Boys Regional Rankings - 11/7/2024

By Doug Binder, DyeStat Editor

With 30 state championship meets already done, many of the region top-fives are reflection of how top teams performed in their most important events of the year. 

In a few regions, teams that have stuck the landing in their state meets have bumped up and knocked back a few teams still waiting for their moment. 

As 11 more state meets come up between today and Saturday, the first of the Nike Cross regionals looms. Sunday at Yankton Trails in Sioux Falls, S.D., the top runners from the nation's bread basket will compete in a final end-of-season test. And for a few, there are NXN berths on the line. 

The Heartland region top five doesn't have the familiar names in it. We know the Minnesota schools have dominated the meet since it began. And the Wisconsin champion, Stevens Point, has qualified for nationals three straight times. 

But at the moment, it looks like the most complete teams come from Kansas. Spring Hill and Blue Valley Southwest waged a fantastic battle in their state meet last Saturday and if those teams can muster similar performances on Sunday, they stand a great shot to land automatic berths. Kansas has only ever qualified two boys teams to nationals. 

Spring Hill's Logan Beckman won the Kansas 5A state title at Rim Rock Farm and the team split 57 seconds on its scoring five. The Broncos beat Blue Valley Southwest, 35-40. 

Cedar Falls IA won the Iowa state championship and are another team that could finish in the top two. Bismarck ND and Sioux Falls Lincoln SD have both had an extra week to prepare and are also dangerous. 

Minnesotans will be lurking as well. If either Edina or Wayzata get a big performance out its No. 5 runner, those teams could get into the mix.

The Utah and Colorado state meets confirmed that the Southwest is the most competitive region in the meet and will probably deserve more the four teams will send to nationals. Herriman was pressed by American Fork in Utah and Niwot handled its business in Colorado. Hamilton of Arizona also had a great state meet and could earn at at-large spot with a fourth-place finish on Nov. 23.

The Oregon and Washington state meets this weekend will offer the best glimpse yet of Crater and Jesuit in Oregon, and Sehome, Mercer Island and Issaquah in Washington. Jesuit, in particular, appears to have come to life with a sensational district meet performance. 

In the Midwest, strong state meet performances by Noblesville IN and Allendale MI have pushed them into the top five of the region. But Illinois is set to compete at state this weekend and the results there could shuffle the deck yet again. 

Southlake Carroll survived a scared from Austin Vandegrift at the Texas state meet, but those two teams are very close and could swap places at NXR South. 

HEARTLAND

1. Spring Hill KS

2. Blue Valley Southwest KS

3. Cedar Falls IA

4. Bismarck ND

5. Sioux Falls Lincoln SD

CALIFORNIA

1. Beckman 

2. Jesuit

3. Martin Luther King 

4. Glendora 

5. Mira Costa

MIDWEST

1. Downers Grove North IL  

2. Bloomington North IN

3. Plainfield (North) IL

4. Allendale MI

5. Noblesville IN

NEW YORK

1. Xavier 

2. Ithaca

3. Colonie

4. Saratoga Springs

5. Manhasset 

NORTHEAST

1. Christian Brothers Academy NJ

2. Ridgefield CT

3. Haddonfield Memorial NJ

4. East Lyme CT

5. St. Johnsbury VT

NORTHWEST

1. Crater OR

2. Coeur d'Alene ID

3. Jesuit OR

4. Rocky Mountain ID

5. Sehome WA

SOUTH

1. Southlake Carroll TX

2. Austin Vandegrift TX 

3. Jesuit LA 

4. Bridgeland TX

5. El Paso Eastwood TX

SOUTHEAST

1. Belen Jesuit Prep FL

2. Knoxville Catholic TN

3. Marvin Ridge NC

4. St. Albans DC

5. McCallie TN

SOUTHWEST

1. Herriman UT

2. Niwot CO

3. American Fork UT

4. Hamilton AZ

5. Riverton UT