The State Meet starts on Friday! This is such an exciting week where we're all in countdown mode. Make sure you check back all week with the state meet hub for all of our updates as we go through the weekend with great races.

This is the only 2A race where there's a true favorite. Will Gipson has proven himself to be a winner as he only has one loss on the season. On top of that he's got the fastest PR of the year too. He runs well at state meets and should come into this thing with a ton of confidence. If he runs smart, I think he will be the champion. Holden Payne is his biggest competitor, assuming Evan Osias doesn't race, but Noah Coleman is a strong runner too. But I think Coleman is more likely to be challenged for 3rd than he is to challenge for a top two spot. There are probably 10 guys behind him who all feel like they have a shot at top 5, but the most likely candidates are Nico Klaras and Julius Martin. But it really is wide open and tough to predict, so this is just one of those situations where you throw your hands up and say "I don't know, decide this thing on race day."

1. Gipson
2. Payne
3. Coleman
4. Klaras
5. Martin

2A Boys Team

This is quite honestly the type of race I LIVE for as a fan. Give me a 2-4 team battle at state where it's easy to count the places and see the gaps all day long. Sure, the big, deep races are exciting in a different way, but it's really hard to know what's going on during the race, especially to the casual fan. Even those of us who are really invested have a hard time keeping up with everybody. But a race like this? Oh baby, this will be exciting. Columbus and Savannah Arts are in a dead heat here for who the favorite is. Columbus has a tighter pack but Savannah has stronger front runners. Whoever wins will likely celebrate their 5th man as the hero of the day. And I'm here for it, popcorn at the ready. Union county could find themselves springing the upset if they run smart enough and the other two do enough damage to each other, but they're likely the 3rd best team in 2A. Behind them East Jackson is also probably a solid pick for the final podium spot, but you never know as there are a couple of schools who might have something to say about it. 

Prediction
1. Savannah Arts
2. Columbus
3. Union
4. East Jackson

2A Girls Individual

Remember when I said I love races where it's easy to count the places and see who is winning during the race? That maybe has never been more the case than this girls 2A race. 8 of the top 9 girls on paper are from the two teams battling for the win. These are VERY important team points that these girls will be racing for and it could look very much like a dual meet. Francie Tedder and defending champion Olivia DiQuattro should duke it out for the individual title, with the extra incentive of trying to do a two point swing in favor of their team. Behind them you've got Ava Treece, Kelby Mills, and McKay Bennett ready to duke it out for perhaps even more important team points. The runner who could break up the packs a little bit? Lola Hunter who ran very well here last year. 

Prediction
1. DiQuattro
2. Tedder
3. Mills
4. Treece
5. Hunter

2A Girls Team

What more can you ask for from this class? I can't wait for this one, and it's late enough that there's alot of strange things that can happen. I like to make predictions because that's one of the things that makes sports fun. But I make them knowing full well that it'll motivate some kids to prove me wrong (which they do) and that I can't predict the unpredictable nature of a state cross country race in Georgia. So this is really just to add one extra layer of fun here and hopefully nobody ever takes them too personally. If Columbus can do enough damage with their top runners, then they can survive having a weaker 5th runner. But otherwise she will need to be the hero for them in order to get the job done. But Savannah Arts has more depth and is the favorite coming in. Much like in the boys race it appears that Union county and East Jackson should feel very confident about their trophy position, although in situations like this I often think that how much a coach prepares a team for the moment will determine the outcome.

Prediction
1. Savannah Arts
2. Columbus
3. Union County
4. East Jackson