1A Girls 

At 1A, Tilden McMullen County is the class of the field and the No. 1 team for a reason: Isabella Billingsley is a title contender, and the supporting four-London Yanity, Camie Taylor, Caroline Trudeau, Ella David-give McMullen something rare at this level: a complete, competitive five with minimal drop-off. That combination usually wins 1A races by sheer arithmetic.

Team call: McMullen for the win; with a typical day from their fourth and fifth, the real drama will be the race for second among the other small-roster powers-decided by who keeps a #5 within one minute of their #3 over the final kilometer.

2A Girls 

Hamilton (No.1) arrives with the most reliable five and the longest active title streak in the classification. Presley Long projects at or near the individual win, and Anna Pearcy, Chaska Downs, Emma Ensor, Milagros Moncada form a back end that rarely gives away positions after 3K-state-meet DNA.

Goldthwaite (No. 3) owns top-end credibility with Emily Bartek, plus point-savers Payten McGee, Andi Edwards, and Edith Aguilar; if a fourth runs closeses the gap and the fifth stays attached, the Eagles can beat anyone not named Hamilton.

Christoval (No. 6) has clear upside with Kayleigh Pump and Sophia Nemec, and Centerville (No. 10) brings viable scoring punch via Kaila Mast and Opal Keeling-both programs are podium threats if #5 overperforms by ~15 seconds.

Team call: Look for Hamilton to exhibit their strength and reliability from 1- 5. We'll get a glimpse at Goldthwaite, Christoval, and Centerville and see how close they are today and how much work they need to do by November.

3A Girls 

Holliday looks every bit the defending state champion and No.1 ranked: Kenli Atwood is a top-five lock, and the core of Sarah Spears, Avy Mauldin, Landri Beck, Emerson Watson, and Kaylee Bullington gives the Eagles one of the best pack densities in the state. Holliday wins most showdowns when it's No. 4 beats other teams' No. 3-expect that to be the blueprint again.

Poth (No. 2) has the upside to flip that script. Brooklyn Albert is a legitimate low stick, Rylee Ellis and Katelyn Poth form a solid middle, and Sadie Skloss is the swing piece. If Poth's fifth cuts 15-20 seconds versus recent form, the Pirates can apply real pressure to Holliday's back end.

Eustace (No. 3) is the metronome: Kezia Henderson, Carley Pitman, Makayla Truitt, Kaitlyn Swasso, Skylar Long/Presley Bonner rarely crack and often surge late. On a wide, honest layout like McNeil (after the levee), that steadiness routinely turns 30th-place runners into 22nd-place finishers in the last kilometer-podium math.

Wall (No. 4) and Pilot Point (No. 5) carry podium resumes: Wall's McKenzie Lopez leads a veteran cast (Beam, Reel, Taylor) that travels well; Pilot Point's Ava Smith, Kaelyn Chaney, Madison Coronado give the Bearcats a credible 1-3 with room for a No. 5 pop.

Franklin (No. 6) has a point-shaver in Payton Conn; San Antonio Cole (No. 8) brings a dangerous top two (Katherine Zinnante, Amanda Gallardo) that can steal points up front.

Team call: Holliday's density holds for the win; Poth is the best bet to make it a one-score race if the fifth hits; Eustace vs. Wall vs. Pilot Point decides the final podium rung.

4A Girls 

Canyon enters as the clear favorite and the standard in 4A: two-time state champion Addyson Bristow, arguably, the best distance runner in the state, gives them a near-automatic single digit, and the supporting trio of Michaela Sharber, Crickette Morris, and Reese Wilson has the speed to land inside the top 25 before most contenders' fourth scorers arrive.

If Canyon's No.5 runner (Ella Martinez) stays attached through 3K, the defending champs can win this one by pack discipline alone. Salado (No. 3) is the most plausible disruptor because it can match Canyon's volume of scorers. Cade Harris and McCall Boyd set the table, while Annalee Bryant, Sydney Engleking, and Hayden Griesemer give Salado a true 1-5 that doesn't leak points late. If Salado compresses its 3-5 thirty seconds tighter than usual, Canyon will feel pressure at No. 4 - No 5.

Comal avenport (#4) is the volatility play with a front three that travels well-Kendall Fallon and Macie Fallon plus Olivia Bounds-and a fourth in Audrey Orgill, who can swing 10-15 places in the final kilometer. A great day threatens Canyon if Bristow's crew leaves the door cracked.

Huffman Hargrave (No. 8) and Lorena (No. 10) are the scoring spoilers you notice when you total up results: Hargrave's Payton Miller and Hayley Briggs, and Lorena's balanced five (Jaylah Fish, Carter Jackson, Laina Gehring, Lexie Sykora, the Seigmans) reliably wedge between other teams' 3-5s. Both programs are built to move up as the race heats up past 3K, exactly how you flip the scoring and become podium threats, and it'll begin this weekend at McNeil.

Team call: Canyon to win on superior low-stick + depth; Salado second with the best shot to make it close; Davenport the high-ceiling and contending threat; Hargrave and Lorena will show us what their possibilities are come championship season.

In every division, keep an eye on the No. 5 runners. McNeil's long, honest layout rewards teams that keep their scoring five inside a minute and punish those that fade after two miles. Even though the rankings come out Friday morning, if the temperatures cooperate, we'll see state-caliber times-and some rankings shakeups-by Friday afternoon; if the tems rise, we can still see some shake ups. 

1A Boys

Sebastian Talamantez has been extraordinary over the past two seasons winning the UIL 1A state champioship last year. He has a 15:59 seed time and a 16:13 SB on the record. His Comstock (No. 1) squad comes in as the favorite because they check both boxes that win at McNeil: a true low stick who can live in the top five overall and a compact 2-5 that doesn't leak points in the final kilometer. If the reigning state champ's fourth and fifth stay within ~40-45 seconds of the leader, they'll be tough to topple.

Last year's runner-up Zephyr (No. 2) profiles like the best upset pick-likely a sharper front-runner than Comstock, with the path to the title running through better compression at spots 3-5. They will be led by Aaron Fagan, who should be a frontrunner in the race. 

This season, Tilden McMullen County (No. 3) has podium stability written all over it; their scoring five tends to travel together, and they're very good at passing bodies late on wide courses like McNeil. Joseph Timms should be their low stick runner and lead the charge. 

Garner (No. 4) is the wild card: if their No. 5 hangs on through two miles, they can yank a surprise top-two finish. Individually, look for a wire-to-wire style race up front; the winning tactic in 1A is often to commit early and dare the packs to chase.

2A Boys

This one has genuine chaos potential. Port Aransas (No. 4) owns the highest ceiling. When their fourth and fifth are within a minute of the ace, they look like a trophy team on any course. Shane Stawar is one of the best 2A runners in the state, and he is the straw that stirs the PA drink,. The key is holding contact through the mid-race rollers; if they do, their finishing speed plays.

Tenaha (No. 7) is built for McNeil: a reliable top two who punch low numbers, Adrian Ramirez and Marco Gonzalez, with a disciplined pack that tends to negative-split the last 1K. New Summerfield (No. 8) is led by Raul Munoz, who has a sub-27-minute seed time, and his team brings aggression; Munoz could finish in the top 10, and they could make everyone else's thirds and fourths uncomfortable.

Waco Meyer (No. 9) is the steady option-no no glaring holes, and that often means passing 15-20 athletes collectively after two miles. 

3A Boys

The defending champions Lytle (No. 1), are still the standard. Their pack density remains the best in the division, and they're comfortable winning ugly-sitting a touch conservative through the first mile and then overwhelming the field with a three-across surge They have four boys entered with sub-17-minute performances nlcuding Diego Reyna with a 15:52 and Jacob Cantu at 16:02.

Led by Brendon Greenlee who is entered with a 15:50, Eustace (No. 5) has the right formula to make it a meet: a legitimate low stick and enough middle-order pop to keep Lytle's fourth and fifth honest.

San Antonio Great Hearts Northern Oaks (No. 6) is the tactics team-excellent at using McNeil's width to move in waves-and Clifton (No. 7) brings blue-collar scoring that holds up when the race gets hot. Altair-Rice (No. 8) and Tuscola Jim Ned (No. 9) both have top-15 individuals who can knife into the scoring line and swing 15-25 points. Individually, expect a larger front pack early; if someone dares a move after 3K, the winner could dip well into the 15s with a clean draft.

4A Boys

Depth wins here. Sanger (No. 5) arrives with the most proven blend of low stick plus a sneaky-good 3-4 that tends to arrive before rival No. 3s. If they keep their spread under 55-60 seconds, they're the best-positioned group for the title.

Gainesville (No. 6) is trending up-when their No. 2 goes with the front, their 4-5 feed off the momentum and the whole score compresses.

Longview Pine View (No. 8) is the spoiler: not as flashy up front, but they win the cumulative passing game from 2 miles home. The team podium likely comes down to which program squeezes the gap from its first to fifth under a minute on the day. Individually, look for a tactical opener (fast but not frantic), then a decisive thinning by the time the course opens back up-someone with the courage to cover a long move will take it.