The Sherwood boys move up another couple spots after a strong showing at the Great American XC Festival this past weekend. (Photo by Mary Ann Magnant)
After ranking our top 50 teams before the season we will post updated top 25 rankings at the beginning of every week!
Some of the top teams in the state flexed their muscles out of state this past week. Severna Park put five boys between 15:35 and 15:50 at the Great American XC Festival to finish fifth in one of the biggest races in the country. Northwood and Richard Montgomery also turned in solid performances worthy of their high rankings; as did Dulaney up in Pennsylvania at the Paul Short Invitational, where Tyler Dailey led the Lions and became the first freshman to break 16 this fall.
Meanwhile, three teams move up significantly in the rankings. Both Walter Johnson and Sherwood are emerging as elite squads in Montgomery County along with Northwood and Richard Montgomery and proved so at Great American. Archbishop Spalding gave the Liberty boys a solid run for their money at the Westminster Invitational behind individual champion Henry Hardart.
Another big move? The C. Milton Wright boys pulled off a win at the highly-competitive Chesapeake Divisional Championships on Tuesday. The big difference was the return of Greg Roden - who finished 32nd at last year's state meet - to the lineup for the first time this season. The Mustangs could be in position to defend their UCBAC title with Roden in the mix.
1. Severna Park High School Falcons (hold)
Finished 5th at Great American XC Festival (race of champions)
2. River Hill High School Hawks (hold)
Idle
3. Northwood High School Gladiators (hold)
Finished 9th at Great American XC Festival (race of champions)
4. Dulaney High School Lions (hold)
Finished 3rd at Paul Short Invitational (brown race)
5. Richard Montgomery High School Rockets (hold)
Finished 23rd at Great American XC Festival (race of champions)
6. Calvert Hall High School Cardinals (hold)
Idle
7. Walter Johnson High School Wildcats (up 4)
Finished 3rd at Great American XC Festival (seeded race)
8. South River High School Seahawks (down 1)
Finished 32nd at Great American XC Festival (race of champions)
9. Broadneck High School Bruins (down 1)
Finished 3rd at Arundel Invitational
10. Oakdale High School Bears (down 1)
Finished 1st at Crossfire Invitational
11. Liberty High School Lions (down 1)
Finished 2nd at Crossfire Invitational; finished 1st at Westminster Invitational
12. Sherwood High School Warriors (up 3)
Finished 9th at Great American XC Festival (seeded race)
13. Archbishop Spalding High School Cavaliers (up 9)
Finished 2nd at Westminster Invitational
14. Towson High School Generals (down 2)
Finished 3rd at Westminster Invitational
15. Montgomery Blair High School Blazers (down 2)
Idle
16. Centennial High School Eagles (down 2)
Finished 4th at Westminster Invitational
17. Mount Hebron High School Vikings (hold)
Idle
18. Arundel High School Wildcats (down 2)
Finished 1st at Arundel Invitational
19. Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School Barons (down 2)
Finished 13th at Great American XC Festival (blue race)
20. Winston Churchill High School Bulldogs (down 1)
Idle
21. Thomas S. Wootton High School Patriots (down 1)
Idle
22. C. Milton Wright High School Mustangs (previously unranked)
Finished 1st at Chesapeake Divisional Championships
23. Loyola-Blakefield High School Dons (previously unranked)
Finished 7th at Paul Short Invitational (white race)
24. Bel Air High School Bobcats (down 1)
Finished 2nd at Chesapeake Divisional Championships
25. Gilman High School Greyhounds (down 1)
Idle
The next five: Chopticon High School, Fallston High School, Howard High School, Walt Whitman High School, Leonardtown High School