Dallas Stricker on the way to his 2nd state title
Moving over to the boy's side, the HUGE favorite to take the individual race is notable freshman Dallas Stricker from Heritage Christian. Stricker, a 3-time MSAIS State Champion before he even started high school, has the fastest 5k PR in the field by over a minute! After hitting PR's of 4:50 in the 1600m and 10:26 in the 3200m, which are again outstanding times for an 8th grader, Stricker will surely be looking to secure the win in his season opener.
The race behind him for 2nd will be an exciting one between JV star Christopher Atkinson from Park Place and Lamar Christian veteran Jake Harrington. Atkinson won the MAIS Overall XC JV title last year in a 10:55 3k, and then came back in the track season to run 5:18 in the 1600m and an 11:10 3200m. That 3200m PR was run at the MAIS Overall State Championships, which was good enough for 4th place in class 4A. Atkinson will be going against rising senior Harrington, who actually also secured very similar track PR's to Atkinson. Harrington broke the 5-minute barrier running 4:59 in the 1600m, and also ran an 11:19 3200m - both of these were runner-up finishes at the MAIS Overall State Championships. With all of that being said, the race for the top 3 will surely be one to watch tomorrow!
Moving over to the team race in varsity boys, Lamar Christian is the favorite with St. Augustine in 2nd. It's looking to be somewhat close between these 2, but Lamar Christian on paper is going to win every 1-on-1 battle against St. Augustine, and may even put 3 in front of their 1.
Denver Carter on his way to his win at the Jackson Prep XC Invitational
Finally, someone to watch in the middle school races is middle school stud Denver Carter from Simpson. Carter went 18:42 as a 7th grader, a phenomenal time for someone of that age. He will be in the junior varsity 2-mile tomorrow, and it will be thrilling to see what this young man can do tomorrow.
The first race is set to go off at 8:00 A.M. tomorrow morning, which is the varsity girls race, with varsity boys and the junior varsity races to follow. If you are in the area, come out and support! If you are unable to make it, no worries! MileSplit Mississippi will be there to provide race day coverage such as photos and race videos, as well as post-race interviews to the winners!