A:
Boys: so far over 5k Laverne looks to be the team to beat but we are yet to see preseason favorites Sweetwater debut so I'll refrain from giving them the crown just yet. Laverne did manage to come second at the Mustang night meet with a front 4 all 19:03 and below. Another team to look out for is Mooreland who also has 4 guys 19 minutes and faster (if you convert their marks from the Watonga 4k race) they finished a close 3rd behind Hooker and Chisholm. Unlike the team race which I think will come down to one of three teams (Laverne, Mooreland, Sweetwater) the individual race looks to have an early season favorite. Bly Frieouf of Medford (formally at Tonkawa) has already posted a 16:37 well ahead of the rest of the division at the Alva Meet two weeks ago.
Girls: This division I don't know who to put my *figurative* money on. No one has popped out to me yet but here is what I've seen. Velma Alma looked very solid through three girls at Madill (all three well below 14min for 3200m) but their 4th was at 16min so I would like to see some improvement before I place any chips on Velma-Alma. The next possible contender is Thomas-Fay-Custer who was the top class A squad ahead of Boise City and Amber-Pocasset. The terriors #4 is in the 15-minute range but 1-4 are all fairly close. This tight grouping if they can continue to build fitness could pay off but if they can't have that group near enough to the front it may not matter. Individually I don't have a clue but Ana Crabtree of Boise City was top A girl at Watonga running 13:00 ish tempo so I do like her odds.
2A:
Boys: This past weekend we got to see a full Regent Preparatory squad take to the course and they did not disappoint finishing second only behind 6a Edmond Memorial at Carl Albert. Regent Preparatory was lead by Junior Clay McKinney who looks to win a 3rd different division state title this season (He has won a 4a xc title plus A track titles). Clay finished 4th overall in 16:40 but hasn't asserted himself as quite the runaway favorite yet. That brings me to Brayden Cowan of Watonga who took his home meet over 4 Kilometers with a time which converts to 16:40 over 5k. Of course, it is hard to compare courses and distance but I will say that, in my experiences on both courses Carl Albert lends itself to being a faster course so make of that what you will. Speaking of Watonga your defending 2A champs Hooker who are looking to make a run at a 3 peat looked strong placing second at Watonga only behind 3a Chisholm. While I say they looked strong they certainly didn't look as good as Regent Prep did through 5 guys. Their 4 and 5 ran a time which roughly converts to a 19-minute 5k which will need to come down a bit to match Regent Preps back end. I wouldn't fear for the defending champs too much with their #4 Slade Stalder (2A 800m Champ) is known for coming through in the clutch like he did at the 2A state track meet.
Girls: very similar to the guys but with the Hooker Girls looking primed to win it all this year scoring just 33 points against many other top A and 2A schools at Watonga. What's more interesting to me here is the individual race. First, Reese Coleman got it done at her home meet beating the likes of Isabella Neville (Hooker) and Calliy Walker (Cordell). Over in Claremore Miley Holt of Oktaha got off to a strong start with a 12:45 performance watch out for her to be near the top of the podium. Lastly, Lucy Odea who put in a workhorse meet at the class A track state last spring finished 5th against the large school division at Carl Albert running 21:09 for 5k. The individual title is any girl's race and it'll be exciting to watch it play out.
3A:
Boys: A lot of 3a boys top returners are yet to race so far in the 2024 season but I do want to highlight the Chisholm Boys who managed to beat a lot of the top A and 2A squads at Watonga. I believe they are a team with good momentum who have a legitimate shot at the podium. Individually Landon Eubanks of Dickson made his season debut with a 3a state lead of 16:37 down in Fort Worth over the weekend.
Girls: Metro Christian your 2023 champs have already come out swinging dominating the competition at Sapulpa over the weekend. They are looking primed to repeat as champions and until further notice, they are your 3A girls number one. A more interesting storyline is on the individual race as Jaden Alexander of Dickson went down to Fort Worth and left with a 3A #1 12:37 which is her 3rd fastest mark to date and 14 seconds faster than defending champ Ryleigh Hodges ran at Sapulpa. I hope we get a showdown from them on the same course so we can see how they compare.
4A:
Boys: So far, The story is that Cache's top 2 have been on a tear. Zachary Williams is the state leader across all classes and Ethan Jones is a sub-16 performer. While they have a strong 1-2 punch they need a stronger back end to enter the title contention race. The team not lacking a back end is Lincoln Christian who only lost to the #1 6a team Piedmont at the Owasso 6 mile relay last weekend. They did so in a close battle and without their #2 man Sammy Farris. We should see a full squad for Lincoln over 5k at the RSU Distance After Dark tonight. Keep an eye out for the boys of Byng who won the small school division at the Mustang meet. Byng much like Cache will need to get their back end sorted if they want to make a run at the top of the podium. Top returner 4A returner Dathan Custar (Woodward) made his 5k season debut winning the meet just ahead of Aden Evans of Byng.
Girls: On the girls side its a tale of two teams. As it stands now I'd give the edge to the Pauls Valley women who went 1,2,3 at their last meet absolutely dominating the competition. They have the strongest front three of any team not in 6a with a 4-5 who are consistent and shouldn't cost them big points. Their main opposition will certainly come from Lincoln Christian who returns a strong 1-2 punch looking to disrupt the stranglehold Pauls Valley has on the top of the individual podium. As I see it Pauls Valleys top 3 of Keira Readnour, Isabella Gutierrez and Kenzi Readnour will look to fend off both Tennyson Housley and Baylee Woodrich of Lincoln for the top 5 spots in the division. A bit farther back Lincoln will need to put their 3-5 closer to Pauls Valleys 4 than their 5 if they want to dethrone the defending champs.