The Woodlands primed to lead top Texas teams

By Paul Schmitz of DyeStat

Boys NXR South Preview

Last year saw a banner season for the South. In 2016, the South secured an at-large bid and sent three teams to NXN (all from Texas) for the first time since 2010. Individually, the South really shined by placing four runners in the top 10 in Portland, with Sam Worley (New Braunfels Canyon) second, Alex Maier (Flower Mound) fifth, Reed Brown (Southlake Carroll) sixth and Daniel Bernal (El Paso Eastwood) 10th. This fall might be a different story. The three NXN qualifying teams -- The Woodlands, Southlake Carroll and College Park -- return a combined five runners of their collective top fives. Of the individual standouts, only Maier returns.  

Even in a rebuilding year, the perennial Texas powers will rise to the top. The top team in the region is The Woodlands. The Highlanders have won two straight Texas 6A state titles and that streak should continue. Last fall was not without drama, however, when William Hunsdale missed the NXR race due to illness and the team fell to third place. The at-large committee recognized The Woodlands' potential and awarded it one of the final bids. The Woodlands made good on the opportunity and finished eighth in Portland.

The story of the year could be something that might NOT happen. Southlake Carroll has qualified for NXN seven years in a row but could be hard-pressed to make it back. The Dragons will need to find several runners to step up after losing their top four to graduation. The early pick to secure the second automatic bid to NXN is College Park, one of the surprises in the country last year. They are in a virtual tie with regional third-ranked Flower Mound.  

The NXR South has been a virtual Texas merge meet in the past and 2017 will be no different. The last non-Texas team to qualify was Rogers AR in 2007 when it secured an at-large bid with a third-place Nike South finish. No non-Texas team has ever finished first or second in the region. In Arkansas, Fayetteville looks primed to upend defending state champions Rogers. Both are far from the numbers that will be put up by the top Texas teams. Oklahoma has been hit especially hard by the graduation of its top runners and doesn't have a team that appears capable of competing at the regional level.

1. The Woodlands TX. The Highlanders lose three of their top five from the state championship team but has consistently shown the ability to reload. The Highlanders qualified for their record 11th NXN meet in 2016 and 2017 should be their 12th.  

2. College Park TX. After finishing a distant ninth at the Texas state meet in 2016, College Park was the surprise of the NXR South meet with its second-place finish. CP might have been the perfect “happy to be here” team with their school's first NXN bid, finishing 21st in the field. Now that the Cavaliers know the prestige of NXN, they will have the motivation to make a return trip.   

3. Flower Mound TX. Flower Mound has the ability to be the biggest mover in the rankings of all of the teams in the South. The team is led by the second-highest NXN returner, and Foot Locker fifth-place finisher, Alex Maier. Maier finished second in the Texas large class 3,200 with an 8:58 and he also ran an 8:52 earlier in the track season. If Flower Mound can find some depth behind Maier, it could move up the rankings quickly.

4. Lucas Lovejoy TX. Given that the Cinderella story is not likely going to come from outside of Texas, it could be time to look small (or at least smaller) in Texas for a potential underdog storyline. The 5A Lucas Lovejoy squad looks to defend its state title with five of its top six returning. After a good season on the track, Lovejoy has an outside chance to compete with the bigger schools in the region.

5. Southlake Carroll TX. Even though the Dragons lost their top four runners to graduation, it is tough to keep Southlake Carroll out of the top five. Under coach Justin Leonard this program has almost always found a way to get into the region's top two. The Dragons have made the trip to Portland seven times in a row and 10 overall. 

Watch List

Kingswood TX

Lewisville Hebron TX

Katy Seven Lakes TX

Katy Tompkins TX

Luling TX