Javier Parker of Doral Academy and Emily Del Mazo of Community School of Naples lead Florida's middle schoolers who race both levels. These are the top 10 boys and girls who have run both a middle school 3k and a high school 5k this fall.
Florida middle schoolers who race both levels, cross country season through September 26, 2026
Some of Florida's best middle schoolers race twice over. They run 3ks against other middle schoolers, and they run 5ks against high schoolers on their school's varsity or JV team. This list is only for kids who have done both this fall: at least one middle school race and at least one high school race.
Javier Parker of Doral Academy leads the boys. He has the fastest 5k of anyone on the list, 16:56.1 at the Pine Crest meet, and he won the Spanish River Invitational middle school 3k by 13 seconds. Emily Del Mazo of Community School of Naples leads the girls. She has won a high school varsity race and a middle school race this fall, and she is ninth on our 1A girls top 10.
Some of the fastest middle schoolers in the state are not here, because they have only raced one level. Zamari Blumenberg, Charlotte Roy, Esther Dobbin and Taylor Geraghty have raced only high school 5ks. Drake Matyka, Colette Heffernan and Brianna Motycka have raced only middle school 3ks. They are all in our eighth-grade, seventh-grade and sixth-grade lists and the week 6 middle school top 10s.
About the times: each runner is listed with their best 5k and best 3k as they ran them. The order comes from both kinds of race, put on one scale, and from the results when ranked runners met. A loss stands until the two runners meet again, at either level.
Boys Top 10
1. Javier Parker, Doral Academy 4A, 8th grade - 16:56.1 (5k), 9:55.6 (3k)
His 16:56.1 was 11th of 183 at the Pine Crest meet in August. A week later he ran 17:06.3 in the varsity race at the Florida Horse Park Invitational, 78th of 544. On September 18 he won the Spanish River middle school 3k in 9:55.6, out of 314 runners. He beat Liam Piper there, and three more boys from the next-up list below.
2. Liam Piper, Southwest Florida Christian 1A, 8th grade - 17:50.0 (5k), 10:09.0 (3k)
Four high school 5ks, finishing between 14th and 20th every time. His best was 17:50.0 for 20th of 259 at the North Port Preserve Pursuit. He was second to Parker at Spanish River, and he stays above everyone Parker beat that day, because he beat them too.
3. Liam Chong, Beaches Chapel 1A, 8th grade - 18:24.0 (5k), 10:23.6 (3k)
He was second of 80 in the varsity race at the Katie Caples Invitational on September 19. A week later he was second of 212 in the middle school race at Bale-N-Trail, ahead of both Bolles eighth graders below him. That is the newest result between the three, so he goes above both.
4. Danny Deptula, Bolles 2A, 8th grade - 18:11.3 (5k), 10:35.0 (3k)
He has raced three high school races: Cecil Field, the Horse Park JV race (39th of 452) and the JV race at the adidas XC Challenge (18:11.3, 37th of 287). His teammate Yahya Barakat has been beside him in all of them, and Deptula has finished ahead of him three times out of four. He was fourth at Bale-N-Trail, one place ahead of Barakat, and that newest meeting keeps him in front.
5. Yahya Barakat, Bolles 2A, 8th grade - 18:11.2 (5k), 10:36.6 (3k)
He beat Deptula by a tenth of a second at adidas, 18:11.2 to 18:11.3. He was 1.6 seconds behind him at Bale-N-Trail. Both of them have faster figures than Chong, but Chong beat both on Saturday.
6. Elliot Macki, Calvary Christian (Fort Lauderdale) 2A, 8th grade - 17:59.8 (5k), 10:49.2 (3k)
His 17:59.8 was 39th of 379 in the 1A-2A race at Spanish River, 33 seconds ahead of teammate Daniel Hage. He was seventh of 200 in the middle school race at the Jim Ryun Invitational in August, one place ahead of Hage.
7. Daniel Hage, Calvary Christian (Fort Lauderdale) 2A, 7th grade - 18:33.0 (5k), 10:49.6 (3k)
One of two seventh graders on the boys' list. He won the JV race at the Dr. Garcia Bulldog Invite in 18:38.9, out of 131. He goes below Macki because Macki beat him at Spanish River, their newest meeting.
8. Sawyer Dempsey, Geneva Classical Academy (Lakeland), Independent, 8th grade - 19:18.5 (5k), 11:14.4 (3k)
He ran 19:18.5 for 40th of 175 in the varsity race at the Lake Region Invitational on August 29, on a course that reads slow. On Saturday he was third of 140 in the middle school race at the Stampede Sprint Invitational. Macki and Hage beat him at Jim Ryun in August. That meeting no longer sets the order, but both are above him on their own results anyway.
9. Caleb Main, Seffner Christian 1A, 7th grade - 18:28.4 (5k), 11:10.6 (3k)
He ran 18:28.4 for 39th of 161 in the varsity race at the Raider Open on September 19. A week earlier, he was fifth in the middle school race at the Seffner Christian Invitational, one place ahead of Connor Lucas. They have not raced since, so he stays above him.
10. Connor Lucas, Foundation Academy (Winter Garden) 1A, 8th grade - 17:56.1 (5k), 10:25.0 (3k)
His first high school 5k this fall came on Saturday: 17:56.1 for 27th of 174 at the West Orange Invitational. He has raced four middle school races, won two of them, and was eighth of 246 at the Horse Park. He is below Main only because of their one meeting at Seffner.
Next up: Jack Irish (Benjamin, 2A), fifth at Spanish River in 10:20.1 and 18:31.8 at Jensen Beach on Saturday; Aadi Gondhalekar (P. K. Yonge, 2A), 17th at the Horse Park; Landon Avila (Doral Academy, 4A), seventh at Spanish River; Alejandro Sancerni (Somerset Academy, Pembroke Pines, 3A), whose 18:11.5 at the Dr. Garcia Bulldog Invite rates second-best of any boy here, but Parker, Piper, Irish and Avila all beat him in the Spanish River 3k; and Teddy Formoso (Episcopal, 2A), eighth at Bale-N-Trail.
Girls Top 10
1. Emily Del Mazo, Community School of Naples 1A, 7th grade - 20:08.7 (5k), 11:13.1 (3k)
She won the varsity race at the Cape Coral Seahawk Invite in 20:08.7, out of 130, and was second at the Fort Myers XC Invite two weeks later. In middle school races she runs for WIND Runners. She was third at Jim Ryun and won the North Port Invite middle school 3k by 11 seconds on September 19.
2. London Ross, Ransom Everglades 2A, 7th grade - 20:15.2 (5k), 11:31.0 (3k)
Her 20:15.2 came on Saturday, eighth of 98 at the STU Bobcat Invitational. She was fourth in the Spanish River middle school race. She has beaten Lia Chaustre twice, at Palmer Trinity and at Spanish River. She and Del Mazo have not met.
3. Lia Chaustre, True North (Miami) 1A, 7th grade - 21:42.2 (5k), 11:58.3 (3k)
She was tenth of 239 at King of the Hill on September 10, two places ahead of Molly Joly, and sixth at Spanish River. On Saturday she was second in the Palmer Trinity middle school 3k.
4. Molly Joly, Marathon 1A, 8th grade - 20:42.9 (5k), 12:03.3 (2 miles)
Four high school 5ks, the best 20:42.9 for 23rd of 300 at Spanish River. On September 24 she won the middle school 2-mile at her school's own Marathon meet. Chaustre beat her at King of the Hill, so she goes below Chaustre.
5. Danika Mylett, Pine School 1A, 7th grade - 21:22.2 (5k), 12:08.1 (3k)
On Saturday she won the middle school 3k at the MRCC meet, beating teammate Adrianna Mattera. That is the newest meeting between the two, so she goes above Mattera.
6. Adrianna Mattera, Pine School 1A, 6th grade - 20:36.4 (5k), 12:07.6 (3k)
Her 20:36.4 at Spanish River is the third-fastest 5k on the girls' list, 22nd of 300 and 6.5 seconds ahead of Joly. She beat Mylett there too, and at the Indian River Fairgrounds Invitational in August. Three results loop here. Joly beat Mylett at Spanish River by 39 seconds, and Mylett beat Mattera on Saturday. We keep the newest result and the widest margin, which puts Mattera sixth. The next time any two of them meet, that result will decide it.
7. Quinn Dinola, Bolles 2A, 6th grade - 23:20.3 (5k), 12:06.9 (3k)
She won the Katie Caples middle school meet 3k by six seconds on September 19, out of 142. Her 5k was fifth of 161 in the JV race at Nights of Thunder. That race has no course reading in our figures, so her place here comes from the 3k.
8. Caylin Denis, Imagine School (North Port) 1A, 6th grade - 21:07.2 (5k), 12:31.1 (3k)
Three high school 5ks, all in the top 15. Her best was 21:07.2 for 15th at the North Port Preserve Pursuit, and she was 11th of 131 at Wellen Park. She was sixth in the North Port Invite middle school race that Del Mazo won.
9. Ava Miller, Cornerstone Charter 2A, 8th grade - 21:25.4 (5k), 12:39.8 (3k)
She won the JV race at the Kowboy Invitational and ran 21:25.4 for eighth at the JT Memorial. On September 19 she won the Lion's Invitational middle school 3k, 17 seconds ahead of Callaway Bolt, and that puts her above Bolt.
10. Callaway Bolt, Foundation Academy (Winter Garden) 1A, 8th grade - 20:49.6 (5k), 11:59.9 (3k)
She ran her first high school 5k on Saturday, 20:49.6 for 14th of 103 at West Orange. She was eighth of 169 in the Horse Park middle school race. She has beaten her teammate Lainey Evans in all five of their races.
Next up: Cecilia Kozlowski (South Florida HEAT, 1A), seventh at Spanish River and 21:19.4 at the Dr. Garcia Bulldog Invite; Maeve McAloon (Out-of-Door, Sarasota, 1A), 21:11.2 at North Port and a MAC2 conference win; Lainey Evans (Foundation Academy, 1A); Noelani Love (Southwest Florida Christian, 1A); and Alison Greenberg (NSU University School, 2A).
How we ranked them
- Grades 6-8 only, and each runner needs at least one 2026 middle school race and one 2026 high school race. A kid who has raced only one level is not on this list, however fast.
- We check every match by hand. Some high schoolers share a name with a middle schooler, and a runner with a high school grade on file (freshman or older) is not counted.
- High school 5ks are adjusted for how each course ran, the same way as our statewide lists. Middle school 3ks use the course readings from our week 6 middle school top 10s. The 3ks are put on the 5k scale using the kids on this list who ran both, and each runner is ranked on the better of the two.
- When ranked runners have met, the finish decides it, at either level, and the newest meeting wins. Meetings at the Jim Ryun Invitational and Cecil Field no longer set the order, since those races were in August. The times still count.
- A missed meet is never held against anyone.
Every result is in the Florida XC results database.
Featured image: the Doral Academy Preparatory School logo (Doral) and the Community School of Naples logo, each the school's own mark.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can middle schoolers run high school cross country in Florida? expand_more
Yes. Schools whose enrollment includes the middle grades can put sixth, seventh and eighth graders on their high school varsity and JV teams. Many of those kids also race 3ks against other middle schoolers, often in FLYRA and conference meets.
Who is the fastest Florida middle schooler racing both middle school and high school cross country? expand_more
Through September 26, 2026, Javier Parker of Doral Academy leads the boys. He ran 16:56.1 for 5k at the Pine Crest meet and won the Spanish River Invitational middle school 3k in 9:55.6. Emily Del Mazo of Community School of Naples leads the girls. She won the Cape Coral Seahawk Invite varsity race in 20:08.7 and the North Port Invite middle school 3k in 11:13.1.
What distance do Florida middle school cross country runners race? expand_more
Most Florida middle school races are 3k, including the FLYRA state meet in Lakeland. Some school and conference meets run 2 miles. Middle schoolers on high school teams race the high school distance, 5k.