind Nic Butts and Buster Roberts. The junior will be looking for a strong race in his first ever Foot Locker appearance.