The most exciting time of the year is upon us as the championship season we've waited so long for is in full swing. This season has gone largely as we expected it to with all of the predicted contenders living up to expectations. This rings particularly true regarding the individual state title race as all of the top returners have been exceptional.
While the regional meet tends to be more of a formality for cemented state title contenders, taking home the victory is still an impressive accomplishment. So, let's get to predicting the individual winners for the four 6A regional meets and see how their seasons have gone so far and what we can expect going forward.
Region I- Caden Leonard (Southlake Carroll)
While the majority of the names on this list will come as no surprise, Caden Leonard comes as perhaps the least surprising of them all. He's the defending 6A state champion and has maintained that form and then some throughout the 2024 season. This meet will likely serve as a tune-up for Leonard as his ultimate goals for the year still lay further down the line, but all signs indicate that he'll defend his Region I crown this weekend in Lubbock.
As mentioned, Leonard came into this season as the top returner from last year and he's maintained that form throughout the year. He's only raced three times which isn't a lot, but he's maximized his performances in each appearance which puts him in a great spot heading into this part of the season. His debut came at the Southlake #1 XC Invite where he came away with the victory in a close race in a time of 14:37.10. This race carried some pressure as it was his home meet and he had to face off with freshman star Ruel Newberry, but Leonard handled it like a pro as expected.
His second performance of the year came on the national stage at the 43rd Annual Woodbridge Cross Country Classic where Leonard had the opportunity to race against the nation's best. In a tight 3-mile race, Leonard came away in fourth with a time of 13:41.80 and helped Southlake Carroll finish second to the nation's top team Herriman. Most recently, Leonard won the UIL 6A-District 4 title in a new personal best of 14:33.50. While he was undoubtedly expected to win this race, the quality of the performance gives his stock a nice boost heading into this part of the year.
There's nothing more to say about Leonard that I haven't already said over the last year. He's an elite talent and continues to produce at the level you'd expect him to. While he could face some competition as Region I is always tough, he hasn't been beaten in Texas for over a year and I don't expect that to change this weekend.
Region II- Benjamin Montgomery (Cypress Bridgeland)
Another guy on this list that should come as no surprise is Benjamin Montgomery out of Bridgeland. Montgomery has been consistently elite over the last year and came into the season ranked as the #2 runner in the 6A title race. He's maintained that form throughout the year as he's raced three times and broken three-course records in one of the more impressive feats we've seen recently. Add onto this the fact that he's the only other runner in the field with state championship pedigree, and Montgomery looks like a prime candidate to win Region II and challenge for the state title.
Montgomery opened up his 2024 campaign at the difficult Brenham Hillacious Invitational where he put on a dominant performance. He set a new course record in a time of 15:13.00 and won the race by a dominant 30-second margin. His second course record-breaking performance came at the highly anticipated Texas A&M Invitational where there was supposed to be a solid fight for the win. However, Montgomery made sure that didn't happen as he dropped the hammer over the back half of the race and came away with a 34-second victory in a time of 15:18.00.
Montgomery's third and most recent performance came in Oklahoma at the OSU Cowboy Jamboree, another notoriously difficult course. This race marked yet another time where Montgomery wasn't challenged for the win as he took the race from the gun and didn't give it back. He finished in another course record time of 15:23.20 to pick up his third win in as many tries.
Dominance has been the story of Montgomery's season thus far and I don't expect that to change this weekend. He has a way of taking control of races that demands respect from everyone else in the field and it's allowed him to find great success. I'd expect him to come away with this one fairly easily and be a serious contender for the state championship in a few weeks.
Region III- Benjamin Pearce (Houston Stratford)
2024 has been somewhat of a down year for Region III as it's been somewhat deprived of a team or individual with a legitimate state title challenge. That being said, Houston Stratford senior Benjamin Pearce has been phenomenal throughout the year and looks to have the best shot at taking home the Region III crown this weekend. Pearce is a guy that I've been high on since the 2023 season and he's quietly built himself into one of the state's most underrated all-around talents.
Unlike the others on this list, Pearce has raced very frequently this year as he has a total of six races under his belt this year. Of these six races, he's won five of them and finished second in the sole outlier which is just one aspect that demonstrates his impressive pedigree. Ironically, his best performance of the season in terms of time came at the Nike South Invitational, the one race he didn't win. Pearce ran a new personal best of 15:28.40, a performance that marked his third time under 15:35 on the year.
Some of Pearce's other highlight performances include a 15:33.30 victory at the Seven Lakes Showcase, a 15:31.50 victory that came at the Strake Jesuit XC Invitational, and a 12:54.50 4000m which came at the BFND Invitational. No matter the race, Pearce has always been at the front and has controlled himself well. He's always in the fight, knows how to compete at the highest level, and has plenty of experience at the sport's highest level.
While this one may be tight with someone like Ryder Darcey also challenging for the win, I think Pearce will get it done. He's raced against his region's best competition all year and he's come out victorious in each affair. Pearce has quietly proven to be one of the state's better runners and I think he'll continue to surprise people later into this season and beyond.
Region IV- Hudson Haley (Austin Vandegrift)
The final runner on this list completes the podium from last year's state meet, it's Austin Vandegrift senior Hudson Haley. Haley has been the best runner in Region IV for over a year now and has continued to evolve throughout this season. He's had great competition from his teammate Kai McCullough who could also be a contender to win this race, but Haley's championship experience and continued ability to run smart races and show up when it matters make him the favorite to defend his Region IV crown this weekend.
Much like the guys he shared the podium with last year, Haley hasn't raced a ton in 2024 up to this point. However, he's maximized the appearances he's had by continually impressing in each of them. Haley opened up his season at the Vista Ridge Cross Country Invitational where he took home the win in 15:13.80. Next, he came home second at the stacked Marcus Coach T Invitational. Although he didn't come away with the win, he still set a new personal best of 14:48.00.
Haley's run of success at big meets continued in September as he won what one could consider a home meet at the McNeil Invitational where he ran another solid time of 15:05.30. Most recently, Haley came second behind his teammate Kai McCullough at the UIL 6A-District 25 meet in a time of 15:01.00. While this may put his chances at the Region IV crown in question to some, I'm choosing to bet on Haley's continued success in big races and the success he's had against his talented teammate this year.
While this is another race that might be tight, I think Hudson Haley will get it done for the second year in a row. He's got loads of championship experience and has this ability to run smart races under pressure that few do. He not only has a chance to win this title but could very well win both titles in Round Rock in November. Keep an eye on both him and Austin Vandegrift as they look primed to challenge the longstanding Southlake Carroll Dynasty.