Injuries hampered Hamdani's 2021 cross country season. It was unfortunate, because he appeared to be headed towards a breakthrough.
Heraced only raced a handful of times and his highlight was at Nike South, just when things were looking to take off. He was able to post a personal best time of 15:33.30 at the Clear Falls Invitational which he won by over 45 seconds.
Hamdani returned during the spring to run well at elite races like the Texas Distance Festival and New Balance Nationals Outdoors. His 4:12 PR in the 1600m makes him intriguing heading into the upcoming cross country season
Colby Hornbeck (The Woodlands College Park)
The start to Hornbeck's junior cross country season wasn't electrifying, but by the time November rolled around, Hornbeck rounded into his best form. A 14th place finish at the 6A State Cross Country Championship was impressive considering he only managed 14th at the regional meet. It was at the NXR South Regional where he truly nailed it. On his hometown's course he finished 18th to secure Third Team All Region Honors and flip multiple guys who beat him two weeks prior in Round Rock. He went on to set personal bests in the spring of 4:19 in the 1600 and 9:25 for 3200.
Hornbeck's racing last November was a big step forward at the perfect time. This fall, he will begin as still being one or two rungs below the top tier of returning Texan distance runners, but if he can replicate the relative jump he made last season he could very well force his way into the state's top class athletes.
Devon Judelson (The Colony)
Judelson ran his best races in the championship season last fall. His second place finish at his district meet and fourth place finish at the 5A Region 2 Championship led into a 17th place finish at the State Meet. In the track season, his personal bests came in the championship season where he ran 4:22 and 9:26 at the district and area meet respectively.
Judah Alexander-Macias (Leander Homeschool)
Macias is an intriguing prospect for a couple of reasons. We don't really know how good and consistent he can be. We've had glimpses, but the sample size is small.
What we do know is that when he races good competition he is really good. He won the Homeschool state title last spring in the 3200m with a 9:36 and then went on to RunningLane to drop a 9:30 PR against some stiff competition.
On grass, he has some mid 16 minute races, but when he has legit competition, he turns it on. He ran a 15:35 PR at the Frisco Inv last year, 15:38 at the Dallas Jesuit XC Classic, and 15:41 at the Garmin RunningLane Cross Country Championships.
What we also know, is that he is already in good shape for the 2022 season. Macias controlled the Plano ISD Inv with a 15:39 last weekend for the win. What it says is that he might be able to run mid 15 minute races solo and he's ready to run faster with someone ready to push the pace.
Nicholas Grams - (Conroe Oak Ridge)
Last fall, Grams finished a very impressive third in 6A Region 2. While he could only manage 34th at the state meet, he did bounce back with a 27th place finish at NXR South. Although his track season did not extend all the way to the state meet, his personal bests of 4:20 and 9:19 both indicate he is capable of a much improved finish at this fall's state cross country meet.
He has an extremely tough district with The Woodlands and College Park runners as well as his own teammates, but Grams could easily out run this honorable mention placement.
Hunter Hill (Southlake Carroll)
With a 24th place finish at the 6A State Championship and a 3200 personal best of 9:32, Hill has proven to be a big part of Carroll's last two state title winning teams and shows the ability to take things to the next level.
As the Dragons look to win their fourth title in a row this fall, Hill will also look to follow his teammates towards a top 10 individual finish at Old Settlers Park in November.
Derek Waite - (Klein Oak)
Although Waite did not qualify for the state cross country meet, he raised his game significantly in the spring. With personal bests of 9:21 and 4:15 set in his junior track season, he has clearly taken a step forward in fitness, the question will be whether he can translate that strength to the grass and execute at a high level in the championship season.
We had Waite's teammate Jack Boyd in the Houston rankings, but here I think Waite has an advantage over many of the Houston guys and runners all across Texas.
Daniel Alamilla - (Missions Veterans Memorial)
Alamilla demonstrated great consistency in both the fall and spring of his junior year. At the business end of a long cross country season, he won a district title, was sixth at the Region 4 Championship and 21st at the 5A State Championship.
In the spring, he clicked off sub 4:30 miles week after week including a district title winning performance and a 4:24 personal best. He also secured a 9:26 personal best over 3200 meters at the Texas Relays.
He will have a late start and slow roll out to his season, but expect him to run into form at the right time of the season.
Ben Reyes- (The Woodlands)
Last fall, Reyes improved on each performance and ran respectable races at the state and national level. In the spring, Reyes continued to lay firm groundwork for his senior campaign on the grass. His personal bests of 4:21 for the 1600 and 8:49 for the 3000 are very promising for a rising senior that will be hungry to step up and help drive a historic program towards reclaiming their crown at the top of Class 6A.
Hunter Jackson (Wylie)
With Luke Lambert and Nathanael Berhane leading the way for Wylie the past two years, Jackson has had exceptional role models to follow. The fall of 2022 will be his opportunity to lead Wylie back to the state meet. His 27th place finish at state last year along with personal bests of 4:20 and 9:31 form a solid foundation from which he can propel himself into being a reliable low stick as Lambert and Berhane were before him.
If you believe in patterns and habits, you know what to expect from Jackson this season.
Adrian Hahn Vadstein (Katy Cinco Ranch)
In his junior cross country season, Vadstein finished in the top 10 in every race prior to the state meet where he ultimately finished 19th in 6A.
In the spring, Vadstein's high point was a personal best in the 1600 of 4:15 at the Texas Distance Festival. His not so elite performances at the district and regional track meets are the only reasons why he is not higher on this list. However, Vadstein has finished in the top 30 at the state cross country meet two years in a row and as the seventh highest finisher among non-seniors in 6A, Vadstein should be considered a strong contender for a top 10 finish at the state meet this November.