Boys 3A Individual Rankings — Week 8
#1 Marcelo Mantecon — Belen Jesuit (Miami) (2027)
Did not race. Won the COROS Race of Champions at the Great American XC Festival in Cary, North Carolina, on October 3 in 14:35.9, the fastest time by a Florida boy this year. Three races, three wins. First statewide.
#2 Armando Cruz — Belen Jesuit (Miami) (2027)
Did not race. Sixth in the Race of Champions on October 3 in 14:50.6. Second to Mantecon every time they have raced. Second statewide.
#3 Jack Michalak — Belen Jesuit (Miami) (2028)
Did not race. Nineteenth in the Race of Champions in 15:15.5, the third Belen runner in. Third at the Showcase in 15:01.7. Fifth statewide.
#4 Nicholas Veloso — Belen Jesuit (Miami) (2028)
Did not race. Fifty-fifth in the Race of Champions in 15:47.3, ahead of Sean Cunningham, the No. 1 runner in 1A. Jonathan Kiros beat him at the Showcase on September 19, and Cunningham beat Kiros there; when results go round in a circle, the newest one decides. Ninth statewide.
#5 Gabriel Harris — Lake Wales (2027)
Did not race. Won the Lake Wales Invitational on September 26 in 16:11.0, and was third at Katie Caples on September 19 in 16:04.0, ahead of Ross. That result keeps him above Ross.
#6 Luke Ross — Ponte Vedra (2027)
Did not race. Won the Craig Speziale Invitational at Ponte Vedra on October 3 in 15:59.1, 40 seconds clear. Fifth at Katie Caples, behind Harris.
#7 Jacob Sackenheim — Robinson (Tampa) (2027)
Did not race. Won the Todd Howsare Memorial on September 26 in 16:20.5 out of 191, and was third in the North Port Invite elite race on September 19 in 15:37.1, ahead of Macias-Buenrostro and Bremerman.
#8 Dylan Macias-Buenrostro — Mariner (Cape Coral) (2028)
Won the Bulldog Invitational in Cape Coral on Saturday in 16:41.7 out of 86. Won the Riverdale Invite on October 3 in 16:08.1 by 71 seconds. Fourth at North Port in 15:38.5, behind Sackenheim.
#9 Brody Johnson — Rockledge (2027)
Did not race. Won the Harmony Longhorn Invitational on October 3 in 16:08.8, half a second ahead of Luis Rivera of St. Cloud (4A). Won his own Rockledge meet on September 18.
#10 Liam Ilea — Tavares (2028)
Did not race. Second in the flrunners.com Race of Champions on October 3 in 16:14.2, ahead of Truman Houk, Jeb Bremerman and Reed Hagen. Won the Weeki Wachee Invitational on September 26.
Just missed
Kevin Aguilar (Mater Lakes, Sr.) was third in the Spanish River Race of Champions on September 18 in 15:48.0. Truman Houk (East Lake, Sr.) and Jeb Bremerman (Naples, So.) were third and fourth at flrunners.com on October 3, behind Ilea. Reed Hagen (Fort Myers, So.) was second at the North Port Invite on September 19, ahead of Sackenheim and Macias-Buenrostro, then 16th at flrunners.com behind Ilea, Houk and Bremerman; those results go round in a circle, and the newest decides. Isaiah Renn (Leon, Fr.) won the St. John Paul II Panther Invite on September 26.
Honorable mention
Isaiah Howdeshell (Largo, Sr.) has the second-best figure in the class and stays out on our call: he was injured after his win at Seffner Christian on September 12. He goes back in when he is racing.
How we ranked them
- Courses do not all run the same speed, so we do not compare raw times. Cecil Field is the yardstick; for other meets we use runners who raced both that course and last year's state meet to work out what a time was worth.
- A runner is ranked on his whole season, weighted toward the most recent race: this week counts eight times, last week seven, and so on back to opening weekend, which counts once. A race he won is never allowed to lower that figure.
- A head-to-head loss stands until the two runners meet again, whatever either has run elsewhere since. Where results form a loop, the most recent meeting decides. A runner who beat someone ranked above him moves up to that runner's spot.
- Head-to-heads from September 12 and earlier no longer order runners. Those races are a month old, and kids have changed since. The times still count in the season figure.
- The FSU Pre-State Invitational, the biggest meet of the fall, was canceled for Hurricane Isaias. Nobody is marked down for a race they could not run.
- A missed week is never held against anyone.
- Grades and classes are 2026-27, resolved against the FHSAA classification documents.
- Veloso fourth is the statewide order: the loop through Cunningham is decided by the newest meeting, which Veloso won.
- Howdeshell out until he races again after an injury is a call, not a rule outcome.
Every result behind this list is in [the rankings section](/data/rankings), and the full weekend is in [the weekend recap](/blog/florida-xc-weekend-recap-october-10-2026).
Logo: Belen Jesuit Preparatory School (Miami). Card art: Run Florida Run.
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