Boys' Race Preview
The past two years with Rachel McArthur vs Maggie Walker have made the girls' race the can't miss race but this year it seems the boys' race will be the one to watch. That is in no small part thanks to the elite group of guys teams entered in this competition. You have 5A state favorites Deep Run and Freedom while also having podium contenders Glen Allen, Lee-Davis, Midlothian, Western Branch, and of course 2A powerhouse Maggie Walker to name a few.
In our mind the race is going to come down to a mix of talent and depth. That is why we are picking Deep Run to defend their titles but we don't think it will be easy. Western Branch and definitely Glen Allen should provide a whole lot of pressure for them Saturday. It honestly might come down to the line and the order that they run.
Midlothian, Freedom, and Maggie Walker though cannot be counted out either. They haven't had the greatest of seasons thus far but are all more post-season teams meaning that they know how to step up when they need to and you can't count that out.
Finally our biggest dark horse is Ocean Lakes and that's in no small part thanks to Brent Bailey dropping a serious PR last week at adidas XC Challenge in NC. With him on their team anything is possible and he does have a thing for the epic finishes.
Predicted Top 5 Finish
- Deep Run
- Glen Allen
- Western Branch
- Midlothian
- Ocean Lakes
On the individual front its going to be a fast one considering some of these guys just can't wait to stop running 5Ks and focus on track again. This race is really great for those milers who run XC for fitness instead of those ultra-marathoners who have no turnover.
Predicted Top 5 Splits
- Brent Bailey (Ocean Lakes)
- Chase Osborne (Western Branch)
- Zachary Levet (Deep Run)
- Mathias Cannon (Deep Run)
- Max Etka (Midlothian