Photo credits: Ben Woolhouse
4. Tupelo High School
Profile
Top Runner: Jaheim Bridges(All-State #4) | 15:35
5K avg: 16:32
1-5 split: 2:24
Coach: David Wheeler
Key Performances
-Runner-up at MHSAA 6A Cross Country Championships
-Runner-up at Tupelo Invitational
-Runner-up at Tupelo End of season State Meet Prep
Season Analysis
Starting off the 2022 Mississippi "End of season" team rankings, the 2022 MHSAA 6A Cross Country Runner-ups, Tupelo High School.
The Golden Wave surprised all of us, and maybe even themselves, at the 2022 MHSAA 6A Cross Country Championships when they finished up second as a team, taking down Oak Grove High School(All-State #2). With the Brown brothers(Taylor Brown and Andrew Brown) alongside Jaheim Bridges, they have potentially the best trio in Mississippi. As a matter of fact, that trio is responsible for Tupelo High being the only school to have three runners under 16:10 for 5K, and were dangerously close to having three athletes under 16 minutes.
They are the best trio on paper, but they also proved it in their performance: At the 2022 MHSAA 6A Cross Country Championships, they finished 2-3-5, placing three inside the top five in the toughest classification in Mississippi.
That top-end talent, alongside Harrison Wampler and Jacob Jones, was enough to place them second at the 2022 MHSAA 6A Cross Country Championships and close out the year as the No. 4 High School Boys team in Mississippi. 
Photo credits: Ben Woolhouse
3. Saltillo High School
Profile
Top Runner: Parker Shannon | 16:03
5K avg: 16:35
1-5 split: 0:52
Coach: Charles Covington
Key Performances
-Win at MHSAA 5A Cross Country Championships
-Win at New Albany XC Invitational
-Win at Tupelo Invitational
-Win at Pontotoc XC Invitational
Season Analysis
One of the deepest squads in Mississippi, the third-best team in Mississippi are the 2022 MHSAA 5A Cross Country Champions from Saltillo, Miss., Saltillo High School.
The Tigers brought back their legacy in MHSAA 5A, snapping a three-year streak of finishing runner-up and dominating the 2022 MHSAA 5A Cross Country Championships with a score of 21 points, placing six runners in the top 10. Their official scoring was 1-2-4-6-9, with their No. 6 and 7 runners placing 10th and 11th. 16:03 5K runner Parker Shannon won the contest in 16:49, the only sub-17 performance of the day.
They had eight total wins during their 2022 Cross Country campaign, taking down prominent MHSAA Large School programs such as Tupelo, Corinth, Oxford, and even Arlington High School, a talented Tennessee squad. Lastly, they were one of three squads in Mississippi to have all scoring five under 17 minutes in the 5K, and only the fourth team in Mississippi High School Boys history to pull off that feat.
With their entire scoring five of Shannon, 16:15 5K runner Jace Stanley, Enoch Caviness, Jackson Kelly, and Sam Baxter, the Tigers can go nowhere but up as they progress in their team chemistry, gained experience, and overall fitness.
Photo credits: Ben Woolhouse
2. Oak Grove High School
Profile
Top Runner: Gavin Wheat | 15:53
5K avg: 16:21
1-5 split: 0:45
Coach: Joshua Moore
Key Performances
-Win at Mississippi XC All-State Championships
-Win at Saltillo Cross Country Invitational
-Third place at MHSAA 6A Cross Country Championships
Season Analysis
A team that has been on the rise for a few seasons now, the second-best team in Mississippi for the 2022 Cross Country season is the 2022 Mississippi XC All-State Champions, Oak Grove High School.
With a solid 1-2 punch in Gavin Wheat and Bennett Ferguson combined with another 3-4-5 trio of Luke Skinner, Grayson Taylor, and Jaden Gray; the Warriors had five total wins in their 2022 Cross Country campaign. They were one of only two squads with their entire scoring five in a single race, and only the third team in Mississippi history to pull off that same statistic. On numerous occasions, they took down multiple top-tier programs such as Saltillo(All-State #3), Tupelo(All-State #4, Madison Central, Germantown, and Ocean Springs. They even took down the Tigers on their home course at the 2022 Saltillo Cross Country Invitational. They had a heart-breaker at the 2022 MHSAA 6A Cross Country Championships when they finished third to Pearl(All-State #1) and Tupelo(All-State #4) due to one of their top athletes struggling with heat illness, as well as another one of their low sticks who was coming off of injury.
However, even through all of that, the Warriors never quit fighting and bounced back when they dominated the 2022 Mississippi XC All-State Championships. They are a talented group of well-coached individuals who never stop grinding, and we are sure that they have something special planned for the 2023 Track and Field season.
Photo credits: Ben Woolhouse
1. Pearl High School
Profile
Top Runner: JaQuavion Bryant(All-State #3) | 15:40
5K avg: 16:10
1-5 split: 0:48
Coach: Chris Barnett
Key Performances
-Win at MHSAA 6A Cross Country Championships
-Win at Watson High School Cross Country Classic
-Win at Jesse Owens Classic (Silver Division)
-Win at MHSAA 5-6-7 Super Regionals
Season Analysis
The undisputed No. 1 Mississippi High School Boys Cross Country team, not only in the year 2022, but perhaps in Mississippi history, is Pearl High School.
The only team not to lose to a single Mississippi school in 2022, the Pirates won eight races in their 2022 Cross Country campaign. This includes meets such as the 2022 Jesse Owens Classic, the 2022 Watson High School Cross Country Classic, and the 2022 MHSAA 6A Cross Country Championships. They were the first team in Mississippi history to have six athletes under 17 minutes in the 5K, and they did it in a single race. On top of that, they also had 11 athletes at 17:20 or faster in the 5K. One final statistic to top it all off is that their No. 5 runner, Maxi Duran, has a 2022 5K season best of 16:28, meaning their entire scoring five were all under 16:30 in the 5K. Tanner Moore and Brendan Clark sum up the rest of that varsity squad.
Their future looks bright, too. Their top two runners this season were sophomores JaQuavion Bryant and Farren Oberto, who are, on paper, some of the best sophomores in Mississippi Cross Country history. They both broke 16 minutes in the 5K and placed inside the top four at the 2022 MHSAA 6A Cross Country Championships. According to the MileSplit Mississippi records, they are the first team to have two sophomores under 16 minutes in the 5K.
All in all, not enough can be said about the 2022 Pearl High School Boys Cross Country squad. Perhaps the scariest statistic is that their entire A-squad team will return for the 2023 Cross Country season. That said, this Pearl squad is not only trying to win titles, but to etch their names in the Mississippi Cross Country record books.
Written by: Chris Webber(Editor)