Drake Matyka of East Lake Middle School Academy won his last five races and ran 9:39.8 at FLYRA state, the fastest time of the weekend, and is our 2026 middle school boys Runner of the Year. Zamari Blumenberg, Javier Parker, Liam Jopling, Tommy Schulte, RJ Destremps and Luke Lomoriello fill out the All-Florida team.
Drake Matyka was sixth at the Horse Park on September 5. He has not lost since. He won his next five races, and the last one, the public school race at FLYRA state on October 31, he ran in 9:39.8, the fastest time of the weekend by more than seven seconds, in the biggest race of the meet.
That makes him our 2026 middle school boys Runner of the Year. All seven on this team are eighth graders. Two of them raced mostly high school 5ks, and the other five all broke 10:00 for 3K. We will most likely get one or two wrong, and we would rather hear about it than not.
| Runner | Team | Grade | Season best 3K | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ROY | Drake Matyka | East Lake MS Academy | 8th | 9:39.8 |
| Zamari Blumenberg | Holy Trinity 1A | 8th | 16:47 (5k) | |
| Javier Parker | Doral Academy 4A | 8th | 9:55.6 | |
| Liam Jopling | Ruckel MS | 8th | 9:47.0 | |
| Tommy Schulte | Naples Elite | 8th | 9:48.1 | |
| RJ Destremps | Hillsborough Harriers | 8th | 9:49.2 | |
| Luke Lomoriello | Hobbs MS | 8th | 9:42.6 |
Runner of the Year: Drake Matyka
East Lake Middle School Academy · 8th grade
After the Horse Park he won Running on the Range in 9:58.3, ahead of RJ Destremps, then the Todd Howsare meet. On October 3 he won the Roc race at flrunners in 9:47.7 over Destremps, Tommy Schulte and Luke Lomoriello, three more boys on this team.
He won the PCAC championship on October 23 in 9:58.8. At state he ran 9:39.8 and beat Liam Jopling by 7.2 seconds. Five of the six boys behind him on this team have now lost to him, or ran slower at state, or both.
Zamari Blumenberg
Holy Trinity 1A · 8th grade
Blumenberg has only raced for the Holy Trinity varsity in Melbourne. He ran 17:21.2 at Astronaut and 17:10.6 at Spanish River, then 16:47 in the boys' Elite race at New World, eight seconds ahead of Javier Parker, the only time two of the state's best middle school 5k runners met.
He was No. 1 on our week 9 list. He has not raced a middle school 3K, so he and Matyka have never met, and Matyka's state run is why Matyka gets the award. Blumenberg was second at 1A District 4 on Wednesday and is still racing.
Javier Parker
Doral Academy 4A · 8th grade
Parker spent most of the fall in Doral Academy's varsity 5ks: 17:06.3 at the Horse Park, 16:46.9 at Snake Bite and 16:55 at New World, eight seconds behind Blumenberg.
He came down to 3K twice and won both. He won the middle school race at Spanish River in 9:55.6, and the charter school race at state in 9:56.7, by 28.5 seconds.
Liam Jopling
Ruckel MS · 8th grade
Sixth in the public school race at state last year. This fall Jopling won Nights of Thunder, Kristine Lynn in 10:00.9 and the Okaloosa County championship, with Ruckel teammates second and third.
At state he was second to Matyka in 9:47.0, the second-fastest time of the weekend, and Ruckel was second in the team race. That run moves him up from ninth on our week 9 list.
Tommy Schulte
Naples Elite · 8th grade
Schulte won North Port and AVE in September, beating Maxwell Claypool and Liam Piper at AVE, and was third at flrunners in 9:54.5.
At state he won the club race in 9:48.1, 1.1 seconds ahead of RJ Destremps. That head-to-head is why he sits one place above Destremps here. He was 15th at state last year, for Gulfview Middle School.
RJ Destremps
Hillsborough Harriers · 8th grade
Destremps won Jim Ryun on opening weekend and the Horse Park on September 5, where Matyka was sixth. He was second to Matyka at Running on the Range and flrunners.
He won the Bay Area championship on October 17 in 9:58.3, 32 seconds clear, then ran 9:49.2 for second in the club race at state.
Luke Lomoriello
Hobbs MS · 8th grade
Eighth in the public school race at state last year. Lomoriello won the Pace Patriot meet and then the Gulf Coast Stampede on September 12 in 9:42.6, one of the fastest middle school 3Ks run in Florida this fall.
He was fourth at flrunners behind Matyka, Destremps and Schulte, and third at state in 9:59.0. Danny Hage ran 9:56.6 to win the private school race, a touch faster, but Lomoriello's fall is the deeper one.
Honorable mention
Danny Hage (Calvary Christian, 7th), who won the private school race at state in 9:56.6 after winning the Gold Coast conference meet. Aiden Cruz (Belen Jesuit, 7th), second in that race in 9:59.8. Aidan Moylan (Imagine Town Center), third in the club race in 9:59.9. Kaden Webb (Carrollwood Day), third in the private school race and 17:36.9 at the Tampa Bay private school championship. Maxwell Claypool (Canterbury) and Warren Wilson (Sifted Sports), both in our week 9 top 10. Gabriel Garback (Tavares, 7th), fourth in the public school race.
Every boy on this team is an eighth grader, so next fall all seven will be racing high school 5ks. Blumenberg and Parker are already there and raced FHSAA districts this week. We will follow all of them on our Florida XC data pages. The full weekend is in our state meet recap.
How we picked
- Grades 6 through 8 only, from any school or club. Middle schoolers who raced only high school varsity 5ks count, the same as on our weekly lists.
- We started from our week 9 middle school list and moved runners only where FLYRA state settled something: a head-to-head, or a common course on the same day.
- Times are what the runner actually ran. Fall 2026 races only.
- The Runner of the Year is a judgment call on the whole fall, not just one race. Every result is in our Florida XC results database.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is the 2026 Florida middle school boys cross country Runner of the Year? expand_more
Drake Matyka of East Lake Middle School Academy, an eighth grader. He won his last five races of fall 2026, including flrunners, the PCAC championship and the FLYRA state public school race in 9:39.8, the fastest time of the state meet.
Who made the 2026 All-Florida middle school boys cross country team? expand_more
Drake Matyka (East Lake Middle School Academy), Zamari Blumenberg (Holy Trinity), Javier Parker (Doral Academy), Liam Jopling (Ruckel Middle School), Tommy Schulte (Naples Elite), RJ Destremps (Hillsborough Harriers) and Luke Lomoriello (Hobbs Middle School).
Who ran the fastest 5k by a Florida middle school boy in 2026? expand_more
Zamari Blumenberg of Holy Trinity ran 16:47 in the boys' Elite race at the New World Fall Spectacular on October 17. Javier Parker of Doral Academy ran 16:46.9 at Snake Bite on October 10.