Observation Notes:
The top seven girls team finishers from the 2022 UIL state meet are there in some kind of order. Runner-ups Nathareth enter the season as the top of the poll to begin the year.
Here's a shocker on the boys side .... it's Miller Grove as the No. 1 team.
Observation Notes:
The Hamilton girls were dominant at the UIL 2A state meet last year. They were young and the voters expect them to have another good season with their top billing in the first poll.
The Plains, Teneha, and Hamilton boys finished last year in the top three spots and they enter 2023 in that exact same order. Plans and Teneha were separated by a slim margin in Round Rock last year and could be headed for another close race this fall.
Observation Notes:
The Whitesboro girls begin where they ended -- in the pole position.
The 3A boys poll also looks at starting very similar to how last season ended.
Observation Notes:
For the second straight year Celina girls graduated their No. 1 runner and they are still in the top spot. The rest of the top 10 is a spitting image of the state meet finishers except with Boerne beginning in the top-10.
It's no surprise Canyon is the No. 1 team to begin the year. They return a lot from a dominant 2022 season, however they might have lost more than most expected. The La Feria boys had a strong showing at McAllen and the Morales twins look hungry!
Observation Notes:
Lovejoy is on top of both polls. It's very hard to disagree with that as this could be a special season for the Leopards. Is it possible for the boys and girls state titles to both go home to Lovejoy in the same season?
Boerne Champion gets the No. 2 spot for the girls in the ever-so-tough 5A girls division and the Grapevine boys are snooping around the top as always.
Observation Notes:
The Flower Mound/Southlake Carroll girls battle will again be a good one to watch. Kingwood lost some important pieces, but they have a knack for finding a way to find the podium. Vandegrift slides in at No. 3 early in the season showing confidence from the voters.
The Carroll boys are heavy favorites and there is more voter confidence in Vandegrift coming off a podium finish last year and a great track season ... Can it transition to 2023 and on the grass. History gets The Woodlands an honorary No. 3 rankings (smart placement). They don't have a lot of proven talent returning, but when has that ever mattered for the Highlanders program?
Question, is this the year Katy Tompkins gets on the podium or is it still a year early before their expectations are due?
It will be interesting to see if Coppell and Round Rock have enough to get back to the state meet. Coppell looked really good at Waxahachie, but both teams compete in regions that require extra talent and extra luck to deal with the combination of opposition from the other teams and the courses.
I think Bridgeland positions are both a little low. The Boys will eventually surprise a lot of people and could be a No. 2 or No. 3 team by season's end.
Northwest Nelson is another team I think will surprise some, but I can see them climb the poll in the early weeks.
El Paso Franklin had a great 2022 season with both the girls and boys teams making it to state out of the Region of Doom. Are they good enough to do it again? We'll see how they look at the start of the season this weekend in Southlake.