Who will come out on top in the new-look 3A classification? Westminster has been dominant on the boys' and girls' sides for the last five seasons-the last non-Westminster school to win an XC title in 3A was East Jackson for the boys in 2016 and Blessed Trinity for the girls way back in 2013. However, the Wildcats are gone to 4A now, opening an opportunity for many schools to win their first title. Schools that are new to 3A this year include former 4A programs Columbus and Pickens County, Bremen moving up from 2A, and Wesleyan and Hebron Christian from 1A Private. Gordon Lee is also making the leap to 3A all the way from 1A Public. North Hall, Cherokee Bluff, and Southeast Bulloch will join Westminster in 4A, and Savannah Arts Academy and the aforementioned East Jackson are moving down to 2A. Greater Atlanta Christian is also jumping up to 5A. Now, let's make sense of the individual and team battles that are promising to be quite interesting this season.
Boys Team
Much like the girls, the boys' race was shaken up significantly by the realignment of Westminster and an ascending GAC squad. Also like the girls, the most significant new team to 3A is probably Wesleyan, but this team battle is wide open. According to a virtual meet (after removing some runners whose times are probably incorrect), the first place team, Wesleyan, scores 130 points. I can't remember a time when 130 points was enough to win the title, so I expect the battle to tighten as we get further into the season. Wesleyan is led by Andrew Cook, who has PRs of 17:15 in the 5k and 10:12 in the 3200. Christopher Izzo, Carter Hayes, and Henry Moore return from Wesleyan's state XC team from 2021. Most important for them is finding a solid #5 runner, as right now their #5 has a PR a full minute behind their #4.
A surprising contender for the 3A title is Bremen, who finished just ninth at the 2A meet last year but returns 5 of their top 6. However, most of their team set their personal bests at a very speedy region meet last year, so they will need to back that up with some good performances on the hills of Carrollton. Oconee County has a very strong top duo with Cooper Timberman and Patterson Graham, but they will need to round out the rest of their top 5 for a shot at the title. Pike County had a great season last year, finishing 8th in 3A and nearly sweeping their region meet, and they return 5 of their top 7. Pickens County will also be in great shape to return to the podium again, led by a strong duo with Noah Jones and Will Hall. If they can find a strong number 5, they could suddenly find themselves with a shot at the title.
Boys Individual
John Ryan of Savannah Country Day School is the early favorite for the individual title. He's been overlooked in 1A Private with Joe Sapone and Whitefield's runners garnering most of the attention, but he ran a 4:26 for the 1600 this spring and 1:54 for the 800. The chase pack should be crowded. Sophomore Sawyer McGinnis of Crisp County ran a 16:40 last year and was 9th in the 3200 at 3A state. Timberman and Graham of Oconee County should be gunning for the top as well. JT Gard of Savannah Christian Prep didn't run in track season, but he was 11th in the 1A Private state XC meet in 2021. Sam Wingfield of Morgan County is another sophomore who should be in the mix. He finished top 10 in the 3A XC meet last year and backed it up with a 4:35 1600 this spring. Jones of Pickens County, Cook of Wesleyan, and Tucker Henderson of LaFayette round of the rest of the contenders. Any runner on this list could finish in the top three, and I would not be surprised.