2024 Coach Wood Invitational Boys & Girls Meet Preview

I really can't believe we are in our 22nd edition of this meet. But that's mostly because I ran in the very first edition of this meet in 2003, a quad meet at Tribble Mill Park between teams whose coaches had a connection to the great Rick Wood. It doesn't seem like it was that long ago, but here we are. And it's incredible what the Coach Wood Invitational has grown into. It is now the most competitive meet of the year in Georgia. It also signals the end of the regular season and the start of the post season. For most of it's time running, this meet was at North Georgia College in Gainesville, but it outgrew that venue. So in 2018 it moved to it's current venue at McIntosh Nature Preserve and has been the giant meet that it is now with over 3000 athletes competing tomorrow.

We used to refer to this meet as the All Class State meet, since often times the best teams in the state are in 2-3 different classifications, and this was their last chance to race each other in the regular season. But since moving to the current venue, I think it's viewed more as a last chance at running a PR by athletes. Because the current venue is so big, team scores can get lost in the shuffle and almost feel like they don't matter as they've not been very indicative for team success at Carrollton 3 weeks later. That's because Carrollton is a much different course than McIntosh. But that doesn't mean there isn't value in taking a look at the way things are going to shake out on a flat and fast course, because that is alot of fun too. I think it's great that we've got a hilly state meet course, as that's "real cross country" as some old school people would put it. But we will worry about the hills in 3 weeks. For now, lets take a look at what's about to shake out on the McIntosh race track tomorrow. And for those interested in what times normally look like on this course, there's an article for you with the top 500 historic times at this venue for this meet.

SHOWDOWNS! If you got excited about the boys team battles at Asics, get ready for something even better! Not only do you have a race within a race where the top 3 teams in class 6A are facing off, but you also have a race within a race within a race where the top 4 teams in class 4A are all going to battle as well. Or something like that. Like I said before, success on a flat course like this does not guarantee success on the hills in Carrollton. Whatever the order is between these two battles tomorrow it will almost certainly not be the same order again in 3 weeks. But that doesn't make it any less fun. And confidence/momentum are very real things in sports. Getting a leg up on your opponents tomorrow doesn't guarantee a win in November, but it certainly makes you the favorite. So let's take a look at what we've got.

Finally we will get to see West Forsyth, Denmark, and Harrison all duel on the same course on the same day. We've seen two of three race this year, but never all 3 on the same day. This is definitely a state meet preview and whoever wins this battle will likely be the team champion on Saturday. Don't count out the winner of the 4A battle, but I think 6A is slightly stronger up front. Again you've got a situation of front runners versus depth, which is better to have? We will get a little bit of that question answered at Coach Wood, and then the final answer will come again in 3 weeks. On paper these teams are separated by only 36 points. So in a race like this, that can easily swing one way or another with an off day. West Forsyth has the smallest 1-5 gap you're likely ever going to see while Denmark and Harrison both have the front runners to build a big lead early. Things are coming down to the wire and we have no real favorite. And I love it.

As for the other team battle, the 4A race might be even crazier. Four teams are separated by only 30 points in the virtual meet. Cambridge might have the slight edge by virtue of having the best 5th man. And in a race this big, that could mean quite a bit for their chances. But Marist has a deadly top 3, and if they're all on that could be too much of a lead for Cambridge to overcome. Pace Academy and Jones County both also have pretty tight packs. Any sort of improvement could see them as the top 4A team on the day. And maybe the Coach Wood Champion. This classification is wild.

And quite honestly, there are another 10 teams who could all be coming in thinking they could make the top 10 here, or even the top 5. This is by no means limited to these 7 teams, but I wanted to highlight the battles and state meet previews we're possibly going to see. Other teams who could move into the top 5 with a big day include Carrollton, Lovett, Starrs Mill, Etowah, and Whitefield Academy. I'm not overlooking any of them either, but I do think they're just a step behind the other teams mentioned. 

Well we can confidently say Tommy Latham will be the first to go back to back at Coach Wood in a while, and join runners like Jacob McLeod and Austin Sprague who both accomplished the very challenging feat. Or...can we? Can Jackson Hogsed take him down? I have to admit that coming into the season, I never thought I would question that. But Hogsed already beat him once this year, albeit on a clear off day for Latham. And while Latham has rebounded since that race and looked more like his old self, Hogsed has also improved and looked really good. I'm not ready to make a bold prediction on this one and say Hogsed wins, but I also won't be surprised if this is a great race between the two best runners in the state. Or Latham could be in late season form and just pull away early and run a meet record. Hard to say at this point. It'll be fun to find out on Saturday.

I know that I can't do the race behind those two justice, but I'll give it my best effort here. What sticks out to me in the likely race for 3rd here, is that we have a fun blend of old and new. I don't know how it keeps happening, but somehow we seem to have the fastest freshman one upping the one before it every year lately. If this keeps going, by the time Dash Brackin is a senior, the top freshman boy will be running 14:30. So let's start with Brackin. I'm not saying he's the favorite for 3rd in this one, but I'm also not ruling it out. I will no longer doubt what this kid can do. Nor will I doubt what the other star youngster, Riley Comstock, can do. These two have been phenomenal in their early high school careers. And I'm so glad they get to see first hand the bar that Tommy Latham has set for them, because if there's anybody in the state who can get to his level, it's these two. They both just run fearless with nothing to lose, and it makes them dangerous in a race like this. 

Meanwhile there are a TON of seniors that will not want to lose to these two youngsters. And those guys have a good bit of experience in this type of race, so maybe their wisdom will be the difference on the day. I really have no idea who the favorite is here, so this is in no particular order. Malachi Burnett has looked really strong in all of his races this year, and is definitely on a new level. Jameson Pifer has ridiculous talent and a strong kick. This flat course might suit him better than anybody. Andrew Stricklin might be the most improved front runner of the group and could be looking to make a statement. Ben Winn is Mr. Consistent here and does better later in the season, could he be ready to make this his big race of the year? Ethan Bridge has been flying under the radar with some low key strong performances, so he might be ready to be the breakout star on the day. Wood Moore seems to do a little bit better on hills than the fact courses, but maybe he can use my words as motivation in the final stretch. It wouldn't be the first time I provided bulletin board material for somebody. Liam Hanemann is another star level talent that was awesome at this race last year. Returning to his breakthrough performance from a year ago could be exactly what he needs to get back to the top. Other names that could make their way into the top 10 are Loden Kohrman, Brock Brush, Alexander Thompson, and Bankson Roach. 

Oh, you thought I was done? Well that was just the seniors and youngsters. Don't forget the junior class that has some potential superstars in it too. Haydn Hermansen is a guy you can tell has just been working hard for a while now. He could be ready to make a statement. Clint Huggins has one of the best training partners in the state and is certainly benefitting from it. Speaking of training partners, Nate Pacetti probably benefits from having Roach while Kyle Chen is probably pulled along by Hermansen. And last but not least, you've got Jacob Jacquot who has put up some ridiculous times on the track and could be ready for that to translate to XC.

All of that drama in just the first race of the day? What a meet we have on our hands here!

Well, unfortunately there's not quite as much drama on the girls side this year as there is on the boys side. But that doesn't mean we don't have a great race on our hands. Pope girls seem to lead the way and have looked fantastic all season as they head towards a likely state title. You certainly can't count your chickens before they're hatched, but assuming they stay healthy they're probably a safe bet to finish high at Coach Wood and win a 5A state title. I'll call them the favorites, but they are up against a couple of teams who have quite a bit of experience winning this meet. Marist and Marietta will not go down without a fight. These programs are both capable of winning. But for now they seem to be a little bit behind Pope on the season. That can change in less than 20 minutes though, and all it takes is one big race for either of them to find themselves in the mix. 

However, if I had to guess, both Marist and Marietta will be a little more concerned about the teams in their own classification than they will be focused on Pope. Neither are a lock for a team title. And with multiple teams chasing them, they could be more focused on making sure they're the favorites in 3 weeks. Have I mentioned that success on this course doesn't necessarily translate to success at Carrollton? Only 3 times already? Ok, here's a 4th. 

Marist will be looking to fight off some strong 4A teams. Pace Academy has looked the part multiple times this year, and could certainly challenge for the win in 4A. Harris Co. has really impressed so far this year and could be the story of the state meet if they're able to pull off the win against that many top private schools. And don't forget you still have traditional powers Blessed Trinity and St. Pius X who could be rounding into shape this time of year. Much like the boys, the 4A girls race is loaded with talent this year.

Also loaded with talent is the 6A girls race, where Marietta will be looking to defend their title. But this is the most in jeopardy it's looked in a while and I think there are multiple teams who could beat them this year. West Forsyth has looked the part all year, and while they haven't quite put it all together yet, they certainly can. They're dangerous, and nobody should count them out here. Walton and Harrison are also very strong and could be one 30s PR away from contending for the win against Marietta. Any of these four teams could be the top 6A squad and any of them could win state. That's how close it is this year. 

Other teams who could find themselves fighting for a top 10 spot on Saturday include Roswell, North Gwinnett, Decatur, Jones County, and Mill Creek.

Part four! All great sports movies have multiple sequels, right? No? Only boxing movies? Oh well, this is more like a boxing match anyway. Averi Lowen and Zahara Bernal have been battling each other all season long and it's been glorious. Bernal is up 2-1 but Lowen beat her last time they met, and because of it owns the faster PR. Unfortunately this is the last time we will see them race each other in their school uniforms this year. Fortunately we will probably see both of them in the post season as they take their shots at nationals. Expect this one to be fast from the gun as Lowen likes to take it out, but Bernal likes to bide her time and strike late. Will Lowen get enough of a lead again this week? Or will Bernal go with her early this week? There's always a shocking moment in the 4th movie, so I wonder what happens to shock us here. 

I don't want to completely write anybody else off in this race. There are 3 other girls who have been sub 18 in this field. I just see those two pulling away early and then this race clumping up into some other packs behind them. Paige Comstock has arrived and looks fantastic. Is she the future of the state? Could be with how well she's running. I don't think she's quite ready to challenge the top 2, but she could find herself finishing a very strong 3rd in this race. But she'll have to beat out two studs in order to do that with Josie Hutchinson and Mary Nesmith. These girls are older and more experience and have both put up some incredible times over the years. They're two of the best to ever do it, and I know they won't go down without a fight. And finally we've got two out of state runners who are sub 18 and could challenge with Emma Brooke Levering and Nora Brahim. 

Elise Wooddell has had herself a season so far. And could she find herself in that chase pack? Absolutely. But I think she's a better fit for this next pack. Of course the race could completely string out and be single file by the mile, but I see this one as clumping up some in the top 20. Who else is in this pack? Well you've got Maddie Jones who is also very experienced. You've got Effie Ward who is on a mission this year and looks better than ever. You've got Caroline Rogers who has just picked right back up where she left off last fall. You've got Olivia Resnick who has learned how to front run from two of the best. You've got Evelyn Schlitz who has stepped up her game big time this year. And other names that could be ready to bust one are Kennedy Wardle, Aislynn Dunn, Harriett Blaha, Ella Alberici, Liliana Beemer, and Savannah Meyer. Don't expect all of those girls to take top spots, and don't expect them to hold off everybody behind them. There's just too many names to mention everybody here, so we do our best to cover the most likely candidates for a big day.