Just like on the girls' side, this is one of the most competitive races in Louisiana history and it will surely be a race to watch. The favorite to win is the record-breaking team from New Orleans, Jesuit.
This season, Jesuit has been able to run its B squad and still win competitive meets. The team has gone through a significant transformation of the past three years and now, most likely holds the fastest 1-5 average in state history at 15:19. Michael Vocke and Jack DesRoches both have the opportunity to stake claim to the podium. These two are two of the best runners in the state, and they are the only ones to have also run below 5:00 average per mile. They did this at The Southern Showcase at the beginning of the season and could very well replicate this performance at the state meet.
On top of Vocke and DesRoches, the team will most likely place its remaining three runners in the top ten, and if not there, then just outside. The collective of Lucas Sampedro, Leland Crawford, and Robert Buisson are all clearly talented and deserve all-state honors. These three finished within 3 seconds of each other, ranging from 15:26 to 15:29, at the District 9 Championships.
Jack DesRoches (left) and Michael Vocke (right) at the Souther Showcase
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Making a run for the top team positioning is also Ruston. These boys have only continued to improve all season and have exceeded expectations in these last two weeks. Leading the team is Caleb Babineaux. He has remained relatively undefeated and also holds the fastest time in the state with a 15:04 at the Region 1 Championships. Last year, Babineaux finished 5th and fell behind Daniel Sullivan of Catholic High and Jack DesRoches. This year could be subject to change, as he poses a legitimate threat to the Jesuit and Catholic High boys.
Following up on Babineaux is Thomas Rogers. Rogers is the second-fastest sophomore in the state, behind Vocke, and has surely deserved to have his name among the top dogs of the state. He recently ran a personal best of 15:18 and could find himself among the top ten at the state meet.
Closing out the Bearcats top five are Bryar Madden, Nelson Blackburn, and Andrew McKaskle. These three all fall in together and provide a solid finishing squad for their team. Blackburn has especially been looking good at the end of this season. He has been cutting down a significant amount of time from these last three weeks and could even manage to change the dynamic of the team scores.
Alex McKaskle (left) and Nelson Blackburn (right) kicking at the Region 1 Championships
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The last team in the running for some hardware is Catholic High. This team is routinely strong at pack running and is usually in the running for a state title. This team has won four consecutive titles and is most likely just shooting for a second-place finish this year.
Leading the team is veteran runner, Daniel Sullivan. Ever since his freshman year, he has been a contender at the state meet and he has certainly deserved that honor. He is one of the best runners in the state with his time of 15:14 and could still be in the running for a podium finish.
Close to him is a trio of Grizzlies, Steven Mayer, Clark Chustz, and Harrison Thomas. These three have a chance to land among the top ten, if not the top 20 and really give Catholic High a taste for a team trophy. The three of these runners are just seven seconds apart from each other, as of the Region 2 Championships with times ranging from 15:33 to 15:40.
Catholic High is banking on these three to finish in front of Ruston's 3rd and 4th runners. That and relying on its 5th and 6th runners, Matthew Maynard and Winston Decuir to close the gap of Ruston's 4th and 5th finishers.
Caleb Ackman (right) leading over Daniel Sullivan (left) at the Region 2 Championships
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An individual to watch is Caleb Ackman of Zachary. He has been an extremely competitive runner by winning almost every race he has been in. Not to mention both head-to-head races against Daniel Sullivan.
Some more Region 2 talents that have shown out recently are Ty Frazier of Fontainebleau and Nathan Fontan of Mandeville. Frazier dropped off a huge amount of time from his old PR of 15:52 to 15:28 and Fontan did about the same with a PR of 15:36.
From Region 1, watch out for Trent Wells of C.E. Byrd and Landon Spears of West Monroe. These two have performed greatly this season and should not be left out of the picture for this Tuesday. They both have run in the 15:30's this season and could easily find themselves in the top 20, at least.