Top Returners From The 2023 CIF-State Championships (Boys)
| Rank | Athlete | CIF-State Championships (5K) |
| 1 | Evan Noonan - Dana Hills (SS) | 14:35.3 |
| 2 | Broen Holman - Sonora (SJ) | 14:46.4 |
| 3 | Eli Fitchen-Young - Santa Cruz (CC) | 14:49.5 |
| 4 | Aydon Stefanopoulos - Los Gatos (CC) | 14:58.4 |
| 5 | Eyan Turk - Woodcrest Christian (SS) | 14:59.2 |
| 6 | Benjamin Bouie - Crystal Springs Uplands School (CC) | 15:04.6 |
| 7 | Maximo Zavaleta - ML King (SS) | 15:07.5 |
| 8 | Zion Ortiz - Burroughs Ridgecrest (SS) | 15:07.9 |
| 9 | Trey Caldwell - De La Salle (NC) | 15:09.1 |
| 10 | Sebastian Peraza - Saugus (SS) | 15:13.2 |
Evan Noonan (Dana Hills HS // SS): Was undoubtedly the heavy favorite coming into this cross country season, but faltered in progression a tad after a rocky start to his senior year. That being said, Noonan still has Season Bests of 15:06.1 in the 5K and a quite recent 14:03.1 in the 3-mile. The Dolphins look to their front-runner after losing much of last year's squad to graduation, but they will have an uphill battle in the highly competitive Southern Section finals. Noonan appears to be back out on the course and with last week's win at the South Coast League Finals, he showed he is capable of taking a shot at the next round of qualifying.
Eyan Turk (Woodcrest Christian // SS): The small-school senior has become one of the Southern Section's most accomplished runners. He's the returning Div. V State Champion and has a 14:59.20 PR in the 5K. Turk is favored to repeat as division champ and could be within fighting reach for one of the spots to the Nike Cross Nationals. He's been on quite a roll this season as he has only lost one of his nine races to date. It'll be a race against the clock for Turk come the CIF-State Championships in two weeks. The recently committed University of Kentucky runner hasn't obtained a spot to cross country nationals yet, could this be Turk's year?
Maximo Zavaleta (ML King HS // SS): Zavaleta is a top contender in the Div. I race as an individual, but can he also claim a team title in the process? ML King HS was highly ranked at the start of the season, and while they haven't dropped off the Top 10 rankings, they seem to have ceded the top spots to other teams both in the Southern Section and the state. Zavaleta hasn't cracked the 15:00 minute barrier in the 5K just yet, but given this year's progression, a run like that could be very likely at the CIF-State Championships. As for his team, he looks to lead the Wolves to the Div. I crown, and given their performance at the Big VIII League Finals, the boys from ML King HS should not be counted out just yet.