Grayson Childress (left) and Sam Arnold (right) at Ole Brook Invitational
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On the boy's side, Brookhaven High School comes in as the heavy favorite, as they are coming off of stellar performances at the Ole Brook Invitational. Senior Grayson Childress led his team with a 15:40 with Sam Arnold closely behind at 15:59. It goes without saying that these two are clear favorites for this weekend.
Another runner in the fight is MileSplit Mississippi All-State #6 ranked runner Tanner Moore of Pearl. Moore is opening up his season the grass after running 4:36 in the 1600m as a freshman in Spring. The last time he was on the grass was a 16:36 5k PR, run on Choctaw Trails. Expect him to mix it up with the Brookhaven boys of Childress, Arnold, and Jake Thompson.
Coming all the way from Baton Rouge, Louisiana is Parkview Baptist to kick-off the Louisiana cross country season. They bring along Wyatt Whipp who ran 16:41 at the 2020 Watson High School Meet. Do not be surprised if he is in the middle of the Brookhaven pack.
Finally, with all things accounted for, don't leave out Madison Central HS's Colin Brannon. Brannon shaved off 35 seconds from his last year's personal best during his season debut at the Ole Brook Invitational. A very impressive mark for the sophomore standing at 17:12. Brannon's teammate, Ben Owens, didn't have his best day at Ole Brook, but he is very talented who hasn't yet shown his true form on the grass.
Finally, some other notables to watch out for that could potentially finish higher up than where they are seeded are Jonathan Phillips of Pearl, Trey Knott of Brookhaven, and 2020 MHSAA 2A State Champion William Fugate.