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2020 VYPE Boys Cross Country Preview (Public School): Preseason Team, Runner Rankings
It's almost time to hit the trails!
The 2020 Cross Country season will be here before we know it as August is quickly approaching. VYPE whipped together this preview to get cross country fans ready for the 2020 season. Who are the top runners? Which are the top teams returning?
Find out below! These are the top runners and teams for Public School Boys Cross Country.
VYPE Preseason Boys XC Runner Top 30
(**These rankings were based on times from the 2019 UIL State Cross Country Meet**)
1) Gavin Saacke, Katy Tompkins
(VYPE Preseason Runner of the Year)
2) Nicklaus Brawner, College Park
3) Christopher Daniels, Klein
4) Noah Haileab, Pearland Dawson
5) Gustavo Posada, Klein
6) Randy Smith, Bridgeland
7) Nahim Abdallah, Atascocita
8) Hayden Eubank, Grand Oaks
9) Chase Nutt, College Park
10) Samuel Navarro III, Klein
11) Matias Mononen, The Woodlands
12) Dylan Sequeira, Magnolia
13) Chance Gibson, The Woodlands
14) Zane Gillan, Strake Jesuit
15) Tyler Braden, Atascocita
16) Brian Sewall, The Woodlands
17) Ryan Gubbles, Strake Jesuit
18) Michael Archie, Atascocita
19) Alberto Campa, Dobie
20) Ruben Rojas, Seven Lakes
21) Sam Whitmarsh, Brazoswood
22) Fernando Hernandez, Seven Lakes
23) Ferdinand Hoven, Tompkins
24) Miles Gillan, Strake Jesuit
25) Ronan O'Donnell, Friendswood
26) Ethan Boyd, Cinco Ranch
27) Myles Jackson, Atascocita
28) Noah Howard, Tompkins
29) Bryan Mileski, Tomball
30) Keaton Strait, Magnolia
1) Klein
Usually this spot is reserved for The Woodlands. They have earned that respect but Klein is loaded going into 2020. The Bearkats finished fourth overall last year but return their top three runners. Christopher Daniels leads the group. Daniels finished 12th overall last year with a time of 15:19.85. Behind him was Gustavo Posada (15:27.66) in 19th place and Samuel Navarro III (15:41.99), who finished 32nd. Another name to remember is Alfred Rios. This team could surprise some people and be a contender for a Top 3 finish at state come December.
2) Tomball
Tomball is going to be a dangerous team in 2020. When you look at a team that finished 16th overall at state last year but brings back everyone, that excites you. The group is led by junior Bryan Mileski, who finished 52nd overall last year with a time of 16:23.35. He was followed by seniors Kevin White (16:36.52) and Muneer Suied (16:38.15). Other runners to watch include Riley Trent, Sam Carney, Wyatt Lehmann and Basheer Suied. This group will need some of the individuals to push up into at least the Top 25 to give this team a chance to finish in the Top 10. They have the runners back, now can the Cougars take 5A Cross Country by storm in 2020?
3) Katy Tompkins
Katy Tompkins has a chance in 2020. Last year, the Falcons finished 11th overall at state. Led by senior Gavin Saacke, who finished fourth overall last year and is the VYPE Preseason Runner of the Year, this team has a lot of returners. Behind Saacke watch out for Ferdinand Hoven, who finished 71st overall last year. Then there are four juniors who got valuable experience at state a year ago. Noah Howard, Omar El Miloudi, Connor Augustine and Jackson Torti are a definite group to watch. Tompkins is really set up for success for the next two years and beyond.
4) Atascocita
The Eagles are an interesting team. A 13th place finish last year at state as a team but they return everyone off that team besides one senior. Nahim Abdallah led the group with a 27th place finish (15:37.75) followed by Tyler Braden, who finished 50th. Then there is sophomore Michael Archie, junior Aidan Killian and seniors Myles Jackson and Blake Brock to worry about. This team has the pieces to be a Top 10 team. Now, can they collectively improve their times to make it a Top 5 finish or higher?
5) The Woodlands
The Highlanders have some big names to replace. Spencer Cardinal and Ethan Hammer are gone to graduation. When you lose runners who finished first and third overall, respectively, last year, that's big shoes to fill. So, who steps up? When looking at who is returning, Matias Mononen could be the leader of the pack. He finished 35th last year with a time of 15:43.47. Joining him in the senior class will be Chance Gibson and Brian Sewall. The Woodlands always has some incoming freshman who is the next star, so don't be surprised if they make a run for the state crown again.
Other To Watch: Huffman
The Huffman boys finished 15th overall at the UIL State Cross Country meet last year. The Falcons return four players off that team that qualified for state. The group of now-juniors is led by Zachary Kuta, who finished 70th overall last year with a time of 17:21.24. Just behind him was Logan Tinsley. Other runners to remember including Mason Purswell and Austin Tinsley. Having four runners back gives this squad some veteran savviness.
Other to Watch: Strake Jesuit
Strake Jesuit is another interesting prospect. The Spartans finished 12th overall at state last year but do lose top runner Erick Lara, who took 41st overall. Zane Gillan is back after a 45th-place finish a year ago. Ryan Gubbles is another returner to watch along with Miles Gillan and Max Melton. Can they turn the Top 60 finishes into Top 25?
Other to Watch: Seven Lakes
Seven Lakes finished in the Top 10 last year as a team, but that group was led by a trio of seniors Spencer Seale, Corbin Brescher, Carson Slater). So, who steps up in their spots? Ruben Rojas will be called upon. As a sophomore, Rojas finished 61st overall, while incoming seniors Fernando Hernandez and Javier Pineros will be leaned on as well.
VYPE U: 2020 Katy ISD Bubba Fife Relays Recap: Presented by Athlete Training + Health
The annual Katy ISD Bubba Fife Relays were hosted this past Saturday at Paetow High School, and many teams did not disappoint, to say the very least. The long time Texas high school track meet invited schools from all over the greater Houston area, including teams from Katy, Spring Branch, and Fort Bend independent school districts. Tompkins, Elkins, and Strake Jesuit stood out amongst the top teams in the boys division, while Katy, Atascocita, Seven Lakes, and Cinco Ranch stood out amongst the girls.
The boys and girls field events and 3200 meter run kicked off the meet at 8:00 am. Katy Taylor's four-star football recruit Bryce Foster set a meet record and a current US #1 in the discus with a throw of 198'0.5" and a current US #2 in the shot put with a throw of 61'7.75". Another current US #1 was set late in the morning by Paetow's Johnathan Baker after he jumped 26'2.75" in the long jump. Pole vault was mainly dominated in both divisions by athletes from Cinco Ranch. Senior Madison White won the girls division with a jump of eleven feet, while senior Ben Conacher won the boys division with a jump of sixteen feet, which is just one inch off from what he jumped last week as the current national best for high school boys.
In the boys 3200 meter run, returning 6A State Champion in the 1600m Cole Lindhorst of Tompkins won the gold with a time of 9:14.73, while second place went to Tompkins's other runner Gavin Saacke, who ran a time of 9:16.71. The Gillan twins, Zane and Miles, from Strake Jesuit ran the whole race together and put up big points for their team, coming in fifth and sixth place and scoring times of 9:44.29 and 9:44.39, respectively. In the girls 3200 meter run, Avery Clover of Atascocita took first place, running a time of 11:03.31.
As for the other distance events, Elkins boys won the 4x800m relay with a time of 8:15.45, followed by Strake Jesuit with a time of 8:15.63. In the girls division, the 4x800 was won by Katy with a time of 9:54.32.
Huge performances from Saturday's athletes were also put up in the sprinting events. In the 100 meter dash, David Foster from Tompkins set a current US #1 with a time of 10.29 seconds. Tompkins boys also showed out in the relay events, winning both the 4x100 and 4x400. The 4x200 was won by Strake Jesuit in a photo-finish race against Klein Cain. They ran a time of 1:28.50. Atascocita's girls also picked up many points in the hurdling events. Their very own Danielle Johnson came in first place in the 100m hurdles and second place in the 300m hurdles.
Katy's Lindsay Simms was named the Most Outstanding Athlete of the meet in the girls division, as she competed and scored in five different events. In the field events, Simms long jumped 18'1.25" for second place, pole vaulted ten feet for third place, and triple jumped 37'3" for fifth place. For her running events, she came in first place in the 300m hurdles with a time of 46.74 seconds and second place in the 100m hurdles with a time of 14.99 seconds. Simms scored a total of thirty-four points for her team, which secured the Katy girls' overall win for the meet.
In the boys division, Tompkins was named the meet champions.
As for being an early meet in the 2020 high school track season, the Bubba Fife Relays were yet again, a top meet with many impressive performances and broken records---records that will likely be broken again later in the season by some of the same athletes. The final results to this years Katy ISD Bubba Fife Relays can be viewed at HERE.
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