UIL 3A Girls And Boys Season Status Ahead Of Districts

The UIL 3A championship season arrives next week with district meets, and both the girls' and boys' pictures feel defined-but far from settled. One might think that the defending champions and streaking Holliday girls and top returner Kenli Atwood look primed to run away with things on the girls' side. The same could be said for the boys' side of things with three-time individual champion Noah Strohman and the Lytle boys.

On the girls side, the individual board is headlined by two familiar names sitting atop 2025 form charts: Keene's Brynleigh McFarlin (TX No. 1 at 11:20.30) and Holliday's defending state runner-up Kenli Atwood (No. 2 at 11:23.10).

They're joined by a deep cast that explains why 3A has been so punchy this fall: Great Hearts Northern Oaks freshman Juliet Alcott (11:32.90), Randolph's up-and-coming freshman Caroline Finley (11:42.06), and Holliday's Sarah Spears (11:44.30) have all flashed winning gears, while East Bernard's young core-Samantha Fryer (11:50.50), Kynlee Kocurek (11:56.50), and Lauren Locke (12:02.00)-keeps trimming time.

Factor in Mineola's Raylie Peebles (11:57.64), Clyde's Sky Phariss (11:58.00), Goliad's Cassidy Meyer (11:58.90), and Poth's Brooklyn Albert (12:01.87)-all sub-12:02 this season-and the front of the state race should be crowded through a mile.

The context matters: Atwood and Spears were both top-10 a year ago, McFarlin placed fifth at state in 2024, and Fryer finished 10th-so the current lists are confirming last November's talent, not contradicting it.

Girls Team Outlook

Team-wise, two different lenses tell a similar story. The CCCAT poll puts Holliday at No. 1, followed by Lytle, Poth, Eustace, East Bernard, Wall, Pilot Point, Franklin, San Antonio Cole, and San Diego-a pecking order that nods to returning championship equity (Holliday won state in 2023 and in 2024 with a 1:14 split and 11:54 average).

The season-to-date performance database, however, screams that East Bernard's youth-led pack is the time standard right now: a stunning 12:00 average and a microscopic 17-second 1-5 spread (11:50-12:07) give the Brahmarettes the most "automatic" scoring profile in 3A.

Lytle and Whitesboro both sit near 12:38-12:39 averages with 45-71-second compression-podium-ready if they keep their No. 5 under 13:00. Paradise's balanced five (12:39.7 average) and Wall (12:45 average, <60-second gap) fit the same blueprint.

Eustace (12:41.8 average) and Canadian (12:51.7 average, 53-second gap) are better than their rankings might imply because their gaps are under control, and San Antonio Cole (12:54 average) has a bona fide low stick in freshman Katherine Zinnante.

Bottom line:

Holliday still owns the championship résumé and the Atwood-Spears punch, but East Bernard's every-single-place consistency is the most reliable model in a big field. If Holliday's fourth and fifth runners close to within ~60 seconds of Atwood, the defending champs will look exactly like, well, defending back-to-back champs; if not, East Bernard's clock-tight scoring five becomes the favorite.

Individual Boys Outlook:

On the boys side, the individual race again starts with Holliday-and specifically with the Strohman twins. Noah, the three-time reigning state champion, has been brilliant (UIL 3A No. 1 and TX No. 3 at 14:40.00) and remains the athlete to beat. Twin brother Ryder sits fourth on the 2025 time list (15:30.20) and was last year's state runner-up on the track (1,600m and 3,200m) and is the second best returner from the cross-country state meet.

The chasers are legitimate: Stockdale's Cooper Warrick (15:16.56), Canadian's Joseph Dominguez (15:46.07), Eustace's Brendon Greenlee (15:48.64), Cotulla's Pablo Garcia (15:49.05), Lytle's Diego Reyna (15:52.50), Pottsboro's Ethan Johnston (15:53.18), Valley View's Kaden Jenkins (15:54.45), and Jim Ned's Kenny Pritchard (15:55.43) all fit inside 15:55.

A year ago Johnston, Pritchard, and Winona's Miguel Cedillo were top-10 at state; this fall's list confirms they're again in the medals conversation. With Noah's championship habit and top-end speed, the gold still runs through Holliday's lead man, but the pack behind him is closer than it's been.

Boys Team Outlook:

Team projections are a tug-of-war between proven championship execution and current-season numbers. The CCCAT poll says Lytle is No. 1, then Holliday, East Bernard, Valley View, Yoakum, San Antonio Cole, Eustace, Clifton, Altair-Rice, and Crane.

The data backs up Lytle emphatically: the defending state champion Pirates own the state's best team profile-16:20.64 average with just 53 seconds across 1-5-featuring Reyna (15:52), freshman Jacob Cantu (16:02), and a tightly packed 3-5 (16:19-16:45). That's exactly how they won last year (68 points with a 1:04 split), and it travels in big fields.

Holliday's ceiling is higher than any team's because of Noah-and-Ryder up front and a 16:28.2 average, but the current 2:58 split is the tension point; if the Eagles can pull 3-5 under 17:10 and close the gap by ~60-75 seconds, they become co-favorites.

Valley View profiles like a classic podium threat (16:35.5 average, 1:21 gap) if their 4-5 trim 15-20 seconds. Commerce is the state's purest pack (16:47.5 average with a ridiculous 23-second 1-5), a style that routinely beats flashier rosters when the fifth runner doesn't blink. East Bernard sits right there as well (16:48.9 average), IDEA Pharr's front three (16:07-16:29) gives them punch if the back end tightens, Eustace rides Greenlee and a steady mid-17s group, and San Antonio Cole, Cameron Yoe, and Yoakum all have a clear pathway to the bus to Round Rock if their No. 5s land earlier in the chute.

The Big Picture:

Lytle remains the "most dependable" pick heading into district because their split is already state-championship caliber, they won last year and were second the previous season. Holliday retains the highest upside if the gap collapses, and a depth-forward program like Commerce can absolutely podium if they reproduce that 23-second compression in November. District and regional rounds won't just seed the final-they'll tell us which teams can keep their packs intact when the stakes erase comfort.