Boys Countdown to XC Day 19: Redlands East Valley

If you only looked at 3 Mile returning rankings, it would be easy to dismiss this team - and with good reason. The Wildcats' very high ranking is based on times from lightning-fast courses like Woodbridge, so it should be taken with a grain of salt. Redlands East Valley's position in this countdown has everything to do with two other important factors. First, they were one of the youngest teams in the Southern Section finals last year, finishing 9th in Division 2 with three sophomores and a freshman in the top 7, which is very rare for a boys program. They lost two seniors, but have rising senior Matt Casillas back to lead their up-and-coming squad. Second, the Wildcats demonstrated progress during the spring with solid team 3200 and 1600 results. The big question is, can they put it all together this year? Casillas will make that easier, but there will still only be two seniors in the projected top 7 this fall, so hopefully the rest of the team isn't still one year away. Still, the natural progression for this team would be to advance to the state meet in 2019, and any team from the Southern Section has a chance to be well up in the top 10 once there.