As the Mississippi High School Boys Track and Field season gets underway, fans are keeping a close eye on the "squad rankings" in the 1600m run. These rankings average the top four performers in the state, and can give an early indication of which teams have the strongest distance runners.
Pearl High School is the early leader in the event, with a squad average of 4:44.33. They are followed closely behind by Oak Grove High School's 4:47.06. These two early leaders were expected due to them fielding historically strong Cross Country programs in 2022.
Leading the way for the Pearl Pirates is sophomore Karol Gonzalez, who had a breakout performance at the Pearl Track & Field Opener with a time of 4:37.54. With a strong showing early on, it is likely that the Pirates will start to pull away as more of their top runners such as Jaquavion Bryant, Tanner Moore, Farren Oberto, and others begin to compete in this distance.
Here's a hot take: Could P...
