Athletes to Watch
Keegan Leverett (All-State #1) - Saint Stanislaus High School -- MHSAA 3A
The headliner going into the medium school boys State Title races if of course the #1 ranked runner in the state, winner of the 2021 Watson High School Meet in 15:37, Keegan Leverett if Saint Stanislaus. Leverett is on a hot streak right now, winning his last 4 races, the last 2 of those 4 being well under 16 minutes. Simply put, Leverett has some of the best race instincts and execution out of a high schooler I have ever seen - Especially in the races that count. Leverett has won his last 2 state titles, and I would imagine that 3-peating is pretty high up on his seasonal goals, and looks poised to do so. He just took down his biggest competition in Jack Hewes at the regional meet last weekend, and has a mere 2 races left in his high school career - I'm sure he'll want to close those out with a bang.
Jack Hewes (All-State #5) - Saint Patrick High School -- MHSAA 3A
The scary thing about Jack Hewes is that I just can't figure out where his ceiling is. Every time he steps on the line, it's a PR, the last 2 of those races being under 16 minutes for the 5k. This is literally his first-ever season running, and he is the 3rd fastest Mississippi sophomore of all time. When Hewes steps onto the line, he simply is 'just running' - No strategy or anything. Hewes will have some work cut out for him as he going against Leverett for the state title, and although he isn't necessarily the favorite, I still wouldn't count him out.
Cooper Parmer (All-State #7) - Pontotoc High School -- MHSAA 4A
Vying to get his first-ever state title, and is the favorite to do so, is Cooper Parmer of Pontotoc High. Parmer has gone under 16:10 twice this season, most recently running 16:09 on his home course at the 2-4A Regional and won by 1 minute and 15 seconds. At the 2021 Pontotoc XC invitational, Parmer went 16:07, beating some heavy hitters such as Luke Johnson and Ethan Knight who broke 16 the very next weekend, as well as Taylor Brown, J.J. Lincoln, and Parker Legoff. He has been on fire as of late and looks poised to grab his 1st state title after 3 runner-up finishes at the state championship level in his career.
Tristan Davis - Saint Patrick High School -- MHSAA 3A
An entry I think we are all excited for is the 3k state record holder and one of the most promising young talents in the state of Mississippi, Tristan Davis! Davis asserted himself as one of the best middle schoolers of all time with basically every junior high race that he ran, but specifically the 2021 Watson High School Meet when he went 9:39 for 3k, taking down 2-mile state record holder Andrew Brown in the process. His 3k time is currently ranked #8 in the nation amongst all middle schoolers. Right now, he is seeded to get 3rd in the 3A title race behind 2 workhorses Leverett and Hewes, but I would not be surprised if Davis dipped under 17 by the end of the season.
Parker Legoff - Corinth High School -- MHSAA 4A
The final athlete on our watch list is 16:32 5k runner and Corinth low stick, Parker Legoff. Legoff has the 2nd fastest 5k time going into the 4A title race this Saturday, is the #2 returner to this race, and has finished in the top 2 four different times this season. He had a breakout performance at this year's Pontotoc XC Invitational and hasn't stopped his momentum since, as he has been running some of the fastest times of his career over the last few weeks. After his winning his regional and taking down in class rival Curt Carman, he looks poised to dip under the 16:30 mark this Saturday and go for another top 2 finish, and could even be in contention for the win.
Matchups to Watch
Leverett v. Hewes
Leverett and Hewes at the halfway mark at the 2021 Region 8-3A Championship
The biggest and most high-caliber matchup going into this weekend is the race for the MHSAA 3A Individual title between Leverett and Hewes. Leverett has taken Hewes down twice this year, making the record 2-0 going towards Leverett. Just recently, Leverett beat Hewes in their regional championship, Leverett cruising to a 15:40 and Hewes at 15:54. Hewes took it out hard and even had somewhat of a gap on Leverett at the 2k mark, but Leverett took over with around a mile to go. I'm not sure if this race will be fast or tactical, but expect one of the best matchups of the year when these 2 toe the line for a state title on Monday.
Legoff v. Dykes v. Carman
I don't want to count these 3 runners out of the state title race, but Parmer does look like he is in some really good shape right now. With that being said, the race for the podium in the MHSAA 4A race is stacking up to be a good one, as only Legoff has an automatic qualifier to the MS All-State XC Meet of Champions, so an at-large qualifier could potentially come from someone from this race depending on how it plays out. These are the only 3 runners, aside from Parmer, who have broken 17 in the 5k this year. Lukas Dykes of Mooreville just recently went 16:48 at the 2021 Booneville Blue Devil XC Meet, just 4 seconds away from 16:13 5k runner Gabe McElwain. Curt Carman has had somewhat of a quiet and under-the-radar cross country season this year, running 16:48 at the 2021 Jesse Owens Classic taking down Brookhaven's Trey Knott and Collin Kellum, and has also beaten McElwain earlier in the season. And then you have Legoff, who, as we talked about earlier, seems to be in the best shape of his life right now. All in all, the race for the runner-up title in MHSAA 4A is shaping up to be an absolute thriller!
Orduna v. Guiterrez
Pontotoc v. Corinth
One of the things that I called in my 'Way Too Early' rankings 5 months ago is that the team title race would come down to Pontotoc and Corinth, and that is exactly how it is shaping up to be. They have finished right beside each other the 2 times they have faced off, with Corinth gaining the slight edge both times. The most recent was the 2021 Pontotoc XC Invitational, Corinth beating out Pontotoc by a mere 14 points. Although this won't necessarily be a small race and/or a dual meet, Corinth and Pontotoc could control the top part of this race as far as finishes go, which goes in favor of Pontotoc, as Corinth has beaten Pontotoc this season in the bigger meets because of their depth. Pontotoc is pretty top-heavy with their top 3 of Parmer, Clingan, and Ivy, but their 1-5 spread is where they struggle, and that is where Corinth makes up a lot of ground. Corinth is the defending champions in MHSAA 4A, and I think I'm going to go with them as the favorites to defend their title, but definitely do not count out Pontotoc, as like I've been stating numerous times in this article, an automatic qualifier to the All-State Meet is on the line.
Choctaw Central v. Newton County
The last matchup to be previewed is the team race between Choctaw Central and Newton County. Just recently at the Region 4-4A Championships, the same race that Orduna and Guiterrez had their face-off, Choctaw Central beat Newton County by a mere 5 points for the regional title, and beat them by 6 points when you combined the other region in (Region 8-4A). The 2 teams are nearly identical on where they stack up, their 1-5 spread, and their 1-5 average. These 2 teams are also very close to hitting the time qualifier of 18:40 to make it to the All-State Meet of Champions, so hopefully, they can push each other to hit that mark and race one more time for the season at Choctaw Trails against the best of the best.
Teams to Watch
Saint Patrick High School (MHSAA 3A)
Pontotoc High School (MHSAA 4A)
Corinth High School (MHSAA 4A)
Also be on the lookout for teams like Choctaw Central, Newton County, and Senatobia, as they could potentially hit the time automatic qualifier at the MHSAA 4A State Championships this weekend!