Marcelo Mantecon broke the New World course record in 14:24, Belen Jesuit holds the top three, Isaiah Howdeshell comes in at fourth, and Rodbro, Ross and Olson join the ten.
Florida boys cross country, through nine weeks: August 21-October 17, 2026
Nearly every runner on this list raced the same Elite race at the New World Fall Spectacular in Jacksonville on Saturday, so this week the grass did most of the ranking. Where two runners met there, that result orders them. Our weekend recap has the full meet.
Marcelo Mantecon won New World in 14:24, breaking his own course record of 14:33 from last year. Armando Cruz and Jack Michalak were second and third, so Belen Jesuit holds the top three spots. Isaiah Howdeshell of Largo was fourth in 15:01 in his first finish since September 12, and he comes in at fourth. Fletcher Rodbro, Luke Ross and Bryant Olson come into the ten, and Kiper, who was seventh in 15:10, moves to eighth. Matthew Ishee (12th), Andrew Sides (22nd), Nicholas Veloso (25th) and Sean Cunningham (10th) drop out.
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
Won New World in 14:24, 26 seconds clear of Cruz. That broke his own course record of 14:33 from 2025, and it is the only sub-14:30 5K run in Florida this year. Four races this fall and four wins: the Horse Park (15:22.1), the Southern Showcase (14:41.6), the COROS Race of Champions in North Carolina (14:35.9), and now New World.
2. Armando Cruz, Belen Jesuit, Sr., 3A
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 two weeks earlier. He stays second until he beats his teammate.
3. Jack Michalak, Belen Jesuit, Jr., 3A
Third at New World in 14:55, five seconds behind Cruz and six ahead of Howdeshell. Nineteenth in the Race of Champions in 15:15.5, and third at the Showcase in 15:01.7. He beat every Florida boy outside Belen on Saturday, Sallault included.
4. Isaiah Howdeshell, Largo, Sr., 3A
Fourth at New World in 15:01, ahead of Sallault, Rodbro, Kiper and everyone below them. It was his first finish since he won the Seffner Christian Invitational on September 12. He is coming back from an injury and did not finish the Todd Howsare Memorial on September 26. He also won the Parker Valby Invitational on September 5. He is a North Florida commit.
5. Axel Sallault, East Ridge, Sr., 4A
Fifth at New World in 15:04, his fastest race of the fall, two seconds under the 15:05.9 that won Hawks on the Hill on September 19. He beat Rodbro, Kiper, Ross, Olson and Cunningham. He had won five straight before Saturday, and these were his first losses since Cecil Field in August.
6. Quentin Thompson, Lake Minneola, Sr., 4A
Did not race. Won the Wildwood Invitational on October 10 in 16:19.0, and was 13th of 334 in the Championship race at PR'ville in Huntsville on September 26 in 15:32.7. He was second to Sallault at Hawks on the Hill on September 19, so he sits directly behind him. He has not met anyone else on this list since early September, and a week without a race does not move him down.
Training
The watch that keeps the easy days easy.
Championship season is when runners overdo the in-between days. The COROS PACE 3 is light, tracks heart rate and pace on every run, and the battery lasts close to two weeks of training. Set a heart-rate cap for recovery days and keep the legs for the race.
Check price on AmazonAs an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.
7. Fletcher Rodbro, IMG Academy, Jr.
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. He did not finish the Race of Champions on October 3; a DNF is not a loss.
8. Jaxon Kiper, Strawberry Crest, Sr., 4A
Seventh at New World in 15:10, the same time as Ross, a place ahead. Won the Don Bishop Invitational in 15:24.2 on October 3 and Jim Ryun in August. Rodbro beat him on Saturday, so he is right behind Rodbro.
9. Luke Ross, Ponte Vedra, Sr., 3A
Eighth at New World in 15:10, the race of his season, 49 seconds under the 15:59.06 that won his own Craig Speziale Invitational on October 3. He beat Olson and Cunningham, so he comes into the ten above them.
10. Bryant Olson, Niceville, So., 4A
Ninth at New World in 15:11, a week after Hurricane Isaias closed his school. He beat Cunningham by a place in the same time. Sixteenth at the Southern Showcase in 15:27.6, and the Pace Patriot and Eagle Invitational winner in the Panhandle. Comes into the ten.
Just missed
Sean Cunningham (Providence, Sr., 1A) was tenth at New World in 15:11, a place behind Olson in the same time, and comes out of the ten. He is still the fastest 1A boy in the state. Martin Fernandez (Doral Academy, Sr., 4A) was 11th in 15:12, and Matthew Ishee (Nease, Jr., 4A) was 12th in 15:13 and leaves the ten. Kayaan Ghaffar (Gulliver Prep, Jr., 2A) was 13th in 15:19. Bogdan Anghel (Wiregrass Ranch, Sr., 4A) and Luis Rivera (St. Cloud, Sr., 4A) were 15th and 16th. Douglas Seth (Flagler Palm Coast, So., 4A) was 20th in 15:26. Andrew Sides (Buchholz, Jr., 4A) was 22nd in 15:30 and Nicholas Veloso (Belen Jesuit, Jr., 3A) 25th in 15:32. Both leave the ten. Jack Kline (Cornerstone Classical, 1A) was 32nd in 15:38.
Reader supported
Free to read, no paywall. Every pair of the state's top 60 boys gets checked before this list goes up, with 24 new meets this week. 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. New World is the newest meeting for every pair on this list but Thompson's, and every pair among the top 60 on the season board was checked.
- 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. Thompson holds sixth on that rule, directly behind Sallault, the one runner on the list who has beaten him since September 12.
- New World reads 54 seconds fast against last year's state meet, measured on 206 boys who ran both. The times printed are the times run. The whole Elite field was fast: fourth place was 15:01.
- Out-of-state runners at New World are left out of the course readings and the rankings. Florida runners' places among the full field are printed as they finished.
- 24 meets from October 11 to 17 are new in the numbers, among them New World, Lee County Under The Lights, the Miami-Dade County Youth Fair Championship and the Clearwater Central Catholic Invitational. Not rated: Clearwater Central Catholic, Walton County Home Meet 1 and Trenton, where the boys' and girls' readings disagree, plus meets with too few runners to measure.
- 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 8 boys list.
Featured image: Armando Cruz of Belen Jesuit on his way to second at New World, October 17, 2026. Photo by Darrin DeTorres.