DIVISION V
Though being the smallest division, there is still plenty to be excited about. It will be an exciting race to watch with teams like Christ Episcopal School and Westminster Christian Academy - Opelousas vying for the top team position. The final result between these two teams should be very close, with the odds of either team winning being essentially even.
Christ Episcopal enters the competition with four runners with the potential to land within the top ten. An amazing feat! However, the team is vulnerable due to an incredibly large gap between its top four and its fifth runner. Just about anything can happen to this team and it would be fine, but the final result of this fifth man will make all the difference. After all, isn't that what cross country is all about?
Westminster is objectively not as strong a team as Christ Episcopal, HOWEVER, the advantage that this team has is a much smaller 1-5 split than its opponent. On top of that, this team has shown more consistency nearing the end of the season, not having that large of increases in time during the qualifying rounds towards the state meet.
Mason Lyons taking 10th at the Watson High School Cross Country Classic Silver Division
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Oddly enough the challenge for two of the podium positions also lies within these two teams. This will surely set the tone early on during the race as Mason Lyons of Christ Episcopal and Owen Melancon of Westminster duke it out on the grass.
Outside of the team battle, there are several individuals in the mix. One that certainly should not be left out of the discussion is Tyler Blissett of Highland Baptist. He has run the fastest time for Division V this year with a blazing time of 15:29! His teammate, Neil Mason, also shows potential to crack into the top ten and garner All-State recognition.
Others include Noah Girior of Ascension Catholic, Louis Rodriguez V of Maurepas, and Ean Allain of Simpson. Allain has shown the most consistency among these three and looks to be a safe bet for a top-five finish. Girior looks to be a direct challenge to Allain, as both of these boys have had somewhat similar seasons, time-wise. Rodriguez is still young, so his anticipated performance at the state meet is more of an unknown. This will be his first state championship experience ever, so it will be interesting to see what this young man is capable of at the championship level.