Advertisement

High school cross country regionals: Which Jacksonville-area teams qualify for state meet?

Clayton Freeman, Jacksonville Florida Times-Union
·4 min read

High school cross country regional championships

Qualification: Top eight teams, top three individuals to state

Region 1-4A

Creekside's Jack Zurn (left) heads a pack of runners at the Katie Caples Invitational in September.
Creekside's Jack Zurn (left) heads a pack of runners at the Katie Caples Invitational in September.

At New World Sports Complex

Nov. 10, 7:30 a.m. (girls), 8 a.m. (boys)

Boys team qualifiers: Bartram Trail, Creekside, Mandarin, Nease.

Girls team qualifiers: Creekside, Mandarin, Nease, Tocoi Creek.

Boys individual qualifiers: Ben Brown, Atlantic Coast; Kenneth Folkenroth, Tocoi Creek.

Girls individual qualifiers: Camryn Patterson, Bartram Trail; Eliza Hutton, Fletcher.

Outlook: Coming off a dominant 24-point district meet, Nease has the high-end speed from reigning champion Matt Ryan and the top-to-bottom depth to add a regional boys championship. Four Panthers broke 16 minutes in that one, and there's no reason to expect a slowdown. This region could be very quick indeed: Tanner Simonds ran 15:18 last time for a Creekside team that may be Nease's main challenger, Tallahassee Chiles and Gainesville Buchholz are loaded with contenders and both Mandarin and Bartram Trail are possible qualifiers for states. On the girls side, Gainesville Buchholz is the clear team favorite, but Creekside and Mandarin appear to be locks to qualify and Nease has a strong chance to make it as well. Look for Creekside sophomore Alyson Johnson to spend much of the morning near the front of the field.

Region 1-3A

Ponte Vedra's Hilaree Vega (5287) runs during the girls elite race in the Katie Caples Invitational.
Ponte Vedra's Hilaree Vega (5287) runs during the girls elite race in the Katie Caples Invitational.

At Matanzas, Palm Coast

Nov. 11, 9 a.m. (girls), 9:30 a.m. (boys)

Boys team qualifiers: Beachside, Columbia, Fleming Island, Menendez, Ponte Vedra, St. Augustine, Stanton.

Girls team qualifiers: Beachside, Fleming Island, Menendez, Ponte Vedra, St. Augustine, Stanton.

Boys individual qualifiers: Noah Looney, Clay; Ty Obermeyer, Orange Park.

Girls individual qualifiers: Erika Martinez, Kaygen Williamson (both Clay); Emily Turner, Ridgeview.

Outlook: There's not much question about the individual boys favorite. That's Patrick Koon of Tallahassee Leon, who ran 14:58 at districts and gives the Lions a slight edge in what should be a close team contest against Fleming Island and Ponte Vedra. In the girls race, Ponte Vedra stands out, particularly after Lindy White, Daisy Ross and Hilaree Vega combined for a 1-2-3 home finish in the district meet. Fleming Island, led by Brooke Reynolds and Allie Knotts, and Fort Walton Beach are the Sharks' most likely competitors, and several other area schools should qualify for the 3A meet.

Playoff brackets: Which Jacksonville-area high schools qualified in FHSAA football?

Region 1-2A

Wolfson's Andrew Marello (5949) and a host of Bolles runners compete in the District 2-2A meet on Oct. 30.
Wolfson's Andrew Marello (5949) and a host of Bolles runners compete in the District 2-2A meet on Oct. 30.

At Alligator Lake Park, Lake City

Nov. 9, 8 a.m (girls), 9 a.m. (boys)

Boys team qualifiers: Baker County, Bishop Kenny, Bolles, Episcopal, Fernandina Beach, Keystone Heights, Suwannee, Wolfson.

Girls team qualifiers: Bishop Kenny, Bolles, Episcopal, Fernandina Beach, Keystone Heights, Raines, Suwannee, Wolfson.

Boys individual qualifiers: Bryson Lewis, Raines; Jack Garcia, Yulee.

Girls individual qualifiers: Kennedi Proctor, Baldwin; Ymira Passmore, Palatka; Olivia Risinger, West Nassau.

Outlook: This could be a Jacksonville sweep. Bolles is a clear boys favorite for regionals and beyond, paced by Chris Joost and Will Morales in a lineup that seems to have only one real challenger in a Bishop Kenny team with Juan Pablo Castillo-Zima and Jack Liuzzo. The girls' side shapes up as another Duval duel: Bolles is the traditional leader and might have the region's fastest individual in seventh-grader Sofie Stam, but the superior depth of Bishop Kenny gave the Crusaders the upper hand in districts. Emily Wheldon, Tessa Massa and Stephanie Grden led a pack of nine Bishop Kenny runners under 20 minutes. Episcopal, Fernandina Beach and Wolfson are also among several probable local qualifiers.

Region 1-1A

At New World Sports Complex

Nov. 10, 8:30 a.m. (girls), 9 a.m. (boys)

Boys team qualifiers: Bishop Snyder, Christ's Church, Providence, St. Johns Country Day, St. Joseph, Trinity Christian.

Girls team qualifiers: Bishop Snyder, Christ's Church, Harvest Community, Providence, St. Johns Country Day.

Boys individual qualifiers: Noah Jacobo, Sam Jacobo, Noah Taunton (all Harvest Community.)

Girls individual qualifiers: Paige Brammer, Kira Casane (both St. Joseph); Adyson Berry, University Christian.

Outlook: Providence's boys team turned in a solid regional effort, with Walker White and Sam Loftin breaking 17 minutes and a 40-second split from first through fifth runners. If they repeat that showing Saturday, they've got a strong chance of a regional trophy, although Pensacola Christian and Tallahassee Maclay could test them. The girls race likely means a one-on-one battle between Maclay and Pensacola Christian, but Providence has the depth to finish high, and both Rebecca Stratton (St. Johns Country Day) and Paige Brammer (St. Joseph) could place well among individuals.

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: FHSAA regional cross country 2023: Jacksonville-area race previews