Quentin Thompson leaves the ten after a loss at Lake County, Jaxon Kiper moves to ninth, Sean Cunningham returns at tenth, and Isaiah Howdeshell won Pinellas County in 15:08.1.
Florida boys cross country, through ten weeks: August 21-October 24, 2026
This was conference and county championship week, and almost nobody on this list raced anybody else on it. New World, on October 17, is still the last time most of them met, and its order holds.
One meeting changed the list. At the Lake County Championships on October 21, Axel Sallault won in 16:16.1, Liam Ilea of Tavares was second in 16:34.4, and Quentin Thompson was third in 16:57.5. Thompson has lost to Ilea, who is not ranked, so Thompson comes out of the ten. Jaxon Kiper did not finish the Hillsborough County Championships and moves from eighth to ninth. Sean Cunningham comes back in at tenth. Isaiah Howdeshell won the Pinellas County championship in 15:08.1, and Bryant Olson won Okaloosa County in 15:34.5.
Every time is weighed against where it was run, using runners who raced both that course and last November's state meet, with Cecil Field as the yardstick. A runner is ranked on his whole season, with the most recent race counting most, and a race he won never counts against him. We use the data and our own eyes, and we will get one or two wrong along the way. The girls' list is here.
1. Marcelo Mantecon, Belen Jesuit, Sr., 3A
Did not race. Won New World on October 17 in 14:24, a course record and the only sub-14:30 5K run in Florida this year. Four races this fall and four wins: the Horse Park, the Southern Showcase, the COROS Race of Champions in North Carolina (14:35.9) and New World.
2. Armando Cruz, Belen Jesuit, Sr., 3A
Did not race. Second at New World in 14:50, his fourth straight race behind Mantecon. Sixth in the Race of Champions in Cary in 14:50.6.
3. Jack Michalak, Belen Jesuit, Jr., 3A
Did not race. Third at New World in 14:55, ahead of every Florida boy outside Belen. Third at the Southern Showcase in 15:01.7.
4. Isaiah Howdeshell, Largo, Sr., 3A
Won the PCAC Championship on October 23 in 15:08.1, nearly 50 seconds ahead of Matthew Hood of Palm Harbor University. It was his second finish in a week as he comes back from an injury; he was fourth at New World in 15:01, ahead of everyone below him here. He also won the Seffner Christian and Parker Valby Invitationals. He is a North Florida commit.
5. Axel Sallault, East Ridge, Sr., 4A
Won the Lake County Championships on October 21 in 16:16.1, 18 seconds ahead of Liam Ilea and 41 ahead of Thompson. Fifth at New World in 15:04, his fastest race of the fall. Six wins this season, and his only losses since August came at New World.
6. Fletcher Rodbro, IMG Academy, Jr.
Did not race. Sixth at New World in 15:09, ahead of Kiper, Ross, Olson and Cunningham. His 14:54.0 at the IMGA Summit on September 5 is still the fastest time run on a Florida course other than New World this year.
Spikes
A spike for districts and regionals.
The state series starts this week. The New Balance FuelCell XC7 v5 is a light cross country spike with a foam midsole, built for 5K on grass and dirt, and it is a common sight at the front of Florida races.
Check price on AmazonAs an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.
7. Luke Ross, Ponte Vedra, Sr., 3A
Did not race. Eighth at New World in 15:10, 49 seconds under the time that won his own Craig Speziale Invitational on October 3. He beat Olson and Cunningham there.
8. Bryant Olson, Niceville, So., 4A
Won the Okaloosa County Championship on October 20 in 15:34.5, 32 seconds ahead of Dominic Ferguson of Rocky Bayou Christian, and led Niceville to the team title with 26. Ninth at New World in 15:11, a place ahead of Cunningham.
9. Jaxon Kiper, Strawberry Crest, Sr., 4A
Did not finish the Hillsborough County Championships on October 21, which Landon Watkins of Sickles won in 15:36.9. It is his second DNF in three races, after the TRC Invite on October 14. In between he was seventh at New World in 15:10, ahead of Ross, Olson and Cunningham. A DNF is not a loss, but two in three weeks leave us less sure where he stands, so he moves down below Ross and Olson. He stays ahead of Cunningham, whom he beat at New World. Won the Don Bishop Invitational in 15:24.2 and Jim Ryun in August.
10. Sean Cunningham, Providence, Sr., 1A
Did not race. Tenth at New World in 15:11, a place behind Olson in the same time and three places behind Kiper. He comes back into the ten in Thompson's place and is still the fastest 1A boy in the state. Eleventh at the Southern Showcase in 15:15.7.
Just missed
Quentin Thompson (Lake Minneola, Sr., 4A) was third at Lake County in 16:57.5, behind Sallault and Liam Ilea (Tavares, Jr., 3A), and leaves the ten. Ilea ran 16:34.4 and stays ahead of Thompson until they meet again. He did not run New World, and the only runner in the ten he has met since September 12 is Sallault, who beat him at Lake County. Bogdan Anghel (Wiregrass Ranch, Sr., 4A) won SAC East in 15:32.3, and Dylan Macias-Buenrostro (Mariner, Jr., 3A) won the LCAC Championship in 15:32.5, ahead of the whole Fort Myers top five. Jonathan Kiros (Chiles, Sr., 3A) won the Suwannee Invitational in 15:36.6 and Landon Watkins (Sickles, Jr., 4A) won Hillsborough County in 15:36.9. Kayaan Ghaffar (Gulliver Prep, Jr., 2A) was second to his teammate Adrian Iziliaev at the Palm League Championship. Martin Fernandez (Doral Academy, Sr., 4A) and Matthew Ishee (Nease, Jr., 4A), 11th and 12th at New World, did not race.
Reader supported
Free to read, no paywall. 40 new meets this week and every pair of the top 60 boys checked by hand. If it helps your team or your kid, you can buy us a coffee.
Method notes
- A head-to-head loss stands until the two runners meet again. Where results form a loop, the most recent meeting decides. Every pair among the top 60 on the season board was checked against this week's results. Lake County is the only week-10 race where two runners in or near the ten met.
- Head-to-heads from September 12 and earlier no longer order runners; the times still count in the season figure. A missed week is not scored: a runner who did not race holds the place the season earned until someone beats them.
- A DNF is not a loss. Kiper's two DNFs moved him below Ross and Olson by our call, not by the arithmetic; he stays above Cunningham on their New World meeting.
- The times printed are the times run.
- 40 meets from October 18 to 24 are new in the numbers, most of them conference and county championships. Left out: middle school and elementary races and races shorter than 5K. Several of this week's courses read differently for boys and girls (Esca-Rosa, Lake County, Boca City, Palm League, 5 Star and Sebastian River). None of them decides a place on this list.
- IMG Academy is an FHSAA Independent; its runners are ranked.
Every result behind this list is on the site in the rankings section. Last week: the week 9 boys list.
Featured image: Axel Sallault of East Ridge in the Boys Elite race at New World, October 17, 2026. Photo by Darrin DeTorres.