5A
Girls
Individual: London Culbreath, Colleen Stegmann, Amy Morefield, Rachel Sutliff, Kelsie Vicknair, Gracie Morris
The three time defending champion London Culbreath will compete in her fourth state cross country meet and has an opportunity to win her fourth individual UIL cross country state title.
Culbreath will have a host of girls who will be trying to win their first individual title. This could be her toughest race of them all. Colleen Stegmann, Amy Morefield, Rachel Sutliff and Kelsie Vicknair to name a few will all be looking to dethrone the queen. Stegmann and Morefield defeated Culbreath at the Region 2-5A meet.
Also looking to get the win is Aledo senior Gracie Morris. Morris will make her return to the state cross country meet after an injury sat her out last year.
Sleeper: Bailey Goggans
If Goggans is 100% healthy, she is definitely a threat this year. She has more mileage this year and developed more in the distance events. She skipped her district meet and looked to take it easy at the region meet.
Teams: Cedar Park, Highland Park, Lovejoy, Frisco Reedy, Boerne Champion, Grapevine
Team wise, it is hard to know who has the best girls team in 5A. We will certainly find out who the best team on Saturday will be.
They will be fending off three region two teams who all ran a close race last week. Highland Park, who is always in the mix for a state title will definitely be a major player after their impressive region 2 win. If Highland Park is major, then Lovejoy should also be as highly considered. They were only a second behind Highland Park after their successful team run. Frisco Reedy was only six points behind them in third. They all have low stick runners and will be in good positions.
Boerne Champion has looked good all season long as have Grapevine. The two have looked like for sure podium teams. Then there is Cedar Park who is as good and talented as anyone. This will be a heck of a race for sure.
Sleeper: Frisco Wakeland
Why Wakeland.... because this team has done it before. Wakeland is the defending state champion and they have a legitimate shot at repeating. They had a young squad last year and return a year wiser; Winning a second straight title is not out of the question for them.
Boys
Individual: Graydon Morris, Michael Abeyta, Will Muirhead, Elias Perez, Roger Rivera, Christian Rivera
It almost seems blasphemous to talk about this race like anyone other than Morris or Abeyta has a chance to win. But, this is cross country and anything can happen. The 5A classification is loaded with dudes who can flat out fly.
Morris and Abeyta to will put on a show. They did it two years ago at their region and the state meet and they did it again last Monday at regionals. When the two are healthy and fit, they are two of the best runners in the nation and when they run together they produce a spark like flint and magnesium.
Muirhead has been consistent over the last two plus years. He is a stud and he will be in the mix and in the lead pack. Also in the lead pack will be Roger Rivera and Elias Perez. They hooked up with Morris and Abeyta at regionals and they both had great races. Rivera is healthy now and Perez is another talented and consistent runner.
Kaufman's Christian Rivera is also gaining health and fitness at the right time of year. He only has about 4 good weeks of fitness under his belt, but regionals showed he is getting there. What will he look like almost two weeks later.
Sleeper: Jack Woods
There are plenty of names above of guys who could win the 5A race. How could I possibly have another name and one who can legitimately knock off Morris or Abeyta in the same race? That's where Woods enters the stage. He could have been on the list above, but I had him specifically in ind for this position
This isn't a reach, the Region 3 champ can run and what's more dangerous than a steady improving and talented runner? One who is confident in himself and is being overlooked.
I warned every one about the Autstin LBJ boys in last year's 5A race, well here is another ATX kid who can break up the El Paso vs. DFW party.
Teams: Boerne Champion, Lucas Lovejoy, El Paso Eastwood, Grapevine, Cedar Park
Region four champions Boerne Champion are a strong team and have been all season long. The same goes for Cedar Park. Both teams have legit state meet low stick runners who will help put them in the mix.
Grapevine is a team many thought would be rebuilding this year. Well, they rebuilt the team last year. They had the guys getting training while their studs continued to wreck the state. Now, those guys have their varsity spots and they could get a trophy ahead of the pace many had them pegged for.
Eastwood and Lovejoy are no brainers to expect to battle it out for the title. The top two spots should go to these two teams unless things go very wrong. They both have seven runners who are both talented and experienced with a sense of pride that doesn't want to lose.
Sleeper: El Paso Hanks
Who? Yeah, the school Abeyta and Rivera go to.
Hanks has two guys who can literally score five or less points at the state meet between them. They're better than everyone in the race as as good as The Woodlands and Flower Mound up front if not better. That is a huge advantage. Unfortunately, that is not the name of the game in cross country. But, add that with a group of guys who were just decided upon at the district meet and then performed so well. They were within seven points of the best team in the state last year and the team who should probably win it again this year. Their number five runner improved to score as their number three at regionals. If progression like that continues from three through five at state then they could upset everyone.