Teams to watch

Photo credits: Ben Woolhouse

Pearl High School Boys (Miss. No. 3)

In terms of raw talent, Pearl is a hard team to topple. 

They have the second-best 5k average in the state, and their 3-5 split of 36 seconds doesn't leave much room for other teams to try and play catch-up in mile two or three of a race.

Photo credits: Ben Woolhouse

Madison Central Boys

If a team were to challenge the Pirates, it would definitely be Madison Central. 

Head to head with Pearl, the top two runners of both teams would battle it out for the top four spots and end up dead even pointwise. That leaves most of the work for the 3-5 runners. 

Unfortunately for the Jaguars, Pearl's No. 3 and 4 runners give them the upper hand they need to potentially pull away. However, the story could be very different if Madison Central's fifth runner could have himself a day and pull a spot or two ahead.

Photo credits: Ben Woolhouse

East Rankin Academy Girls (Miss. No. 2)

The Lady Patriots have the depth to pull off an easy team win at the 2022 Clinton Arrow Invitational. 

Having Leah Collipp as the first finisher starts them off very well, and having a No. 2-3 combo such as Emily Williams and Audrey Mayatte is a great spot to be in. According to the statistics, as the clock ticks, more East Rankin girls come in before any of the other team's latter runners.