James McDonald of Oak Hall and Adrianna Mattera of The Pine School lead Florida's sixth graders in the high school 5K. The top 10 boys and girls who are racing varsity and JV 5Ks at eleven years old.
Florida sixth graders, high school 5K, cross country season through October 8, 2026
Sixth graders are not supposed to run the high school 5K. In Florida, a lot of them do. Private schools put their middle school kids on the varsity and JV, and every weekend a few dozen eleven-year-olds line up with the seniors and go three miles.
This list ranks only them, and only in the 5K. Middle school 3Ks are not on it. Our September list mixed both, and it is here.
James McDonald of Oak Hall leads the boys. He ran 18:09.6 at the Buchholz Bobcats Classic in September, 58th of 203 in the varsity race, and nobody in his grade has run faster. Adrianna Mattera of The Pine School leads the girls. Her 20:36.4 at the Spanish River Invitational put her 22nd of 301 in the 1A-2A race, and it is the fastest 5K by a sixth-grade girl in our results.
A missed meet never counts against anyone, and we use data plus our own eyes, so we will miss one or two along the way.
About the times: every runner is listed with a time they actually ran. The number in parentheses is what we think that run is worth on the Cecil Field course in Jacksonville, the same scale as our weekly rankings, so a fast course and a slow course can be compared. When two runners on a list have raced each other, the finish decides it, and a loss stands until they meet again.
Sixth-Grade Boys Top 10
1. James McDonald, Oak Hall (Gainesville) 1A - 18:09.6 at the Buchholz Bobcats Classic (18:21.3)
Three varsity 5Ks, three faster times: 19:16.0 at the Whispering Pines Invitational, 18:34.6 for 262nd of 549 at the Florida Horse Park Invitational, then 18:09.6 at the Buchholz Bobcats Classic on September 12. He is the only sixth grader in Florida under 18:30. Nobody on this list has raced him.
2. Taylor Bentley, Lakeland Christian 1A - 19:34.2 at the Lake Region Invitational (19:00.8)
Four varsity races. His best is 18:41.1 for 47th of 161 at the Raider Open on September 19, a course that runs fast. He was tenth of 98 at the Zak Lukas meet and beat Niam Hren at the St. Cloud Invitational.
3. Zach Dorn, South Florida HEAT 1A - 20:15.2 at the Dr. Garcia Bulldog Invite (19:48.1)
Seventh of 140 in the JV race at the Dr. Garcia Bulldog Invite in 20:15.2, then a win in the JV race at the King's Academy Invitational, first of 36 in 20:03.6.
4. Ian Ham, Keswick Christian (St. Petersburg) 1A - 19:52.3 at the Todd Howsare Memorial (20:48.6)
Ran 19:52.3 for 59th of 191 in the varsity race at the Todd Howsare Memorial on September 26. That course is quick, so the run is worth about 20:49 on ours, which still puts him fourth. He was tenth at the Lakewood Spartans Invite in his first 5K.
5. Monroe Martin, First Academy (Leesburg) 1A - 21:04.3 at the Wildwood XC Meet (20:46.9)
Five races. His best time is 20:51.5 at the Wildwood XC Invitational in August. At the SSAA championship on September 19 he was 22nd of 105, ahead of Niam Hren, which is why he sits above him.
6. Niam Hren, All Saints' (Winter Haven) 1A - 20:37.8 at the JT Memorial (20:20.5)
Four varsity races. His best is 20:37.8 for 44th of 127 at the JT Memorial on September 11. Bentley beat him at St. Cloud and Martin beat him at the SSAA meet.
7. Roddie Richardson, Westminster Academy (Fort Lauderdale) 1A - 21:00.9 at the Pine Crest meet (21:07.4)
Four races, starting at Cecil Field on opening night. His best is 21:00.9 in the JV race at the Pine Crest meet. He was ahead of teammate Braden Fitzgerald at Pine Crest and the Spanish River Invitational, and ahead of Maximus Arancibia at the South Fork Invitational on October 3.
8. Tiago Silsby, True North (Miami) 1A - 24:21.4 at the Palmer Trinity Invitational (21:44.9)
One race: 24:21.4 for 38th of 84 at the Palmer Trinity Invitational in August. That course runs well over two minutes slow, so the run is worth about 21:45 on a normal one.
9. Braden Fitzgerald, Westminster Academy (Fort Lauderdale) 1A - 21:06.4 at the Pine Crest meet (21:12.9)
Ran 21:06.4 in the Pine Crest JV race and 21:41.7 in the 1A-2A race at Spanish River. Richardson beat him both times.
10. Zeke Ferguson, Rocky Bayou Christian (Niceville) 1A - 22:17.2 at the Argonaut Invitational (21:43.9)
Ran 22:17.2 for 97th of 152 at the Argonaut Invitational on September 26, 37 seconds faster than his first 5K at the Pace Patriot Invitational.
Next up: Blake McQuaid (Admiral Farragut, 1A) ran 20:52.2 at the flrunners.com Invitational on October 2, by far his best race; his first two 5Ks were both over 22:50, and one more like Friday's moves him into the ten. Maximus Arancibia (Mater Academy, 3A) was behind Richardson at South Fork. Eli Schultz (Williston) ran 22:08.9 at the Williston meet, a course we have no way to measure. Cameron Hendry (Christ's Church Academy, 1A) and Jaythan Velez Lopez (Lake Mary Prep) are next.
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Sixth-Grade Girls Top 10
1. Adrianna Mattera, The Pine School 1A - 20:36.4 at the Spanish River Invitational (21:09.7)
Ran 20:36.4 for 22nd of 301 in the 1A-2A race at the Spanish River Invitational, ahead of Lois Johnson, Karolina Childs, Maggie Shackelton and Londyn Barrett. Two weeks later she was eighth of 160 at the South Fork Invitational. Every sixth grader on this list she has raced has finished behind her.
2. Caylin Denis, Imagine School (North Port) 1A - 21:19.9 at the Wellen Park XC Invite (21:06.9)
Ran 21:07.2 for 15th of 203 at the North Port Preserve Pursuit and 21:19.9 for 11th of 131 at the Wellen Park XC Invite. She beat Shiloah Love and Ryanna Villaflor twice. She has not raced Mattera.
3. Lois Johnson, Calvary Christian (Fort Lauderdale) 2A - 20:58.4 at the Spanish River Invitational (21:31.7)
Five varsity races, more than anyone else on this list, starting with 27th of 232 at Jim Ryun. Her best is 20:58.4 at Spanish River, four places behind Mattera. On October 3 she was 77th of 181 in the Race of Champions at the flrunners.com Invitational, ahead of Barrett, Taylor Carricato and Love.
4. Palmer Sullivan, Keswick Christian (St. Petersburg) 1A - 24:00.4 at the Seffner Christian Invitational (23:16.7)
Ran 24:00.4 for 51st of 240 in the varsity race at the Seffner Christian Invitational, a slow course; that run is worth about 23:17. She was second of 29 at the Lakewood Spartans Invite.
5. Quinn DiNola, Bolles (Jacksonville) 2A - 23:20.3 at Nights of Thunder (course not rated)
Fifth of 163 in the JV girls 5K at Nights of Thunder on September 12, in 23:20.3. We cannot measure that course against the others, so she is placed on the time she ran. She has been racing the middle school 3K since, and won it at the Katie Caples meet.
6. Nara Horback, Viera Charter School - 23:21.1 at the Rockledge Raider Classic (23:28.3)
Fifth of 78 in the mixed JV race at the Rockledge Raider Classic on September 18, in 23:21.1. It is her only 5K.
7. Karolina Childs, FAU High (Boca Raton) 2A - 23:12.2 at the Spanish River Invitational (23:45.5)
Ran 23:12.2 at Spanish River, ahead of Shackelton and Barrett. That is two minutes faster than her first 5K, in the JV race at the Pine Crest meet.
8. Maggie Shackelton, St. Edward's (Vero Beach) 1A - 23:42.8 at the Astronaut Invitational (23:01.3)
Fourth of 114 in the JV race at the Astronaut Invitational, then 22:37.7 for 38th of 140 at the Jensen Beach Invitational on September 26. Childs was ahead of her at Spanish River.
9. Londyn Barrett, Calvary Christian (Fort Lauderdale) 2A - 23:41.1 at the flrunners.com Invitational (23:27.8)
Four varsity races, each one faster than the last, down to 23:41.1 at the FLRunners meet on October 3. She beat Carricato and Love there.
10. Taylor Carricato, Berkeley Prep (Tampa) 2A - 22:34.7 at the North Port Invite (23:14.7)
Ran 22:34.7 for 68th of 144 in the elite race at the North Port Invite. She was behind Johnson and Barrett at the FLRunners meet.
Next up: Shiloah Love and Ryanna Villaflor (Southwest Florida Christian, 1A) have run five and four races, mostly side by side; Love leads that series 3-1. Madison McCollum (Trinity Christian, 1A) ran 23:11.3 in the grade race at Bale-N-Trail. Kora Severns (Franklin County) won the PSJ Tiger Shark Run in 24:24.0, on a course we cannot measure. Lua Roldan (True North, 1A) is next.
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How we ranked them
- Sixth grade only (Class of 2033), and high school 5Ks only. We checked every runner's grade against the result files. Middle school 3K races do not count here; every runner on this list has run at least one high school 5K.
- Every 5K is weighed against how that course ran, the same way as our weekly rankings, with Cecil Field as the yardstick. A runner's whole season counts, the most recent race the most, and a race a runner won never counts against them.
- Where runners are already placed on our published week 7 statewide or class lists, that order holds here too.
- A head-to-head loss stands until the two runners meet again. Races on September 12 and earlier no longer order anyone, though their times still count. When results go in a circle, the newest race decides. Where no race settles it, the season figures do.
- Results through October 8, 2026. Meets outside Florida count only for Florida runners. Only runners who have raced this fall are ranked, and a missed meet is never held against anyone.
- Nights of Thunder, Williston and the PSJ Tiger Shark Run are courses we have no way to compare with the rest. Quinn DiNola, Eli Schultz and Kora Severns are placed on the times they ran there.
The other grades: seventh grade, eighth grade, freshmen, sophomores, juniors, seniors. This week's statewide lists are in the rankings section, and every result is in the Florida XC results database.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is the fastest sixth-grade cross country runner in Florida? expand_more
Through October 8, 2026, James McDonald of Oak Hall has the fastest high school 5K by a Florida sixth-grade boy, 18:09.6 at the Buchholz Bobcats Classic. Adrianna Mattera of The Pine School has the fastest by a sixth-grade girl, 20:36.4 at the Spanish River Invitational.
Can sixth graders run high school cross country in Florida? expand_more
Yes. Many private schools run middle school athletes on their varsity and JV teams, so sixth, seventh and eighth graders race the high school 5K most weekends.