5A BOYS
The 5A boys race features 6 South ranked teams. SO#1/US#12 The Woodlands, with a big win at Nike South, is looking to add to its state record 12 titles. SO#2/US#20 Southlake Carroll, winner at Texas A&M and 2nd at Nike South, has three top 10 returnees and will be looking for a breakout #5 man performance. SO#3 A&M Consolidated crept a little closer to The Woodlands at the Region meet and will also need a 5th man to step up. SO#4 Strake Jesuit, with a tight pack, SO#5 Kingwood, SO#8 Plano West are looking to crack the top 3. Del Rio, a region champ with a 9-second spread, should improve on last year’s 9th place effort. El Paso Socorro (12th last year), Flower Mound (2nd), Cinco Ranch (5th), Edinburg North and Corpus Christi Carroll round out the field of 12.

Two Foot Locker finalists meet again in the most anticipated match-up of the day. Last year, A&M Consolidated TX sr Duncan Phillips followed the lead of Southlake Carroll TX jr Colby Lowe before blasting by in the homestretch. Phillips went on to qualify for San Diego and capture the state 1600 track title. Lowe, who later defeated Phillips at Nationals, is the #9 Foot Locker returnee and the state 3200 champ. Lowe is undefeated this season, including wins over Phillips at A&M and Nike South. The Woodlands sr Alex Neff (3rd to the Big 2 at A&M and Nike South), Southlake Carroll soph CJ Brown, Cinco Ranch jr Zac Flowers (Region III champ) and sr Kyle Goldsmith, Laredo Alexander jr Ivan Garcia (Region IV champ), Cy-Falls jr Blake Shaw, Flower Mound sr Nathan Milles and Coppell sr Taylor Ray (9th as a freshman) are others with top 10 potential.

The Top 10 returnees:
1. Duncan Phillips, A&M Consol, 1, 15:19
2. Colby Lowe, SL Carroll, 2, 15:21
3. CJ Brown, SL Carroll, 9, 15:53
4. Kyle Goldsmith, Cinco Ranch, 14, 16:02
5. Zac Flowers, Cinco Ranch, 21, 16:15
6. Joey Manning, Mansfield, 23, 16:20
7. Greg Casar, Strake Jesuit, 24, 16:21
8. Blake Shaw, Cypress Falls, 27, 16:23
9. Nathan Milles, Flower Mound, 28, 16:24
10. Chris Moore, SL Carroll, 30, 16:25


5A GIRLS
SO#1/US#19 Kingwood, under 1st-year coach Christie Simpson, is undefeated with wins at Texas A&M and Nike South. SO#3 Cinco Ranch, its 3 losses all at the hands of Kingwood, has been hampered by illness/injuries, but is now healthy and ready to go. SO#4 Keller and SO#5 Southlake Carroll have been neck-and-neck all year and could win it all. SO#7 Plano West (with a tight pack), SO#8 The Woodlands and region winner San Antonio Reagan will be in the hunt. Marcus, A&M Consolidated, Clear Lake, PSJA North and Westlake round out one of the deepest fields in meet history.

Richardson sr Jillian Rosen, 4:53 mile at NON and Congress Avenue Mile runner-up, is undefeated and the leading returnee (7th). Giving up soccer last year may pay off in a state title. Brazoswood soph Lauren Smith, a relative unknown coming into the season before winning Nike South and Texas A&M silver, will be a major factor in her 1st trip to State. Southlake Carroll soph Tara Upshaw, NTN 23rd and Foot Locker South #10 returnee, has been behind only Smith at the 5A level. Others who will be near the front include Cy Creek sr Allison Pye, Kingwood jr Kristen Hanselka, McAllen Memorial soph Tricia Terry, The Woodlands sr Adrienne DiRaddo, Cinco Ranch soph Itzel Cetina, Westfield jr Brintney Green, Haltom fr Ashley Flores, SA Reagan sr Vanessa Schroeder, Keller jr Laleh Mojtabaeezamani and Georgetown jr Alicia Jenkins.

The Top 10 returnees:
1. Jillian Rosen, Richardson, 7, 11:07.10
2. Adrienne DiRaddo, Woodlands, 8, 11:11.70
3. Halsey Fowler, Houston Lamar, 9, 11:12.30
4. Brintney Green, Westfield, 10, 11:12.35
5. Nicole Peters, Langham Creek, 12, 11:23.50
6. Tara Upshaw, SL Carroll, 14, 11:30.50
7. Katherine Priebe, Midland, 15, 11:31.30
8. Brittainy Robertson, Alvin, 17, 11:33.35
9. Laleh Mojtabaeezamani, Keller, 19, 11:38.90
10. Crystal Dickinson, Laredo Alexander, 21, 11:40.80
(Nichole Jones, the top underclassman, graduated early and now runs for Baylor)


4A BOYS
SO#7 Lockhart, #1 in the Texas Coaches poll, is favored after strong showings at Nike South, Chile Pepper and its Region victory over dangerous and previously South-ranked Vista Ridge (TX#3). TX#9 Big Spring ruled Region I with a 15:57 average for 3 miles which trailed only 5A winner Southlake Carroll’s 15:47. TX#2 Mesquite Poteet and TX#8 Friendswood won their respective regions. TX#10 El Paso Chapin, TX#4 McKinney North and TX#7 Seven Lakes will also be in the mix.

Vista Ridge sr Travis Fort is the defending champ and won his Region handily in 14:46 for 3 miles, followed by teammate sr Javier Perez, the #2 returnee. Big Spring jr Zach Dawson, Sulphur Springs sr Graham Northcutt and Little Cypress-Mauriceville sr Drew Bean (#5 returnee) won the other Regions and will challenge. Forney sr Dennis Yeats and Ft Worth North Side sr Jose Balleza will also be in the hunt.


4A GIRLS
SO#6 Hereford, #1 in the Texas Coaches poll, looks to repeat. Their 11:50 Region average for 3200 was quicker than 5A champ Keller’s. Other Region winners were TX#2 Vista Ridge, TX#4 Montgomery and TX#9 McKinney North.

Defending champ Western Hills sr Kerrie Seaver has earned several crowns this season, including Region I. McKinney North sr Samantha Means, 3rd in 2005, beat a strong 5A field at Texas A&M and Seaver at Marcus II. Vista Ridge fr Ashley Isham, the Region IV winner, is a fierce competitor with several wins under her belt. Montgomery sr Whitney Hoppe is the other Region champ.


3A BOYS
Coaches poll #1 Canyon took its Region with 45 points and will face Region winners TX#2 Lufkin Hudson, TX#4 La Vernia and Pleasant Grove. TX#3 Decatur hopes to retain the title. Princeton’s Mitchell Driver is the top boy returnee (5th) and claimed Region gold, as did Taylor Hubbard of Perryton (14th in 2005), Needville sr Logan Smart (10th) and Jorge Jaime of Gonzalez (23rd).


3A GIRLS
TX#1 Canyon tallied 34 to claim its Region over defending champ TX#3 Decatur. Region champions TX#2 Giddings, TX#4 Llano and Eustace will also contend. Giddings sr Michelle Guzman, looking to repeat, ran well to place 4th at Texas A&M and Nike South. She will face a stern challenge from Canyon sr Lauren Simpson, a 3-time state 800 champ and the silver medalist here last year. The other Region winners were Luling soph Alma Salinas (4th last year) and White Oak jr Catherine Loden (6th), who got some good experience at Nike Outdoor Nationals.


2A
Texas Coaches boys poll #1 Wall, the Region I kings, seeks to improve on its 2005 silver. Challengers include Region winners TX#3 Holliday, TX#7 Krum, and Santa Rose which edged TX#2 Wallis Brazos at Region IV. Anna jr Cody Hughes was 10th in 2005 and is joined by fellow Region champs Hawley sr Brendon Bounds, David Hall from New Diana and Ethan Wagner of Yorktown. Paradise jr James Hodges will also be a major player.

TX Girls #1 Crawford will battle other Region gold medalists TX#3 Little River Academy, TX#4 Shallowater and Woden. Tulia sr Addison LeMaster, the 2005 runner-up and top returnee, claimed her region crown as did Amber Weems of Hamilton (6th in 2005), Como-Pickton’s Bethanie Stinson and Leigh Goris of Industrial.


1A
Coaches poll #1 Hart beat TX#2 Boys Ranch (2005 2A gold) at Region I, while #4 Eula, North Hopkins and Big Sandy also struck team gold. Individual regional winners are Josh Foster from Boys Ranch, Dillion Williams of Santo, Josh York from Valley View and Big Sandy’s Jason Hamilton.

TX Girls #1 Sundown (2005 1st), #3 North Hopkins (2005 2nd), #5 Seymour and #9 Thorndale turned back the field at their respective regions. Chelsea Hermes of Lindsay and Allie Reyna from Ralls, last year’s gold and silver, return to battle Region winners Kyra Sloan of Crosbyton, Seymour’s Julia Holub and Morgan Youngblood from Thorndale.

5A BOYS
The 5A boys race features 6 South ranked teams. SO#1/US#12 The Woodlands, with a big win at Nike South, is looking to add to its state record 12 titles. SO#2/US#20 Southlake Carroll, winner at Texas A&M and 2nd at Nike South, has three top 10 returnees and will be looking for a breakout #5 man performance. SO#3 A&M Consolidated crept a little closer to The Woodlands at the Region meet and will also need a 5th man to step up. SO#4 Strake Jesuit, with a tight pack, SO#5 Kingwood, SO#8 Plano West are looking to crack the top 3. Del Rio, a region champ with a 9-second spread, should improve on last year’s 9th place effort. El Paso Socorro (12th last year), Flower Mound (2nd), Cinco Ranch (5th), Edinburg North and Corpus Christi Carroll round out the field of 12.

Two Foot Locker finalists meet again in the most anticipated match-up of the day. Last year, A&M Consolidated TX sr Duncan Phillips followed the lead of Southlake Carroll TX jr Colby Lowe before blasting by in the homestretch. Phillips went on to qualify for San Diego and capture the state 1600 track title. Lowe, who later defeated Phillips at Nationals, is the #9 Foot Locker returnee and the state 3200 champ. Lowe is undefeated this season, including wins over Phillips at A&M and Nike South. The Woodlands sr Alex Neff (3rd to the Big 2 at A&M and Nike South), Southlake Carroll soph CJ Brown, Cinco Ranch jr Zac Flowers (Region III champ) and sr Kyle Goldsmith, Laredo Alexander jr Ivan Garcia (Region IV champ), Cy-Falls jr Blake Shaw, Flower Mound sr Nathan Milles and Coppell sr Taylor Ray (9th as a freshman) are others with top 10 potential.

The Top 10 returnees:
1. Duncan Phillips, A&M Consol, 1, 15:19
2. Colby Lowe, SL Carroll, 2, 15:21
3. CJ Brown, SL Carroll, 9, 15:53
4. Kyle Goldsmith, Cinco Ranch, 14, 16:02
5. Zac Flowers, Cinco Ranch, 21, 16:15
6. Joey Manning, Mansfield, 23, 16:20
7. Greg Casar, Strake Jesuit, 24, 16:21
8. Blake Shaw, Cypress Falls, 27, 16:23
9. Nathan Milles, Flower Mound, 28, 16:24
10. Chris Moore, SL Carroll, 30, 16:25


5A GIRLS
SO#1/US#19 Kingwood, under 1st-year coach Christie Simpson, is undefeated with wins at Texas A&M and Nike South. SO#3 Cinco Ranch, its 3 losses all at the hands of Kingwood, has been hampered by illness/injuries, but is now healthy and ready to go. SO#4 Keller and SO#5 Southlake Carroll have been neck-and-neck all year and could win it all. SO#7 Plano West (with a tight pack), SO#8 The Woodlands and region winner San Antonio Reagan will be in the hunt. Marcus, A&M Consolidated, Clear Lake, PSJA North and Westlake round out one of the deepest fields in meet history.

Richardson sr Jillian Rosen, 4:53 mile at NON and Congress Avenue Mile runner-up, is undefeated and the leading returnee (7th). Giving up soccer last year may pay off in a state title. Brazoswood soph Lauren Smith, a relative unknown coming into the season before winning Nike South and Texas A&M silver, will be a major factor in her 1st trip to State. Southlake Carroll soph Tara Upshaw, NTN 23rd and Foot Locker South #10 returnee, has been behind only Smith at the 5A level. Others who will be near the front include Cy Creek sr Allison Pye, Kingwood jr Kristen Hanselka, McAllen Memorial soph Tricia Terry, The Woodlands sr Adrienne DiRaddo, Cinco Ranch soph Itzel Cetina, Westfield jr Brintney Green, Haltom fr Ashley Flores, SA Reagan sr Vanessa Schroeder, Keller jr Laleh Mojtabaeezamani and Georgetown jr Alicia Jenkins.

The Top 10 returnees:
1. Jillian Rosen, Richardson, 7, 11:07.10
2. Adrienne DiRaddo, Woodlands, 8, 11:11.70
3. Halsey Fowler, Houston Lamar, 9, 11:12.30
4. Brintney Green, Westfield, 10, 11:12.35
5. Nicole Peters, Langham Creek, 12, 11:23.50
6. Tara Upshaw, SL Carroll, 14, 11:30.50
7. Katherine Priebe, Midland, 15, 11:31.30
8. Brittainy Robertson, Alvin, 17, 11:33.35
9. Laleh Mojtabaeezamani, Keller, 19, 11:38.90
10. Crystal Dickinson, Laredo Alexander, 21, 11:40.80
(Nichole Jones, the top underclassman, graduated early and now runs for Baylor)


4A BOYS
SO#7 Lockhart, #1 in the Texas Coaches poll, is favored after strong showings at Nike South, Chile Pepper and its Region victory over dangerous and previously South-ranked Vista Ridge (TX#3). TX#9 Big Spring ruled Region I with a 15:57 average for 3 miles which trailed only 5A winner Southlake Carroll’s 15:47. TX#2 Mesquite Poteet and TX#8 Friendswood won their respective regions. TX#10 El Paso Chapin, TX#4 McKinney North and TX#7 Seven Lakes will also be in the mix.

Vista Ridge sr Travis Fort is the defending champ and won his Region handily in 14:46 for 3 miles, followed by teammate sr Javier Perez, the #2 returnee. Big Spring jr Zach Dawson, Sulphur Springs sr Graham Northcutt and Little Cypress-Mauriceville sr Drew Bean (#5 returnee) won the other Regions and will challenge. Forney sr Dennis Yeats and Ft Worth North Side sr Jose Balleza will also be in the hunt.


4A GIRLS
SO#6 Hereford, #1 in the Texas Coaches poll, looks to repeat. Their 11:50 Region average for 3200 was quicker than 5A champ Keller’s. Other Region winners were TX#2 Vista Ridge, TX#4 Montgomery and TX#9 McKinney North.

Defending champ Western Hills sr Kerrie Seaver has earned several crowns this season, including Region I. McKinney North sr Samantha Means, 3rd in 2005, beat a strong 5A field at Texas A&M and Seaver at Marcus II. Vista Ridge fr Ashley Isham, the Region IV winner, is a fierce competitor with several wins under her belt. Montgomery sr Whitney Hoppe is the other Region champ.


3A BOYS
Coaches poll #1 Canyon took its Region with 45 points and will face Region winners TX#2 Lufkin Hudson, TX#4 La Vernia and Pleasant Grove. TX#3 Decatur hopes to retain the title. Princeton’s Mitchell Driver is the top boy returnee (5th) and claimed Region gold, as did Taylor Hubbard of Perryton (14th in 2005), Needville sr Logan Smart (10th) and Jorge Jaime of Gonzalez (23rd).


3A GIRLS
TX#1 Canyon tallied 34 to claim its Region over defending champ TX#3 Decatur. Region champions TX#2 Giddings, TX#4 Llano and Eustace will also contend. Giddings sr Michelle Guzman, looking to repeat, ran well to place 4th at Texas A&M and Nike South. She will face a stern challenge from Canyon sr Lauren Simpson, a 3-time state 800 champ and the silver medalist here last year. The other Region winners were Luling soph Alma Salinas (4th last year) and White Oak jr Catherine Loden (6th), who got some good experience at Nike Outdoor Nationals.


2A
Texas Coaches boys poll #1 Wall, the Region I kings, seeks to improve on its 2005 silver. Challengers include Region winners TX#3 Holliday, TX#7 Krum, and Santa Rose which edged TX#2 Wallis Brazos at Region IV. Anna jr Cody Hughes was 10th in 2005 and is joined by fellow Region champs Hawley sr Brendon Bounds, David Hall from New Diana and Ethan Wagner of Yorktown. Paradise jr James Hodges will also be a major player.

TX Girls #1 Crawford will battle other Region gold medalists TX#3 Little River Academy, TX#4 Shallowater and Woden. Tulia sr Addison LeMaster, the 2005 runner-up and top returnee, claimed her region crown as did Amber Weems of Hamilton (6th in 2005), Como-Pickton’s Bethanie Stinson and Leigh Goris of Industrial.


1A
Coaches poll #1 Hart beat TX#2 Boys Ranch (2005 2A gold) at Region I, while #4 Eula, North Hopkins and Big Sandy also struck team gold. Individual regional winners are Josh Foster from Boys Ranch, Dillion Williams of Santo, Josh York from Valley View and Big Sandy’s Jason Hamilton.

TX Girls #1 Sundown (2005 1st), #3 North Hopkins (2005 2nd), #5 Seymour and #9 Thorndale turned back the field at their respective regions. Chelsea Hermes of Lindsay and Allie Reyna from Ralls, last year’s gold and silver, return to battle Region winners Kyra Sloan of Crosbyton, Seymour’s Julia Holub and Morgan Youngblood from Thorndale.