TSR's 2024 High School XC Top-25 Team Rankings (Boys): Update #1

Donald Speas
Sep 30, 2024
10 min read

Written by Donny Speas, edits and additional commentary via Garrett Zatlin

KEY

(Unranked):

Was not ranked in our last update.

(#/#):

First number indicates how much the team has moved in our rankings.

The second number indicates where the team was ranked in our last update

25. Xavier Knights (NY) (Unranked)

Predicting the top boys squad in New York is something of a challenge. However the Xavier boys, led by senior Aaron Gill (who has quietly chopped 32 seconds of his 5k PR), have slowly but surely separated themselves from the rest. After a major win at the McQuaid Invitational over key in-state foe Ithaca, the Knights look to be the best boy's team in the Empire State...for now.

24. Rock Canyon Jaguars (CO) (Unranked)

The first of many teams on this list who ventured to Irvine, California to race at the Woodbridge XC Classic, Rock Canyon came away with a very respectable 6th place finish, buoyed by senior Owen Whitney's 17th place effort.

In addition to their 6th place finish at Woodbridge, the Jaguars took home the win at the Liberty Bell XC Invitational, one of the fastest meets in the state of Colorado, certifying their status as a dark horse contender for an at-large bid out of the Southwest region.

23. Lone Peak Knights (UT) (0 / 23)

Lone Peak has consistently been right in-line with our preseason expectations this cross country season. While I was slightly concerned after a 5th-place finish at the Timpanogos Invite, they quickly rebounded at the TwiKnight Invite after reintroducing junior Tyler Palmer into the lineup. As a result, they finished a mere 14 points behind one of the nation's top squads, the American Fork Caveman.

22. Issaquah Eagles (WA) (Unranked)

Issaquah has gone from being one of our "Just Missed" squads to emerging as a top-25 team after a runner-up performance at the Mook XC Invite, narrowly defeating our TSR #21 squad, Jesuit (OR). Senior Connor Rickey stopped the clock at 14:46 (5k) to secure a huge runner-up finish, giving his team a massive boost in upper-tier scoring potency. He is a big reason why this team cracks our list.

21. Cheyenne Mountain Red-Tailed Hawks (CO) (Unranked)

I mentioned in our preseason rankings that Cheyenne Mountain's fortunes would largely depend on how close their 3-4-5 scorers could get to their elite duo of Brogan Collins and Aiden Le Roux.

Sure enough, there's been some significant progress from this group (admittedly, with plenty more room to improve) and the Red-Tailed Hawks were subsequently rewarded with a runner-up finish at the Nike Portland XC meet as well as a victory at the Joe Vigil XC Open.

20. Jesuit Marauders (CA) (Unranked)

One of the few top-ranked California squads that opted to skip the Woodbridge XC Classic, the Jesuit boys headed north to Oregon where they took the win at Nike Portland XC meet over a ranked Cheyenne Mountain squad.

A large part of the Marauders' Nike Portland XC win can be attributed to the great pack running between the team's third and fourth runners, Matthew Ogilvie and Drake Hoferer. Those guys ran 15:23 and 15:28 for 5000 meters, respectively, giving Jesuit a massive amount of potency at the latter portion of their scoring group.

19. Jesuit Crusaders (OR) (-13 / 6)

Yet another Jesuit school on this list (it's ok if you get a little confused), the Crusaders have sent us some mixed signals this season. While they have yet to have a truly poor race, I can't help but feel that they're capable of more after taking losses to both Issaquah (WA) and Sehome (WA), two very strong squads.

However, one bright spot for the Crusaders has been freshman Jaciah Lavier who had a quietly great race at the Mook XC Invite, sliding into Jesuit's varsity lineup. His introduction theoretically offers more scoring stability moving forward.

The Crusaders were originally a top-10 team in our rankings, making it challenging to drop them all the way back outside of our top-20. For now, they'll reside at TSR #19 as we wait to see what they'll do next.

18. Knoxville Catholic Fighting Irish (TN) (Unranked)

In a wide-open Southeast region, it shouldn't be too surprising that a team from Tennessee (arguably the deepest state in the region) made their way into these rankings. We knew that Colorado commit, Keegan Smith, was the real deal. However, after seeing the Fighting Irish take the crown at the Adidas XC Challenge, it seems that their entire roster might have enough talent to make a run at the national meet this fall.

17. Hamilton Huskies (AZ) (Unranked)

Hamilton might be the hardest team to rank in the country right now. That's because they had the race of their lives at the Woodbridge XC Classic, taking 4th place while being led by Zarian Rodriguez's 19th place finish and Chase Markunas (26th) who had a sneaky-good race as well.

However, before that point, the Huskies took 4th place at the Ojo Rojo XC Invite (a solid, but not exceptional meet) and this past weekend they finished 10th at the Desert Twilight Invite.

While both of those latter results aren't indicative of a team being ranked in our top-25, it's impossible to ignore Hamilton's performance at the Woodbridge XC Classic. As such, they settle in at TSR #17 for now.

16. Sehome Mariners (WA) (Unranked)

I probably should have seen the Sehome Mariners coming. Last year, they were the WIAA 2A state champions and brought back their entire top-10.

This year, they put the country on notice by winning the Mook XC Invite by averaging 15:33 for 5k. However, more importantly, they took down a couple of very talented squads in the process and that's ultimately what matters the most.

Later down the line, make sure you keep the name Dylan Hill in the back of your mind. The sophomore has already chopped 47 seconds off his 5k personal best and who knows what he's capable of by the end of the cross country season (and beyond).

15. Bridgeland Bears (TX) (+4 / 19)

In our preseason rankings, I highlighted the quartet of Kyle Pawak, Maddox McCallister, Nazim Benguedda and Layton Carlisle. I thought those four young men would be crucial names for the development of the Bears this fall.

For the most part, I was right about that as three out of the four have all ended up doing huge things for the Bears, most recently at the Cowboy Jamboree. In Stillwater, Oklahoma, Bridgeland averaged 15:55 for 5000 meters on the notoriously difficult course while putting all five of their scorers in the top-11.

Needless to say, I'm very high on this squad.

14. Taylorsville Warriors (UT) (Unranked)

There are many Utah programs who are typically associated with cross country excellence, and perhaps the Taylorsville Warriors have earned their spot on that list.

Admittedly, Taylorsville has had some troubles with injury this season. But when they run a complete top-seven, they are almost unbeatable, only losing to the Herriman Mustangs who, if you haven't already guessed, are near the top of this list. In the process, they finished runner-up at the Bob Firman Invite and won the always-competitive Border Wars Invite.

13. Rio Rancho Rams (NM) (Unranked)

Prior to this weekend, the only thing that I knew about the Rio Rancho boys was that they had a superb miler in Charlie Vause. Of course, in order to reside at TSR #13, you need more than just one really strong name.

It appears that Vause has helped raise his teammates to a higher level, enough to the point where the Rams were able to take home a phenomenal 2nd place finish at the Desert Twilight Invite. There, they took down a couple of teams who are featured in these rankings mostly thanks to a very stable middle-lineup trio of Mateo Herrera, Cody Sullivan and Alejandro Casaus who all cracked the top-30.

12. Coronado Cougars (CO) (+5 / 17)

Yes, the Coronado Cougars finished one spot behind Rio Rancho at Desert Twilight Invite. However, they have had a much more consistent season so far, picking up wins at their home meet and at the Cherry Creek Invitational, both of which were full of talented Colorado squads.

The longer that this cross country season carries on, the more intriguing the competition for the Southwest region's at-large bids are shaping up to be. In theory, a top-heavy scoring trio of Oliver Horton, Xzavier Campos and Boston Potts should give this team an edge in the postseason.

11. Downers Grove North Trojans (+5 / 16)

The best of the many competitive teams from the "Chicagoland" area, the Trojans have one massive advantage on their side -- they have yet to lose a meet this year despite multiple close calls from a strong Plainfield North squad.

Perhaps the main reason why they've managed to stay undefeated is because they have the low-stick duo of Philip Cupial and Grant Schroder. Both of those young men have taken turns as the team's top runner.

If Downers Grove North remains as consistent as they have been, then I see no reason why they shouldn't defend their IHSA 3A state title and book a trip to Portland this December.

10. Jesuit Bluejays (LA) (+4 / 14)

While the Jesuit boys haven't grabbed a ton of national headlines as of late, they have picked up a strong national-caliber win at the Wingfoot XC Classic.

Yes, 4:08 miler Brady Mullen has been just as good as expected, but it's been Brady Monahan who has really impressed us during this cross country season. He ran 15:18 (5k) at the Wingfoot Classic, an 18-second personal best which gave the Bluejays a true two-pronged scoring attack up front.

9. Coeur d'Alene Vikings (ID) (+1 / 10)

First of all, props to Max Cervi-Skinner. I knew he was good, but I was not expecting a 13:37 (three-miles) performance and a 3rd-place finish at the Woodbridge XC Classic.

Led by Cervi-Skinner's elite finish, the Vikings finished an impressive 5th place behind a couple of teams who we've already ranked. However, I feel that the Vikings are a much "safer" team than many. And for that reason, they move up one spot in our rankings.

8. Crater Comets (OR) (+1 / 9)

The Crater Comets are one of many squads who had a great day at the Woodbridge XC Classic as senior Josiah Tostenson came within a quarter of a second of the win while fellow senior Tayvon Kitchen was not too far back in 5th place.

Combine their elite 1-2 scoring punch with a solid day from the rest of the Comet's top-five (Ivar Hokanson, in particular, had a great day) and it was enough for a resume-boosting 3rd-place finish from the Crater boys.

7. Austin Vandegrift Vipers (TX) (-1 / 6)

Austin Vandegrift has looked phenomenal this year, dominating every meet that they've sent their varsity lineup to. In fact, they have even rested their low-stick, Hudson Haley, on occasion.

A big part of their dominance this fall comes from junior Kai McCullough who has been on an absolute tear this season, lowering his 5k (XC) personal best from 15:38 to 14:53! Keep an eye on this team. They're quietly becoming a dark horse pick for a podium finish this December, especially if they are able to translate (and build upon) their newfound firepower during the postseason.

6. American Fork Cavemen (UT) (-2 / 4)

It's always hard to figure out how American Fork stacks up to other national-caliber high school teams as they rarely leave the state of Utah for competition.

Their biggest race of the cross country season up and to this point has been the Timpanogos Invitational where they finished a respectable 2nd place behind our top-ranked squad, the Herriman Mustangs (more on them later).

A few teams have been a bit closer to the Cavemen than we thought they'd be, but it's hard to really penalize this team for taking home wins and only losing to our TSR #1 squad.

5. Belen Jesuit Wolverines (FL) (-2 / 5)

It's not exactly a secret that I think Belen Jesuit is the best team in the state of Florida and the greater Southeast region as a whole. And with that, I generally have some high expectations for them.

I can admit that I was a little concerned when I saw them "only" average 15:42 (5k) on a fast Southern Showcase course. However, they did show some encouraging signs, especially when looking at Armando Cruz's 15:36 (5k) performance who gave the Wolverines even more depth to their high-octane lineup.

4. Southlake Carroll Dragons (TX) (+1 / 5)

Out of all the teams who traveled to Southern California for the competitive Woodbridge XC Classic, Southlake Carroll had the race that was most in line with my expectations, I think a 2nd place finish was a great sign for them, in particular Griffin Cords's 45th place individual finish. He feels like a somewhat underrated name.

If we're lucky, we'll get to see a showdown between Southlake Carroll and Austin Vandegrift sometime before the UIL XC State Championships in November. For now, all we can do is speculate on who Texas's top team is.

3. Christian Brothers Academy Colts (NJ) (+5 / 8)

I'll admit, I wasn't too high on Christian Brothers Academy in our preseason rankings, but this weekend's performance at the Bowdoin Park Classic left me very impressed (in particular, Joe Barrett's monster time of 15:25 which made him the second-fastest performer of all-time on that course).

Combine the Colt's Bowdoin performance with some quietly great improvements by Alex Mastroly and the Schmitt brothers and it's enough for me to give Christian Brothers Academy a sizable boost in our rankings.

2. Niwot Cougars (CO) (-1 / 2)

Niwot has raced sparingly this season. They did, however, compete recently at the Desert Twilight Invitational where they won by a generous margin over a handful of ranked squads.

Perhaps even more impressive was the Cougars's performance at the St. Vrain Invitational where they scored a perfect 15 points against a strong collection of Colorado teams. While Niwot's performances have been great, I have to drop the Cougars through no fault of their own due to the performances of our top-ranked team.

1. Herriman Mustangs (UT) (+1 / 2)

Since the first edition of our rankings, the Herriman boys have been nothing short of phenomenal. The Mustangs have dominated every race that they've entered this season, winning the Woodbridge XC Classic by 115 points and the Bob Firman Invitational by 77 points.

Senior Tayshaun Ogomo has run 13:57 (three-miles) and 15:02 (5k), looking like a true superstar talent. Jackson Spencer (6th at Woodbridge) and Jonah Tang have also looked like top-tier lead runners in their own right.

ADDED

Xavier Knights (NY)

Rock Canyon Jaguars (CO)

Issaquah Eagles (WA)

Cheyenne Mountain Red-Tailed Hawks (CO)

Jesuit Marauders (CA)

Knoxville Catholic Fighting Irish (TN)

Hamilton Huskies (AZ)

Sehome Mariners (WA)

Taylorsville Knights (UT)

KICKED OFF

Huntsville Panthers (AL)

Wayzata Trojans (MN)

Stevens Point Panthers (WI)

Buchanan Bears (CA)

Great Oak Wolfpack (CA)

Ridgefield Tigers (CT)

Mountain View Bruins (UT)

Rock Bridge Bruins (MO)

Lucas Lovejoy Leopards (TX)

JUST MISSED (in no particular order)

Riverton Silverwolves (UT)

Mercer Island Islanders (WA)

St. Xavier Bombers (OH)

Dowling Catholic West Des Moines Maroons (IA)

Viewmont Vikings (UT)