Zachary Brumfield will be Wylie's No. 1 runner this fall
With many teams beginning their seasons in the coming week it's finally time to round out our preseason rankings for the top ten 6A Boys teams. This year looks to be one of the more interesting ones in recent memory as we'll see new lineups for most of the state's top teams. This provides opportunities for improvement but also means we're likely in for a much more open field than we've become used to seeing.
Given this likely scenario, it can be difficult to round out the final spots in rankings like this one because so many teams have similar outlooks on paper. This is why it's so important to take past success into account when looking into teams, as being fast on paper and performing well at the meets that matter are two vastly different tasks.
Over the last five years, Wylie has proven to be a mainstay in the increasingly competitive Region 2. While they haven't ever been the fastest team on paper, they routinely show up when it matters and perform well at the regional meet which has earned them several trips to Round Rock. The Pirates are set to return yet another solid and experienced lineup this year, so let's dive into Wylie's team and see why they round out our rankings in the #10 spot.
As mentioned above, Wylie has become a mainstay in Region 2 over the last several years. While they've never won the region outright over that stretch, they've cemented themselves as a routine competitor in Round Rock. Wylie's current run of form started in 2017 when they finished tenth as a team at the state meet. They followed this up by finishing fourth in 2018, and eighth in 2019.
MileSplit TX Preseason 6A Boys Top Teams
While Wylie failed to make it in a reduced field in 2020, this arguably marked the peak of that period as Luke Lambert took home the individual title in a time of 15:03.45. They'd return to Round Rock in 2021 where they'd finish fifth and then followed this up by finishing twelfth in 2022. As demonstrated by their results over the last decade, Wylie knows how to perform on the big stage, leading us to where we are now.
Most recently, Wylie qualified for the 2023 state meet by finishing a close second in terrible conditions at the UIL 2A-6A Region 2 Championship. They'd go on to finish seventh at the state meet to wrap up yet another solid year for the program. Heading into 2024, Wylie returns multiple key pieces from last year's team, the most important of which is junior Zachary Brumfield.
As evidenced by their state title holder, Wylie has habitually produced some of the state's better individual talent over the last several years. Junior Zachary Brumfield looks to be the next man up for Wylie and his results across the track and the grass provide plenty of evidence as to why he should be that guy.
Brumfield came into high school in 2022 and had a solid first cross-country season which saw him run 16:19.00 over 5000m and run at the state meet. He followed this up with an equally solid track season where he ran 1:59.13 as a freshman and qualified for the regional meet. Based on his first season, Brumfield looked to be a guy who could score solid points in cross-country, but would overall be more of a track guy.
However, Brumfield quickly proved that he was going to evolve into being more than just a points scorer on the grass. He started off his sophomore campaign by running 16:09.60, a ten-second improvement on his previous personal best. His best run of the season would come at the Southlake #2 XC Invite where he ran 15:41.57 to finish in the top fifteen. While that may have been his fastest race of the season, Brumfield's best races would come during the championship season where he played a critical role in Wylie's success.
He finished third at the UIL 6A-District 9 championship and then had arguably his best run of the season at regionals where he finished fifteenth in a time of 16:09.16. Brumfield would go on to run 15:58.00 at the state meet and then close out the year with an impressive 15:46.00 at the NXR South Regional Championships. It's no question that Brumfield's cross-country season was impressive, however, his performances in the spring are what makes him such a standout heading into 2024.
Throughout the spring, Brumfield would prove to be elite over 800m, running 1:57 or faster six times. His best performance of the season came at the Jesuit-Sheaner Relays where he ran 1:54.15 which is his current personal best. Heading into this season, Brumfield will have to adjust as he competed exclusively over 800m in the spring. That being said, he's proven to be incredibly well-rounded given his previous performances on the grass and he looks primed to lead Wylie to more success in the fall.
Outside of Brumfield, Wylie returns several depth guys from last year's team who should put them in a good position to find success late in the season. Hudson Donnell returns seeded in the #2 spot for Wylie with a current personal best of 16:09.91 while senior Austin Jackson returns with a personal best of 16:22.68 and state meet experience. Look for guys like Landon Cooper and Thorne Owen to step up for the Pirates as well to help them back to Round Rock.
While Wylie doesn't come into 2024 with the fastest team on paper, I think it's good to bet on their historical championship experience and their ability to develop talent. They always have 2-3 guys each year who routinely score critical points, even if they hadn't necessarily shown a historic ability to do so. On top of this, they always bring an elite individual talent and they look to have another one this year in the form of Zachary Brumfield who I think we could see take a huge step this fall.
Developing talent is such a critical area in cross-country and Wylie is simply one of the best programs for doing this. They may not start the season off particularly fast but they've proven they show up when it matters and they should do that again this year. While they may not be the best Region 2 has to offer on paper, Wylie's historical ability to get their teams to Round Rock and develop talent makes them a good bet for the #10 spot heading into the 2024 season.