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This performance was a massive breakthrough for Ray as it was a 5k personal best by almost two minutes. That is Ray's only outing so far this season, but it was quite the hot start for the Falkner senior.

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Bailey Kosko of Oxford will be racing at Mooreville as well. After running 16:54 at Memphis Twilight last weekend, it is clear that Kosko is already at the same fitness level he ended last season.

Bailey Kosko, Oxford High School

With his quick times, it is easy to forget that Kosko is only a sophomore. He is currently the fourth fastest sophomore in Mississippi's 5K rankings this year.

RANKINGS: 2022 Mississippi Sophomore Rankings 5K List

The Saltillo duo that went 1-2 at the 2022 TCPS Twilight will also be back in action this weekend at Mooreville. Parker Shannon and Jace Stanley will get to take a swing at some more in-state competition.

Parker Shannon, Saltillo High School

Shannon and Stanley have had great starts to the season but will face a true challenge with Ray and Kosko.

A few underdogs for this race that should push that top pack and possibly challenge them are Bounds Simmons, Caiden Ivy, who had a breakout race at the 2022 TCPS Twilight, and Mooreville's hometown hero - Lukas Dykes.

Here is our pick: Almost all the heavy hitters from North Mississippi will be spiking up and racing against each other at the 2022 Mooreville XC Invitational. If we get the right weather, we could see a lot of fast times and PRs.

After analysis, Kosko and Stanley are super talented, but we think Shannon and Ray are the two that look the best right now. Shannon and Ray are coming off of solid wins and have looked great early in the season.

It's hard not to call the No. 1 seed time of over 30 seconds the favorite, as Ray's 16:21 5K performance at the beginning of the season is a solid time. However, we might have to make a very bold prediction.

Here comes the bold call - Ray is probably the favorite to take the title, but we have a gut feeling that Shannon will take the win over Ray. He's gaining confidence every time he steps on the line, and we think he'll be up for the challenge.

We would not at all be surprised if we eat our words and Ray takes it, but we definitely think that both Ray and Shannon break 16:30 for 5K, and we also think that Kosko and Stanley could break 16:50.