2021 champion: William Fugate (Madison St. Joseph HS) | 16:37

Meet / course record: Jacob Britt (Brookhaven High School) | 16:14

No. 1 seed: William Fugate (Madison St. Joseph HS) | 16:00

The Rundown:

Madison St. Joseph High School's William Fugate is leading off the entries and will potentially get his third win in a row.

the Clinton Arrow Invitational defending champion, Fugate has been on a winning streak and meet-record streak in his last two outings.

RESULTS: 2021 Clinton Arrow Invitational

His ability to hammer hard early and leave the field makes him a formidable contender to beat. That's one of the many reasons he is ranked so high in the 2022 HS Boys All-MileSplit Miss. XC Teams.

READ NEXT: 2022 High School Boys All-MileSplit Mississippi XC Teams: Edition No. 2

At the 2022 MRA Cross Country Invitational, Fugate did precisely that and won by an entire 82 seconds and set the meet record by 25 seconds.

However, this meet will bring some heat for Fugate. Colin Brannon and Benjamin Owens of Madison Central HS will be in hot pursuit. 

*Ben Owens, Madison Central, finishing to a PR of 16:35 at the 2022 Saltillo XC Invitational

Photo Credits: Chris Bell, MileSplit Mississippi

Brannon is a top five finisher from last year's MHSAA 6A Cross Country Championships, as well as in the 3200m at the 2022 MHSAA 6A Track and Field Championships, so he knows how to get the job done.

RESULTS: 2021 MHSAA 6A Cross Country Championships | 2022 MHSAA 6A Track and Field Championships

Owens has just come off two PRs in a row and looks very strong as we progress into the middle of the season.

The wildcard from Pearl High School, Jaquavion Bryant, is the last name to look out for. He hasn't raced in a hot minute, but he has the strength to put down some fast times when the cards are on the table.

Other notable entries include Pearl's Tanner Moore and Farren Oberto, Clinton's Christian Parks and Miguel Bankston, and Germantown's Kohl Griffin.

State Editor's Pick: The 2022 Clinton Arrow Invitational will be a Jackson Metro area showdown, and many of the central state's best talents will be toeing the line in Clinton, Miss., on Saturday. 

RANKINGS: 2022 High School Boys Jackson Metro XC Rankings

William Fugate is a menace on the grass that takes no prisoners when he races. His 16:15 solo 5K out in the heat at Choctaw Trails caught our eye, and that is 20 seconds faster than the next best season best in the entry lists. 

Madison Central and Pearl are some challenging obstacles for Fugate to navigate, but Fugate is as tough as they come - William Fugate for the win, and with the sub-70 temperatures in Clinton tomorrow morning, the meet record of 16:13 held by Jacob Britt is going down too.