Cross Country team rankings are one of the most fun things to pay attention to in our sport. Unfortunately it's hard to rank everybody based only on head to head battles as teams are often missing athletes. In some ways it can be a little bit better to rank based on PR's, but obviously some courses are faster than others. So if a team has only run slow courses, they'll be farther down the rankings. And most importantly, things change so much week to week that doing "old school" subjective rankings in the year 2026 doesn't seem to be the way to go. So instead I've opted for more of a Status Report or a "check in" of a couple of classifications each week this year. This is meant to take a more holistic approach to what things are looking like in each classification as we get closer to the state meet. It is NOT a perfect ranking that takes every single detail into account, but more looking at teams overall rather than nitpicking good or bad races.
The Favorites - I can't figure out who the favorite is here. My gut tells me it's Westminster who kind of had a "get right" type of race at Wingfoot two weeks ago. They won a state title last year in a loaded classification and they've got a ton of young talent. But at least part of my brain, the part that's very intrigued, tells me it's Hebron. They also won a state title last year and while traditionally you'd put them behind Westminster, I'm really not seeing anything to separate these two teams. Westminster has the history, but that can be an advantage or a curse. Hebron could have the fire of being the underdogs, even as defending champions. That can be a tough place to be. They won this classification last year and I'm still doubting them? That might just give them all of the fight they need to go out there and prove my gut wrong. These teams all almost exact even at 1-2-3-4 and 5. They're almost identical and both have run on a faster course. Hard to say which had the better race conditions. This one is a toss up for now, I'm not ready to place my bet.
The Contenders - I'm not sure I can see anybody else contend for the win. But the battle for the rest of the podium is an interesting one. Pace Academy has a slight lead on the field, but it's close enough that this is anybody's race for 3rd. I wonder what Athens Academy really has since they haven't been chasing the fast times and just run locally. That could make them the favorite. Paideia seems to always be there and could be looking to prove themselves on race day. And Providence Christian has also run really well so far. I think we need more time to sort these teams out and we will learn more after the races this weekend. Or we won't. Which would be really fun heading into the final stretch.
The Chasers - Wesleyan could find themselves among the contenders here soon. But I'm going to leave them as a chaser for now. They're likely a top 10 team, I'm just not sure they're ready to be included in the top 10. North Cobb and Trinity Christian are both in the mix as well, but I see them on the outside looking in for now. We will see if my mind changes after Saturday.
The Favorite - This one is a little bit of a surprise. Not really if you've been paying attention in the last few years, but at first glance it's probably a little bit of a surprise. Wesleyan has done well the last few years and they've won the only two Private school state titles since that became a thing a couple of years ago. They've also won 6 straight state titles in their respective classification. So it's not surprising to see them at the top of the list. They've got a pretty solid 1-3 that isn't elite, but is pretty darn good and then a very tight 1-5 gap. So why is it a little surprising? Because this year they had two juggernauts drop down into their classification and they still look like the class of the field. That's what's a little surprising. This one isn't over yet, but with Wesleyan in the driver seat right now, I could really see a 3 peat here.
The Contenders - Like I said, two juggernauts dropped down into the private school division with Westminster and Pace Academy. In the last 10 years these two schools have a total of 11 state titles between them. They'd probably have more if they didn't have to go up against each other several of those years. Westminster is coming off a heck of a state title in possibly the most competitive classification last year. So I mean, rule them out at your own risk of looking foolish. They've got two girls who could win it all and always seem to find a 3-5 by the time the state meet rolls around even if they don't come out of the gates swinging. Pace has some front runners who performed well at state last year and seems to be hitting their stride in the last few races. They'll be a threat. And on top of that, you've got Mount Vernon in the mix too with some fast girls and a front runner who could win it. They have a pack in the mix as well. When things are this close on paper I do see Wesleyan as a slight favorite, but I wouldn't rule out any of these teams.
The Chasers - This is another tight pack with very little separation. I think Hebron is the most dangerous of the group. I considered putting them in the pack of contenders and I wouldn't be surprised if they got moved up there when I revisit this class in a few weeks. But for now I'll leave them as a chaser, but I would love to see this light a fire and have them prove me wrong. The other dangerous team in this group is Athens Academy. They kind of stick to races in their own neck of the woods and don't chase the big meets which makes them dangerous too, especially on a course like Carrollton. They could sneak up and surprise some people as they might be faster than they look on paper. Prince Avenue looks good for similar reasons, and of course I wouldn't be surprised to see Lovett or Mount Pisgah on the podium either. This class brings a ton of intrigue and it's exciting!
Cross Country team rankings are one of the most fun things to pay attention to in our sport. Unfortunately it's hard to rank everybody based only on head to head battles as teams are often missing athletes. In some ways it can be a little bit better to rank based on PR's, but obviously some courses are faster than others. So if a team has only run slow courses, they'll be farther down the rankings. And most importantly, things change so much week to week that doing "old school" subjective rankings in the year 2026 doesn't seem to be the way to go. So instead I've opted for more of a Status Report or a "check in" of a couple of classifications each week this year. This is meant to take a more holistic approach to what things are looking like in each classification as we get closer to the state meet. It is NOT a perfect ranking that takes every single detail into account, but more looking at teams overall rather than nitpicking good or bad races.
The Favorites - I can't figure out who the favorite is here. My gut tells me it's Westminster who kind of had a "get right" type of race at Wingfoot two weeks ago. They won a state title last year in a loaded classification and they've got a ton of young talent. But at least part of my brain, the part that's very intrigued, tells me it's Hebron. They also won a state title last year and while traditionally you'd put them behind Westminster, I'm really not seeing anything to separate these two teams. Westminster has the history, but that can be an advantage or a curse. Hebron could have the fire of being the underdogs, even as defending champions. That can be a tough place to be. They won this classification last year and I'm still doubting them? That might just give them all of the fight they need to go out there and prove my gut wrong. These teams all almost exact even at 1-2-3-4 and 5. They're almost identical and both have run on a faster course. Hard to say which had the better race conditions. This one is a toss up for now, I'm not ready to place my bet.