Before we get started...
As I have stated in almost every article this year, this is by far the best year Mississippi high school cross country has ever seen. As much we love to see it, this also means that there were some very talented kids that did not make the cut for the MileSplit Mississippi All-State Team. That does not mean that they are being overlooked or that their season was bad - It is just a testament to how truly deep this year was.
With that being said, there is a lot more that goes into these rankings than just an athlete's PR and what they did at the State Meet. Consistency, strength-of-schedule, head-to-head matchups, seasonal average, as well as bigger meets like The Opener, TCPS, Saltillo, Watson, George County, and of course the State Championships. It should also be noted that the second half of the season has a much bigger emphasis than the first half.
Another key point is that these are the FINAL rankings - post-season will not play into effect of these rankings. One reason is that not everyone will be competing in the post-season, while another big part of that is I want to lift any pressure or expectations going into this All-State meet, with the main focus of running fast and celebrating this historic year.
Finally, while I believe these rankings are very accurate, #7 on the list gets the exact same gear as #1. So, if someone thinks they should be ranked higher, it really does not matter all that much, as everyone on this list gets the same gear. As I stated earlier, just making it on this list is a very huge accomplishment, as there is a lot of talent who is not on it, and there, unfortunately, has to be a cutoff.
So, without further ado...