Niceville, sixth at the Southern Showcase, edges Nease by three points in the Class 4A virtual race, Hagerty won the Coach Joe McKinney Classic, and Braddock and Columbus jump above Doral on the Class 4A scoring of the Spanish River Race of Champions.
Florida Class 4A boys cross country team rankings through five weeks: August 21-September 19, 2026
Niceville is first and Nease second, three points apart, and on the statewide list it is the other way round. The two lists can differ because the virtual race behind this one has only Class 4A teams in it, so the runners doing the displacing are different, and three points is inside that difference. Niceville was sixth of 28 in the Southern Showcase championship race with 227, Bryant Olson sixteenth and four boys between 16:02 and 16:35. Nease was third of 40 at the Roy Griak Invitational in Minnesota with 240, Ishee and Chopra in the top 25, on a course priced from their own five; that reading is thin and we say so.
Hagerty won the Coach Joe McKinney Classic with 37 over Tavares 3A and is third. Braddock and Columbus were first and second in the Class 4A scoring of the Spanish River Race of Champions on Friday night, Braddock 78, Columbus 103, Doral Academy 105, Spanish River 127, and the two of them go in above Doral on that result; the timer scored the race by class, so the engine cannot see the meeting, and we put it back by hand. Braddock goes from thirteenth to fourth. Doral has the best season average of the four and is sixth; Spanish River, at home, is seventh.
Flagler Palm Coast was fifteenth in Huntsville and drops from second to eighth. Lake Minneola won Hawks on the Hill with 40 and comes in at ninth, and Wiregrass Ranch was third there and holds tenth. St. Cloud, third at North Port, and Creekside, fourth at Katie Caples, drop out; Newsome, which won the Raider Open, and Buchholz, which won Katie Caples, are the first two out. Data and judgment, and we will miss somebody.
A team is ranked on its whole season, with the most recent race counting most, and a meet it won never counts against it. The virtual race behind these scores contains only Class 4A teams, so a team's place here and on the statewide list can differ. As always, this is data plus judgment, and we will miss somebody along the way. A (P) beside a team means it has not put its returning five on a starting line and is entered on what they ran last November. How we sorted it out is at the bottom. Races are not won until the kids have run. Enjoy.
About the times. The average on each line is the season figure the scoring uses, in Cecil Field terms. The times next to each runner are season figures too; the race log for every runner is on the rankings page.
The statewide lists: Week 5 boys team top 10 and Week 5 girls team top 10. The 4A boys individuals are here, and the week 4 edition of this list is here. The other classes this week: 4A girls, 1A boys, 2A boys, 3A boys.
1. Niceville: 200 points
Season average 16:37.8 · 1-5 spread 1:12.9 · finished 7-32-36-51-74 in the class · This week: 6th of 28 at the Southern Showcase (227). Won in week 2, week 3; that run is not held against them.
Bryant Olson 15:51.6; Brody Mathis 16:37.2; Reid Sadowski 16:42.9; Sebastian Riemer 16:52.6; Carson Jackson 17:04.5.
Sixth of 28 in the Southern Showcase championship race with 227: Bryant Olson sixteenth in 15:27.6, Brody Mathis 46th in 16:02.9, Reid Sadowski 53rd in 16:14.8, Sebastian Riemer 68th in 16:22.2, Carson Jackson 97th in 16:34.7. The course read about 25 seconds fast. The Pine Forest and Pace Patriot wins are not held against them. Third to first, three points ahead of Nease in a virtual race of only 4A teams, and second to Nease on the statewide list.
2. Nease (Ponte Vedra): 203 points
Season average 16:37.6 · 1-5 spread 1:02.2 · finished 10-13-35-64-81 in the class · This week: 3rd of 40 at the Roy Griak Invitational (240).
Matthew Ishee 16:05.8; Rishi Chopra 16:11.3; Joseph Morley 16:40.9; Charles Carlson 17:01.7; Matthew Myers 17:08.0.
Third of 40 at the Roy Griak Invitational championship race in St. Paul with 240, behind Sioux Falls Lincoln's 165 and Dowling Catholic's 227: Matthew Ishee fifteenth in 15:13.2, Rishi Chopra 24th in 15:22.8, Joseph Morley 59th in 15:49.7, Austin Courson 68th in 15:53.4, Charles Carlson 95th in 16:06.7, the first real race for the front of the team since Cecil Field. Roy Griak is priced from those five and nobody else, so the reading is thin, and the season figures moved less than the clock did. First to second, three points behind Niceville here and ahead of them statewide, on a 1:02.2 spread.
3. Hagerty (Oviedo): 291 points
Season average 16:51.0 · 1-5 spread 1:07.3 · finished 20-23-54-59-135 in the class · This week: 1st of 16 at the Coach Joe McKinney Classic (37).
Camden Thompson 16:23.8; Nate Winslow 16:26.7; Wesley Lizon 16:55.1; Reid Henson 16:58.3; Elijah Lizon 17:31.1.
Won the Coach Joe McKinney Classic with 37 over Tavares 3A's 44 in a 16-team field: Camden Thompson second in 16:34.2 behind Liam Ilea of Tavares, Nate Winslow third in 16:58.7, Wesley Lizon seventh in 17:11.8, Reid Henson ninth in 17:30.4, Elijah Lizon sixteenth in 17:54.2. The course reads about 23 seconds slow, one of the few this week that did. Fourth to third.
4. Braddock (Miami): 321 points
Season average 16:57.5 · 1-5 spread 0:51.0 · finished 25-53-65-66-112 in the class
Yanliet Gomezdelafe 16:29.4; Ian Vicente 16:54.0; Liano Lacayo 17:01.7; Jacob Castanedo 17:01.8; Lucas Knight 17:20.3.
Won the Class 4A scoring of the Spanish River Race of Champions with 78: Yanliet Gomezdelafe seventh in 15:58.5, Jacob Castanedo fourteenth in 16:14.1, Liano Lacayo sixteenth in 16:22.4, Ian Vicente seventeenth in 16:26.5, Lucas Knight 37th in 16:50.9, a 0:51.0 spread that is the tightest in the ten. Their first race since the Horse Park. Thirteenth to fourth: the season figure has them behind Doral, and the Friday result over Doral, Columbus and Spanish River puts them in front, which holds until they meet again.
5. Columbus (Miami): 328 points
Season average 16:56.0 · 1-5 spread 0:52.2 · finished 19-46-79-90-94 in the class
Nicholas Garcia 16:20.3; Lundin Steven 16:49.4; Lucas Saenz 17:07.5; Valerio Rodriguez 17:10.2; Bryce Barger 17:12.5.
Second in the Class 4A scoring of the Race of Champions with 103, two points ahead of Doral and 24 ahead of Spanish River: Nicholas Garcia fourth in 15:53.4, Lundin Steven 24th in 16:37.7, Lucas Saenz 29th in 16:40.5, Valerio Rodriguez 30th in 16:42.2, Bryce Barger 32nd in 16:45.7, the next four within eight seconds of each other behind Garcia. Sixth to fifth on that result, above Doral until they meet again.
6. Doral Academy: 305 points
Season average 16:53.1 · 1-5 spread 0:57.6 · finished 14-41-80-82-88 in the class
Martin Fernandez 16:12.2; Rafaele D'Agostino 16:46.8; Javier Parker 17:07.9; Joaquin Cogo 17:08.5; Pedro Rodriguez 17:09.9.
Third in the Class 4A scoring of the Race of Champions with 105, two points behind Columbus: Martin Fernandez second in 15:47.8, Rafaele D'Agostino fifteenth in 16:19.0, Joaquin Cogo 27th in 16:39.7, Pedro Rodriguez 34th in 16:47.8, Sebastian Omegna 42nd in 16:56.4. The season average, 16:53.1, is the best of the four South Florida teams in that race, and the virtual race has them fourth in the class; Braddock and Columbus beat them on Friday, so they are sixth until they meet again. Fifth to sixth.
7. Spanish River (Boca Raton): 308 points
Season average 16:53.0 · 1-5 spread 0:56.5 · finished 15-38-77-86-92 in the class
Casey Sangely 16:14.2; Erik Moss 16:43.8; Marcus Benavente 17:07.1; Spencer Singerman 17:09.2; Will Irby 17:10.7.
Fourth in the Class 4A scoring of its own Race of Champions with 127: Casey Sangely won in 15:46.4, then Marcus Benavente 25th in 16:39.3, Aiden Sandmaier 36th in 16:49.5, Spencer Singerman 40th in 16:54.1, Will Irby 41st in 16:55.1. The course reads about 28 seconds fast. Eighth to seventh on the season figure, three points behind Doral and behind Braddock and Columbus on the result. Sangely is 53 seconds clear of his second man; that is the gap to close.
8. Flagler Palm Coast: 317 points
Season average 16:48.3 · 1-5 spread 1:47.3 · finished 6-29-63-70-149 in the class · This week: 15th of 28 at the Southern Showcase (388).
Douglas Seth 15:48.5; Dylan Ciardi 16:32.7; Enzo McGovern 17:01.6; Mateo Almeida 17:02.9; Owen Stackpole 17:35.8.
Fifteenth of 28 in the Southern Showcase championship race with 388: Douglas Seth thirteenth in 15:20.7, Dylan Ciardi 62nd in 16:18.9, Enzo McGovern 110th in 16:44.5, Mateo Almeida 121st in 16:49.4, Owen Stackpole 161st in 17:25.2. Second to eighth. The average, 16:48.3, is still the fourth-best in the ten; the 1:47.3 spread is the second-widest, and in a class virtual race the third through fifth men are what the score is made of.
9. Lake Minneola: 381 points
Season average 16:44.6 · 1-5 spread 2:50.5 · finished 3-18-26-39-295 in the class · This week: 1st of 18 at Hawks on the Hill (40).
Quentin Thompson 15:39.3; Jacob Kelly 16:19.1; Drew Sasson 16:29.8; Matthew Lydiard 16:44.9; Noah Perez 18:29.8.
Won Hawks on the Hill with 40 over Lake Highland Prep 2A's 78 in an 18-team field: Quentin Thompson second in 15:29.0, Jacob Kelly third in 16:05.3, Drew Sasson fourth in 16:21.8, Matthew Lydiard sixth in 16:37.5, Noah Perez 26th in 18:14.1. Four in the first six and a fifth man a minute and a half back; the 2:50.5 spread is the widest in the ten by a distance. Eleventh to ninth, with the third-best average in the ten. The fifth runner is the whole conversation.
10. Wiregrass Ranch (Wesley Chapel): 466 points
Season average 17:08.1 · 1-5 spread 1:23.7 · finished 24-40-89-122-191 in the class · This week: 3rd of 18 at Hawks on the Hill (125).
Avi Bhatia 16:29.1; Bogdan Anghel 16:45.2; Wade Pheffer 17:10.1; Dominic Martin 17:23.5; Christian Gonzalez 17:52.8.
Third at Hawks on the Hill with 125 behind Lake Minneola and Lake Highland Prep 2A: Bogdan Anghel seventh in 16:38.7, Dominic Martin seventeenth in 17:42.0, Jaxon Maughan 30th in 18:21.0, Elijah Watson 31st in 18:26.1, Samuel Beggs 46th in 19:02.6. Avi Bhatia and Wade Pheffer, two of the season five, were not in the results. Seventh to tenth; the five with Bhatia and Pheffer in it is what keeps them in the ten.
Just missed
11. Newsome (Lithia), 480, won the Raider Open with 29, Jonas Williams first in 15:27.0 and Johnathan Robison fifth, and is just outside. 12. Buchholz (Gainesville), 579, won the Katie Caples Invitational on the sixth-man tiebreak over Ponte Vedra 3A at 69, Andrew Sides first in 15:53, and beat Creekside there, which is why it sits above two teams with better figures. 13. St. Cloud, 553, was third at the North Port Invite with 138, Luis Rivera first, and is above Creekside on the standing call from week 3: the same five in every race and a win at its own meet. 14. Creekside (St. Johns), 513, was fourth at Katie Caples with 78, Eli Scharf fourth in 16:19, and drops from tenth.
Where the virtual race disagrees with this list
- Buchholz over Creekside: 1st and 4th at the Katie Caples Invitational, and neither has raced since.
- Braddock over Doral Academy: Braddock 78, Columbus 103, Doral 105 and Spanish River 127 in the Class 4A scoring of the Spanish River Race of Champions on Sept. 18, the same race, and none of the four has raced since; the timer scored it by class so the engine cannot see the meeting
- Columbus over Doral Academy: Columbus beat Doral by two points and Spanish River by 24 in the Class 4A scoring of the Spanish River Race of Champions on Sept. 18; none of the three has raced since
- St. Cloud over Creekside: St. Cloud over Creekside and Lake Minneola: same five in every race, won its own meet, body of work (Darrin, 2026-09-06)
How we ranked them
- Every mark is converted to a Cecil Field equivalent through the runners who ran both that course and last year's state meet. The boys' field ran about a second slower in August than at state, and that is removed before a course is rated.
- Each runner is scored on his whole season, weighted toward the most recent race: this week counts five times, last week four, week three three times, week two twice, opening weekend once. A race he won never lowers that figure, and a meet a team won never lowers the team's. A school's five best runners on that basis are its team.
- Those five, with a sixth and seventh where they exist, go into one virtual race against every other Class 4A team and are scored the way cross country is scored: top five count, sixth and seventh displace, five finishers required, low score wins. 124 4A boys teams cleared the bar; 0 of them are projections. Scores climb every week as more teams enter and are not comparable to last week's; compare the order and the averages.
- Where two teams in this class have raced each other with at least three of their scoring seven, and neither has raced on a rated course since, the team that won ranks ahead of the team it beat. Those moves are listed above.
- A team whose returning five have not raced is entered on last November's state times and marked (P). A returner who has raced for another school this season is not projected at the old one.
- Classes are 2026-27, resolved against the FHSAA classification documents.
- Two of the moves in the disagreements list come from one race: the timer scored the Spanish River Race of Champions by class, so the engine cannot see that Braddock, Columbus, Doral Academy and Spanish River were on the same start line. We put the meeting back by hand, and it holds until any two of them race again.
- Niceville first here and second statewide is not a contradiction: this virtual race has only 4A teams in it, the displacing runners are different, and three points is inside that difference.
- Roy Griak is priced from Nease's own five, the only Florida team there. The reading is thin and we say so; it stands because it is the only one we have.