One Month In, A Look At State Title Matchups On The Boys Side

1A Boys

Photo by Lisa McArthur

1A Boys 5K Rankings

Last year's runner-up, Southern Garrett's Declan Horner has never finished outside the top five at the 1A state cross country championships. Horner has dominanted Western Maryland competition so far this season, and in his one non-victorious effort he finished 11th at Oatlands and only five seconds behind the top Maryland boy (Adam Nakasaka, who finished sixth). Horner leads all 1A boys by a comfortable margin through September, with only one boy having come within 30 seconds of Horner's season best.

Photo by Geoff Heath

That lone runner is Bohemia Manor junior Zachary Laird who ran 16:25 at the Track and Trail Invitational early in September. Laird and fellow Bohemia Manor junior Alex Longeway could be Horner's biggest threats in November, and might give the Bohemia Manor boys a slight edge in what should be another tight team battle between last year's 1A winners and runners-up.