South Boys NXN Team And Individual Predictions

School - La Porte - Oklahoma State signee

Class - Senior - Class of 2020

NXR South Finish - 1st

Prediction - There are runners who are good and then there are some who are NXN potential winning good. There are a couple through out the country and La Porte, Texas' Ryan Schoppe is one of them. How good is Schoppe? I don't think anybody really knows. We know he is state championship good as he has exhibited the last two years in cross and on the track, but has he been pushed to his max?

Schoppe has a top five finisher potential and he can challenge for the win. There are two guys who have run out of this world this year in Nico Young and Cole Sprout. They have both run historically fast races this season. They are both aggressive, confident, fast, and strong. Then there are guys like Matt Strangio who is blazing fast with great mile speed.

The popular opinion of how the race will play out is that there will be strong pace with Young and Sprout waiting to pull away at 1K. The thing is, that is about the exact strength of Schoppe. He is like a fine wine, he gets better as the race goes. He has proven it time after time. His strategy is like the Wishbone offense in football. You know what's coming, but can you execute well enough to stop it. If the race does go down how it is expected, you can expect to see Schoppe right there as a good race could get even better.

Schoppe will finish in the top five individually, he has the third best speed rating (199) on the season with his state meet performance. I have him finishing third overall and which would be the highest finish from a Texan since 2016 when Sam Worley finished second overall (four Texas runners finished in the top 10 - 2nd - Sam Worley - New Braunfels Canyon, 5th - Alex Maier - Flower Mound, 6th - Reed Brown - Southlake Carroll, 10th Daniel Bernal - El Paso Eastwood)

Related: Did We Get It Right? MileSplit Predicts NXN Finishes

School - Melissa

Class - Junior - Class of 2021

NXR South Finish - 2nd

Prediction - Greer is proving he is a heck of a runner. As a freshman, he proved he could run with the best in 4A. As a sophomore, he proved he could run with the best in the state. This year, he has proven that he can run with the best nationally and he has two weeks to continue to mold that mindset.

Greer doesn't waste time and chooses to get out front early and runs whatever races is necessary to run, which is usually pedal to the medal for him. Last weekend, Greer won the Foot Locker South meet by going with a very hard pace (2:06 @ 800m and 4:39 mile) and hanging on for the win in 14:57.

This will be the test for Greer. It is his first national championship race and his introduction to everyone on the national scene. If the travel over the last two weeks doesn't take it's toll on him Greer will finish in the top 15. He just has all of the tools and being fairly unknown with few expectations this could be a good setting for him. He has proven to be able to control a race and run with the pack in a fast pace, which will be key this weekend. Perhaps the best attribute that will help him in this race is his physical strength. He is big and strong, which should translate well on this course and in the conditions. He has a 194 speed rating from last weekend's race, which is the 18th best nationally this season. The average speed rating for the top 15 finishers at NXN dating back to 2010 is 194.38. Greer will finish top 15.

School - Austin Vandegrift - Columbia University signee

Class - Senior - Class of 2020

NXR South Finish - 3rd

Prediction - Monte is making his second trip to NXN after placing third at NXR South. Monte's 2019 season has been one of superb performances including at the big meets.  He has consistently come up big including third place at the Woodbridge Cross Country Classic, second at the UIL 6A state meet, and then third at NXR South. His 191.07 speed rating from the state meet has him ranked 52 on the speed ratings list. At the Woodbridge race, Monte finished behind Nico Young and Jace Aschbrenner both of Newbury Park (CA), who are two of the NXN favorites.

Last year, Monte finished 26th overall at NXN. This year, he has the experience and confidence like never before. Monte is healthy and running well heading into NXN and having experienced it before could rely on that to drop his best performance yet. Knowing the course and the conditions, Monte will improve on last year's place and crack the top 20.

School - Austin San Juan Diego - University of Texas signee

Class - Senior - Class of 2020

NXR South Finish - 4th

Prediction - Martinez is having a year of many firsts. He competed in the biggest meets state wide, many of them for the first time. He also won his first TAPPS cross country state title, which set him up for his fourth place NXR South finish. Martinez' NXR South 15:27.40 was his slowest time of the time of the season, yet would yield the biggest race of his high school career.

Martinez' strength is his finish. He can sustain paces, but he closes extremely well and that could play an important part in this weekend's race. If he can pass many people in the last mile or so of the race, that will give him the best chance of a good race. Martinez will finish top 50.

School - The Woodlands Christian

Class - Junior - Class of 2021

NXR South Finish - 5th

Prediction - Shearer is coming into his own. His NXR South race is evidence of it. He has improved throughout his career. A strong track season last year has led to this year's strong cross country season. 

Although he doesn't have as much big race experience, Shearer will perform well at NXN. He has some big races from track (Vandegrift Viper Distance Festival, Texas Distance Festival, and Texas Relays) where he has performed well and produced fast times.  In these races, he increasingly proved his ability to hold onto races and paces, which is what helped lead him to qualify from the South Region. That same ability will eventually translate well into this weekend's race. Shearer will finish in the top 50 at NXN.