It's time to get fired up for cross country! Our traditional XC countdown is back, although it may look a little different this time around - our longtime data analyst Jeff George has moved on, leaving this energizing project to the MileSplit team in CA. Our collective goal is to briefly highlight 30 boys and 30 girls teams that we think will have an impact this fall. We will spotlight one team per gender per day over a 30-day period. Similar to past countdowns, we will provide a cross-sampling of teams from all 10 sections without regard to statewide or even division ranking (those will come later, as will articles previewing each section, and returning athletes to watch). As always, if you catch an error or have updated information for us, email CA state editor Jeffrey Parenti (jeffrey.parenti@flosports.tv) and we'll make the corrections.
Great Oak (SS/Division 1)
Even with the 2021 Division II State Champions in San Luis Obispo moving into the division for 2022, Newbury Park switching out finds Great Oak as the favorites for this season's Division I State title.
Aside from NP, no other squad has four boys with sub-16 minute credentials on the Woodward Park 5K State Meet course while Great Oak's top returning five averaged under 15:45 for the course.
Despite graduating several scorers from their 2021 squad, the Wolfpack return more firepower than any other squad with senior twins, Ramses and Mark Cortes leading the way. With both breaking 15:30 on the Woodward Park course, Ramses is coming off a 4:18.51/9:04.82 track season and became only their third boy in the past five seasons to break 14 minutes at their 2.75-mile mid-July time trial.
Stepping up as their third scorer (15:45.7) when they earned the runner-up plaque at the 2021 D-I State Meet, Nick Gaffney is ready to roll once again and prepared to put an injury-riddled track season behind him. With that, he still posted a 9:30.11 for the 3200 meters. Also, a member of last year's State Meet squad, Austin Elkins (16:04.5 at Woodward) returns while as a sophomore, Gabriel Rodriguez impressed, improving down to a 1:55.36 for the 800 meters to be the second-fastest in the state for the Class of 2024.
Expect Jacob Brown to compete for a varsity spot as he ran a 4:28.98 this past spring for the 1600 meters, as a freshman. As a sophomore last year, Jeffrey Keeney posted a 16:22.7 on the Woodward course and ended the track season with a 9:30.10 for 3200 meters.
Great Oak also welcomes back incoming senior Nathan Lennox. Before focusing primarily on swimming, in 2019, he was one of the top freshmen in California. With a 16:25.9 on the Woodward Park course and 16:04 for the Mt. SAC course in 2019, he was arguably their most talented freshman of that Class of 2023.
Going into the 2022 season for Division I, the Wolfpack's depth cannot be matched as Great Oak is the only group with six boys under 4:30 for 1600 meters and 9:35 for 3200 meters.
Comparing recent time trial results to that of the 2019 squad, that went on to earn the Division I State Championship and placed second in the United States, this group is not too far off from that one. We understand that it is a bold claim but on paper, this is the second-best team in the state and one of the best in the nation!
