The two fastest eighth graders in Florida race varsity 5ks: Zamari Blumenberg of Holy Trinity and Charlotte Roy of All Saints'. The top five eighth-grade boys and girls in the state, from middle school 3ks and high school 5ks alike.
Florida eighth graders, cross country season through September 22, 2026
The two fastest eighth graders in Florida are not running middle school races. Zamari Blumenberg of Holy Trinity in Melbourne was tenth of 379 in the 1A-2A boys' race at the Spanish River Invitational on September 18, in 17:10.6. Charlotte Roy of All Saints' Academy in Winter Haven ran 18:28.5 for third at the St. Cloud Invitational, the fastest 5k by a Florida eighth-grade girl this fall. Put on the same scale as the FLYRA middle school 3k, both project ahead of every eighth grader racing middle school.
The middle school side is strong too. Drake Matyka, RJ Destremps, Alice Ilea and Brianna Motycka lead our week 5 middle school top 10s, and all four are eighth graders. This list puts both groups together: the top five eighth-grade boys and girls in Florida, from FLYRA 3ks and high school 5ks alike. We use data and judgment, and 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 project that run to be worth over 3k at the FLYRA state meet in Lakeland, so a 5k runner and a 3k runner can be compared. The projections set the order, but the raced time is the official one. When two ranked kids have raced each other, the finish decides it, and a loss stands until they meet again.
Eighth Grade Boys Top 5
1. Zamari Blumenberg, Holy Trinity (Melbourne) 1A - 17:21.2 at the Astronaut Invitational (projects 9:18.8)
Four varsity 5ks. He was 116th in the elite race at Cecil Field Summer Classic in August in 17:31.0, ninth of 160 at the Indian River Fairgrounds Invitational in 17:35.7, 17th of 230 at the Astronaut Invitational in 17:21.2, and tenth at Spanish River in 17:10.6, his fastest yet. The Astronaut race gives him the best projection of any eighth grader in the state. His Indian River run, his second-best, still projects 9:26.
2. Javier Parker, Doral Academy 4A - 16:56.1 at Pine Crest (projects 9:25.1)
His 16:56.1 for 11th of 186 at the Pine Crest meet in August is the fastest 5k by a Florida eighth grader this fall. A week later he ran 17:06.3 for 78th of 549 in the varsity race at the Florida Horse Park Invitational. On September 18 he dropped down to the Spanish River middle school 3k and won it by 13 seconds in 9:55.6, out of 314. That win projects only 10:04.8, but he was not pushed. His two 5ks agree with each other, and they put him second. He and Blumenberg have not raced each other.
3. Drake Matyka, Unattached - 10:19.3 at Jim Ryun (projects 9:41.3)
The No. 1 boy on our week 5 middle school list. On September 19 he won Running on the Range in The Villages in 9:58.3, four seconds ahead of RJ Destremps. Destremps had beaten him at the Jim Ryun Invitational and at the Horse Park, but the most recent meeting decides it, so Matyka goes above him.
4. RJ Destremps, Hillsborough Harriers - 10:08.4 at Jim Ryun (projects 9:30.4)
He won Jim Ryun and the Horse Park, and his Jim Ryun run is still the best projection by any middle school boy in the state. He sits below Matyka only because of Saturday night. He holds fourth over Luke Lomoriello, who he beat at Jim Ryun.
5. Luke Lomoriello, Hobbs Middle School - 10:17.3 at Jim Ryun (projects 9:39.3)
His 9:42.6 to win the middle school race at the Gulf Coast Stampede on September 12 is the fastest 3k by a Florida middle schooler this fall. He beat Matyka at Jim Ryun but lost to Destremps in that same race, and Matyka has since beaten Destremps. That newer chain of results puts him fifth until he races either of them again.
Next up: Tommy Schulte (Naples Elite), fourth at Jim Ryun in the same time as Matyka; Liam Piper (Southwest Florida Christian, Fort Myers), second behind Parker at Spanish River in 10:09.0 and 17:50.0 for 20th at the North Port Preserve Pursuit; Lucca Wiseman (Pioneer Middle School), who won his first race at Markham Park by 36 seconds; Alejandro Sancerni (Somerset Academy, Pembroke Pines), 18:11.5 at the Dr. Garcia Bulldog Invite; and Liam Jopling (Ruckel Middle School), the Nights of Thunder middle school champion.
Eighth Grade Girls Top 5
1. Charlotte Roy, All Saints' (Winter Haven) 1A - 18:28.5 at St. Cloud (projects 10:23.2)
Three varsity 5ks, all in the top three. She was second of 126 at the Kowboy Invitational in 19:14.4, third of 151 at St. Cloud in 18:28.5, and on September 19 she won the high school girls' race at the Sunshine State Athletic Association championship in 19:22.1. Her St. Cloud run projects about five seconds ahead of the best eighth-grade middle school figure, Alice Ilea's. Her All Saints' teammate Kylie Cook, also an eighth grader, is in our next five.
2. Brianna Motycka, Liberty Pines Academy - 11:07.2 at Jim Ryun (projects 10:29.2)
She won Nights of Thunder on the state high school course in 10:44.8 on September 12, eleven seconds ahead of Alice Ilea. Ilea had beaten her by 1.3 seconds at Jim Ryun in August. The most recent meeting decides it, so Motycka stays above Ilea until they race again.
3. Alice Ilea, Red Sea Running Club - 11:05.9 at Jim Ryun (projects 10:27.9)
Eight races and six wins, including two on September 19: the Bulldog Invitational middle school race in Melbourne that morning in 10:58.2, and Running on the Range in The Villages that night in 10:46.8, 51 seconds clear of the field. Her two losses are to Motycka and to Colette Heffernan, the No. 1 girl on our seventh-grade list.
4. Taylor Geraghty, Holy Trinity (Melbourne) 1A - 19:42.7 at the Astronaut Invitational (projects 10:34.7)
She won the 1A-2A girls' race at Spanish River in 18:50.7, out of 301. She was fifth at both the Astronaut Invitational and Indian River, and 23rd in 1A at the high school state meet last fall as a seventh grader. With Zamari Blumenberg at No. 1 for the boys, Holy Trinity has two runners on these lists.
5. Amelia Flood, No Excuses RC - 11:23.0 at Cecil Field (projects 10:37.6)
She was second to Heffernan at Cecil Field on opening night and has not raced since. A missed meet is never held against anyone. She and Geraghty are three seconds apart on projection and have not met.
Next up: Esther Dobbin (Cocoa Beach, 2A), 19:25.7 for sixth at St. Cloud, three places behind Roy; Kylie Cook (All Saints', 1A), who won the JT Memorial in 19:04.2; Valentina Sarcos (Palmer Trinity), who won the Spanish River middle school race in 10:56.6; Camila Boucher (Boca Warriors), 1.2 seconds behind Sarcos in that race; and Reese Allen (Oak Hall, 1A), 20:23.5 for 14th at Buchholz.
How we ranked them
- Eighth graders only: Class of 2031, from meet results and last fall's FLYRA state file. We check every high school runner's grade against the result files, because some share a name with a younger runner. Eighth graders from out-of-state meets are not included.
- Middle school 3ks use the same method and the same order as our week 5 middle school top 10s: each course is priced against last fall's state meet using the kids who ran both, and head-to-heads decide the order where kids have met.
- High school 5ks are leveled for how each course ran, the same way as our high school lists. They are then turned into a 3k projection using the middle schoolers who ran both a 5k and a 3k this fall. That step is the least certain one here, so treat the order between a 5k runner and a 3k runner a few seconds apart as a coin flip.
- A head-to-head loss stands until the two runners meet again, and a missed meet is never held against anyone.
The next time these kids meet, the lists will move: Blumenberg against Parker, Roy against Geraghty, or any of the 5k runners against Matyka or Motycka at the FLYRA state meet in Lakeland. The younger kids are in our seventh-grade and sixth-grade top fives, and every result is in the Florida XC results database.
Featured image: the Holy Trinity Episcopal Academy logo (Melbourne) and the All Saints' Academy logo (Winter Haven), each the school's own mark.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is the fastest eighth-grade cross country runner in Florida? expand_more
Through September 22, 2026, Zamari Blumenberg of Holy Trinity Episcopal Academy in Melbourne leads the boys on his varsity 5ks, the fastest 17:10.6 for tenth of 379 at the Spanish River Invitational. Javier Parker of Doral Academy has the fastest 5k by a Florida eighth grader, 16:56.1. Charlotte Roy of All Saints' Academy in Winter Haven leads the girls with 18:28.5 at the St. Cloud Invitational.
Can eighth graders run high school cross country in Florida? expand_more
Yes. A school whose enrollment includes the middle grades can put eighth graders on its varsity and JV teams. That is why eighth graders from Holy Trinity, All Saints', Doral Academy and Southwest Florida Christian race 5ks against high schoolers.
What distance do middle school cross country runners race in Florida? expand_more
Most Florida middle school races, including the FLYRA state championship in Lakeland, are 3k. Some school and conference meets run 2 miles, and middle schoolers on high school teams race 5k.