Boys Preview
After a powerful regular season that ended with a disappointing finish at the state meet, the Broughton Capitals could be in for a great postseason as well. Virtually scored to place second in the team competition, Broughton's boys have the firepower to claim an automatic qualifier to next weekend's national competition, and their resume includes wins over perennial NXN contenders at the Manhattan Invitational, which could help with a possible at-large berth if they finish 3rd. Assuming Broughton has recovered mentally and physically from their rough state meet, the Caps' experience on the Wake Med course should help to secure their spot. Mount Tabor and Weddington should both find themselves placing in the top 10. The Spartans have a good chance to crack the top 5 and threaten for a berth to Nationals, but only if they can get a strong race from at least one of their 5-6-7 runners to close the gap on a powerful front 4. Regardless, both teams are sure to represent their home state well.
One problem with virtual meets and team rankings: they don't adjust for course difficulty. That's why teams like Dulaney (MD), Lake Braddock (VA), and Marietta (GA) could stand in the way of an auto bid for one of NC's best teams. Maryland teams, especially Severna Park, have done very well at this meet, and Dulaney defeated Severna Park at their state meet. Finally, expect Trinity Prep, the top team in Florida, to put up a strong fight for one of the automatic spots in Portland.
Broughton's Jeremy Brown was able to pull away from Cardinal Gibbons' Connor Lane in the final stretch at the state meet, but Lane has a very good relationship with the Wake Med course; Lane ran NC's sole sub-15 performance (14:59) of the regular season at Wake Med back in September. Both Lane and Brown are ranked in the top 10 (4th and 7th, respectively), so we could see great performances out of these two. If Brown makes it in on Broughton's team bid, Lane could be looking at an individual trip to Portland next weekend.
Girls Preview
The virtual meet system tells us that Leesville Road will be placing 3rd in Saturday's regional competition, but what the rankings don't know is that Nevada Mareno will be running at Foot Locker South on Saturday. Given the absence of Leesville's major scorer, it should be safe to say that the Green Hope ladies will be the the top NC team representation. The Falcons are currently scored to place 6th, but the aforementioned shake-up should allow them to make their way into the top 5. If Green Hope is unable to advance, then Elly Henes has a very good chance to book a trip to Portland for herself. Cardinal Gibbons will also be a great NC representative given their potential to finish into the top 10. It also wouldn't be a huge surprise to see Chapel Hill sneak into the top 10, as well - although the Tigers could be a bigger force at next year's regional meet, given the talent they have back.
Automatic bids are going to be hard to come by for the girls' teams from our state, though, because Blacksburg (VA) looks like a lock to win this regional. That leaves only one spot for the remaining top teams to fight over, including Riverside (SC) and Lake Braddock (VA), among others.