Just as it was stated about the girls' Class B race, the boys' teams to watch are Christ Episcopal and Episcopal of Acadiana. These two distance giants are clearly dominant on both sides of the spectrum and have about equal chance to snag this state title.
Episcopal of Acadiana has a strong following of young runners that could possibly place its top five in the top ten. The team is led by its two low-sticks, Greer Hernandez and William Brown. These two have both run 16:41 this season and seem to be a reliable duo. Another grouping in the Acadiana's squad lies with Max Ross and Spencer McNeely who also tend to finish very near to one another, with both of their PRs standing at 17:27 and 17:35, respectively. Braxton Breaux rounds out Acadiana's top five; he is a reliable runner that can usually be found around the low 18's, but nonetheless, crucial for Acadiana's chance to secure a win.
The Christ Episcopal squad is a little more spread out, but they do have the fastest runner in Class B, Jake Tournillon. Jake has run 15:41 so far this year, which places him a whole minute ahead of the rest of the competition. He is also a two-time cross country champion in Class B, as well as the 1600m and 3200m champion from this past Spring. The rest of Christ Episcopal's squad usually turns into the finish around the 18-minute mark. A collection of runners between Marcus Moses, Callum Newberry, Mason Lyons, and Ryder Clark are the cogs that hold the team together. Judging by previous performances, there is no routine pattern to who finishes in front of each other. Episcopal's best bet may be to pack together and mark Acadiana who has a more consistent finishing ability.
Jake Tournillon taking 2nd at the St. Joseph's Invite
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Another individual that should not be left out of the conversation is Grace Christian's star runner, Cade Fookes. His most impressive performance came from the McNeese Cowboy Stampede 5k, where he finished 5th in a time of 17:12, which is equivalent to a 16:34 3 mile. You may just find Fookes on the podium this coming Monday.
Also, Phoenix Robinson of Midland has recently made a big jump in time with his recent PR of 17:40. This would place him in the midst of the Acadiana pack and they could help him land an All-Sate position within the top ten.