Region 4-5A
Girls
Isabel Conde De Frankenberg (Cedar Park) is the big fish in the region. She is already a state champ and wasn't too far from making it two straight last year. So far this season, she has been looking the part and could add her second cross country state title.
From what we saw during the week of district championships, Frankenberg will have to navigate Region 4-5A where she'll have plenty of South Texas girls ready to challenge her.
Naia Gracia and Itzel Rodriguez (Brownsville Veterans Memorial) ran 18:22 and 18:26 to go 1-2 at UIL 5A District 32, Mia Perez (Smithson Valley) won her district in 18:31 with Elizabeth Leachman (Boerne Champion) was second in 18:36, and Cecilia Cavazos (Sharyland) the UIL 5A District 31 champ ran 18:57 to add another sub 19-minute performer to the upcoming Region 4-6A race.
The team race in the 5A girls could be quite a scene. Boerne Champion comes in ranked No. 2 by the CCCAT with Smithson Valley at No. 5, Comal Canyon No. 7, and San Antonio Alamo Heights ranked No.10.
Champion finished runner-up last year and appears ready to challenge for another podium finish. They have three girls under 19-minutes and just a 60 second split.
SV did not qualify for state last year, but they look the part this season. They enter with a team average of 19:11 that earn them a trip back to Round Rock.
SV only has sophomore Mia Perez running under 19-minutes this year, but with their second through seven runners with nearly only a 40 second deviation, they'll be a tough out.
Canyon has a 19:28 team average, and while they don't have a runner under 19-minutes they do have a 55 second split and that could get them back to the state meet. Alamo Heights has two girls running in the 18s in Trinity Warnicke and Avery Brawner. Their experience could lead the team to state.
Boys
The one race that can't be overlooked is the Region 4-5A boys race. The individual race should have qualifying spots playing out in the front of the race as should low stick positioning could affect team qualifications.
Will Ayden Granados (McAllen Memorial) let it all loose yet, or will he still look to tempo the other runners? Playing it safe in the Corpus Christi weather conditions could be a smart option. He could be joined by UIL 5A District 31 district competitors Valdemar Meza (Sharyland) and Ryan Servantes (Sharyland Pioneer). The three ran a tight race last week with Grandos winning in 15:23, Meza in second in 15:25, and Servantes close behind for third in 15:31.
There are a total of 17 runners in the 5A division who have run under 16:00 including William Plotts (Cedar Park), Diego DeLeon (McAllen Memorial), and Aaron Nava (Weslaco East). These are some more boys who could be front pack runners.
With only four qualifying spots, the team race could come down to four state ranked teams. Sharyland is ranked No.5 in the CCCAT poll with Alamo Heights at No. 7, Comal Canyon at No. 8, and Lockhart at No. 10
All four teams have team averages in the 16:20s or below in the case of Sharyland. McAllen isn't far behind the group with their 16:31 team average, but what leaves the door open is their ability to split between 40-45 seconds.