Storylines
*Lukas Dykes at the 2021 MHSAA 4A Cross Country Championships
Photo credits: Christian Leach, MileSplit Mississippi
MHSAA 3A Boys: Can Jack Hewes challenge Keegan Leverett's state meet record?
The frontrunner from Saint Patrick, Jack Hewes, has been the class of the field in MHSAA 3A this season. Aside from his season opener, he has won every race this season and has continually improved. Most recently, Hewes won the 2022 MHSAA District 5-6-7 Super Regional in a time of 16:14, over a minute and 15 seconds ahead of second place. Not only that, but he also led the Saint Patrick team to a clean sweep going 1-6.
Hewes holds a PR of 15:54 in the 5k, only a few seconds off of Keegan Leverett's MHSAA state meet record of 15:45 from 2021. With the proper conditions, it certainly is in the realm of possibilities for a meet record to go down.
It's safe to say that the Saint Patrick squad could do something special. They are the clear-on-paper favorites. Last season they scored a whopping 20 points at the state meet. With their depth and momentum, look out for the Fighting Irish to chase after the twenty-point mark they achieved at the 2021 MHSAA 3A State Championship.
MHSAA 3A Girls: Will Emily Ireland add another state title to her name, or will newcomers snag first state victory?
The race for the girl's MHSAA 3A victory should be an exciting one. The junior from St. Andrew's HS, Emily Ireland, has experience at such competitions.
A 7 x MHSAA 3A state champion, she is no stranger to winning big meets. However, a fellow junior from Kossuth High School, Eva Null, has had a fantastic season. She has improved by nearly two and a half minutes from her season opener and now holds a PR of 20:45 in the 5k. Her trajectory has continually gone up this season and is only a few seconds within Emily Ireland's season best of 20:37.
We also can't forget about Our Lady's Henrietta Doxey, who took down the might of Saint Patrick at the 2022 MHSAA 5-6-7 Super Regional in a 5K time of 20:56.1. Doxey looks to be peaking at the right time of the year, and will surely be a force to be reckoned with on race day.
With all three of these girls having the ability to take home the state title, it's a coin flip as to who will walk home the victor. Can Emily Ireland take home another title on the grass, or will Eva Null or Henrietta Doxie snag their first-ever state title?
MHSAA 4A Boys: Will Lukas Dykes or Caiden Ivy take the Individual State title? Corinth poised for the team title.
Much like the girl's 3A race, we are in store for an exciting showdown for the boys' MHSAA 4A title. Both Lukas Dykes of Mooreville High School and Caiden Ivy of Pontotoc High School have had standout seasons. They are both coming off of victories at their regional meets and look like the two favorites upfront. They have faced each other before this season, most notably at the 2022 Pontotoc Invitational. Dykes took home the runner-up finish in a time of 16:13, where Ivy placed 4th in a 16:34. However, most recently, Ivy did run faster than Dykes with a 16:50 to take the win at the 2022 MHSAA Region 2, Class 4A meet compared to Dykes' 16:59 at the 2022 MHSAA Region 1-4A.
Corinth High School is positioned to take home the title on the team side. On paper, favored by 30 points, the Warriors will look to place four with potentially all 5 of their runners inside the top ten. Runner-ups at the 2021 Cross Country MHSAA 2A-4A-6A State Championships, they are coming back with a vengeance this year to take back their title.
MHSAA 4A Girls: The Hannah Sanders and Elsie Wilbanks showdown. Corinth looks to sweep the team titles.
Rounding out the storylines is the MHSAA 4A girls. Leading the way is on paper favorite and senior from Mooreville High School Hannah Sanders. So far this season, Sanders has two victories and a notable runner-up finish at the 2022 Pontotoc XC Invitational.
Here she went 19:37 for 5k, earning over a 10-second personal best. Sanders is experienced in the MHSAA 4A. A 5 x state champion and the reigning runner-up from the 2021 MHSAA 2A-4A-6A Cross Country State Championships, her sights are locked in on victory.
However, the sophomore from Corinth High School, Elsie Wilbanks, has been improving well this season. She is coming off a regional victory at the 2022 MHSAA Region 1-4A meet and holds a PR of 19:50 for 5k this season.
She may be the underdog in this race, but expect a nail-biter, as Wilbanks puts some pressure on Sanders to be in contention for her first-ever state title.
Much like the guy's race, the Corinth High School Lady Warriors look like the favorites for another team title to put on their historic resume. Looking to place three in the top 10, they have a clear pathway to victory. Expect Mooreville High School, however, to also be in the mix, as they have a fantastic low stick in Hannah Sanders, and their 2-3 of X and X will look to challenge the front runners of Corinth.