Miss. End of year XC rankings: High School Boys, Individual

7. Farren Oberto (Pearl High School)

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Grade: Sophomore

Classification: MHSAA 6A

2022 5K SB: 15:56

Key Performances

-4th-place finish at MHSAA 6A Cross Country Championships

-4th-place finish at Jesse Owens Classic(Silver Division)

-3rd-place finish at MHSAA 5-6-7 Super Regionals

-3rd-place finish at Clinton Arrow Cross Country Invitational

Season Analysis 

Starting off the 2022 Mississippi "end of the year" Cross County High School boys' rankings out of Pearl High School, Farren Oberto.

Oberto finished the 2022 Cross Country season as one of the top sophomores in Mississippi. His season best came from the 2022 Jesse Owens Classic, where he ran 15:56. Not only did he have the ninth-fastest 5k in the state, but that time also ranks him as sixth in MHSAA 6A.

RANKINGS: 2022 MHSAA 6A Boys 5K XC List

One of his most impressive performances of the year was his fourth-place finish at the Class 2022 MHSAA 6A Cross Country Championships, and his efforts in that race contributed to Pearl's MHSAA 6A win as a team.

A state qualifier in the 3200m, Oberto will be chasing sub-10, if not faster, in the 3200m in 2023.

6. William Fugate (Madison St. Joseph)

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Continuing the 2022 Mississippi "end of the year rankings" is Madison St Joseph's, William Fugate.

Fugate finished 2022 as the top-ranked junior in Mississippi and 6th in the state overall. This season marked a lot of strong, consistent efforts for Fugate, as he never ran slower than 16:35 in any of his races this year. His best races by far were when he ran his first sub-16 against JaQuavion Bryant(Pearl, All-State #3) at the 2022 Clinton Arrow Cross Country Invitational, and when he ran his PR of 15:41 at the 2022 Watson High School Cross Country Classic for an impressive fourth-place finish overall. He ended his season with a runner-up finish in a strong MAIS 5A and one of the top Mississippi times at the 2022 Garmin RunningLane Cross Country Championships.

In the spring, Fugate is primed to have a strong 2023. He will be looking to run sub-10 in the 3200 and try to play spoiler to Sidney Stegall's(Heritage, All-State #2) bid to pull off an 800-1600-3200 triple in MSAIS 5A.

5. Taylor Brown (Tupelo High School)

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If one wants to see what consistency looks like, then one should look at the MileSplit profile of Tupelo's Taylor Brown. 

Through nine five-kilometer races, the absolute slowest that Brown ran was 16:18, with three sub-16 5Ks recorded. Whether it was his season-opener at the 2022 Brooks High School Tennessee River Classic, top-five finishes at both the 2022 Watson High School Cross Country Classic and 2022 MHSAA 6A Cross Country Championships, or in December where he finished as the top Mississippian at the 2022 Garmin RunningLane Cross Country Championships, he always showed up on the day. 

We can bet that Taylor and company will be putting in the miles over Winter break, and can surely look forward to some quick 1600s and 3200s when he returns to the track in 2023. 

4. Jaheim Bridges (Tupelo High School)

One of the most versatile athletes in Mississippi, No. 4 on the coveted "end of the year" Mississippi Cross Country rankings is Jaheim Bridges of Tupelo High School. 

Lifetime bests of 1:58.6 in the 800m, 4:22.1 in the 1600m, 9:42 in the 3200m, and 15:35 in the 5K, Bridges can do it all. The Tupelo, Miss. native had a Cross Country resume that consisted of two wins and five Top-5 finishes and had one of the best strength-of-schedules in Mississippi. His season was highlighted by a runner-up finish at the 2022 MHSAA 6A Cross Country Championships, a third-place finish at the 2022 Mississippi All-State Cross Country Championships, and the fastest 5K in MHSAA 6A. 

RANKINGS: 2022 MHSAA 6A Boys 5K XC List

Bridges is set to defend his MHSAA 6A 1600m title in 2023, and a sub-4:20 is definitely in the cards for the Tupelo Senior in 2023.

3. JaQuavion Bryant (Pearl High School)

One of the hottest topics in MHSAA 6A Cross Country, coming in at No. 3 is the 2022 MHSAA 6A Cross Country Champion, JaQuavion Bryant of Pearl High School. 

Bryant shocked the state when he broke the tape at the 2022 MHSAA 6A Cross Country Championships, outkicking Jaheim Bridges(Tupelo, All-State #4) and Taylor Brown(Tupelo, All-State #5) to the line in a tactical 16:04 on a blazing hot day. The Pearl sophomore won over half of the races that he competed in, and the Pirates had a very tough strength-of-schedule. His confidence, tenacity, and lethal kick were fun to watch, and we can't wait to see it for two more years. 

JaQuavion Bryant's stock is shooting up after his breakout Cross Country season, and we can't wait to see a confident stud like Bryant step on the track next season. 

2. Sidney Stegall (Heritage Academy)

Coming in at a very close No. 2 and statistically the most versatile distance runner in Mississippi, Heritage Academy's Sidney Stegall is trending in the right direction. 

From 800 meters to 5,000 meters, Stegall can put down some of the best marks in the South at nearly any distance. We're not kidding - Stegall has officially ended the 2022 calendar year with the fastest 800m time, the second-fastest 800m time, the second-fastest 3200m time, and the second-fastest 5K time in the state. Stegall ran sub-16 in the 5K in four out of six races this season, and was also the top Mississippian in that same ratio. He broke the MAIS 5A State Meet record at the 2022 MAIS 5A Cross Country Championships, and also, according to our records, has the overall MAIS record in the 5K. Stegall, along with Gabe McElwain(Walnut, All-State #1), are the only ones who have beaten everyone else on this list, including each other.   

After the best Cross Country season of his career, there is no telling how fast he is going to run when he gets ready to rip in the outdoor season. 

1. Gabe McElwain (Walnut High School)

Ending the 2022 Cross Country season as the No. 1 runner in Mississippi, Gabe McElwain of Walnut High School. 

With eight wins, 10 Top-3 finishes, multiple course records, five sub-16 5K performances, and his fourth class title to add to his resume, Gabe McElwain certainly had a Hollywood Cross Country season. To say he was dominant on the grass would be an understatement - McElwain would solo a 5K time in the Small School section that was faster than the Large School section, which would be run earlier in the morning, thus much cooler weather conditions.

On top of that, he was also extremely consistent. There were only two races in which McElwain did not finish as the top Mississippian: THE OPENER - High School / Middle School, an early season race in which he led the majority of the race and got outkicked by Bennett Ferguson, and the 2022 Mississippi All-State Cross Country Championships, in which he got outkicked on the same hill by Sidney Stegall(Heritage Academy, All-State #2) after leading the majority of the race. 

There is not enough we can say about Gabe McElwain's 2022 Cross Country campaign, but one thing is certain: We can't wait to see the blazing-fast times he puts down on the track next season. 

Written by: Chris Webber (Editor), Chris Bell, and Hudson James