• What good are Pre-Season Rankings?
•  ... Useful in gathering background information for the upcoming season
•  ... Not used for any rankings once the season starts
• Pre-Season Team Ranking Problems:
•  ... Based largely on last year's XC results (minimal use of track results)
•  ... Some runners improve significantly or lose interest
•  ... Some runners quit or transfer
•  ... *** One runner can have a big impact on team score (plus or minus) ***
•  ... Unknowns - Requires some subjective "guessing" by me.
•  ... If data for 5 runners on a team was not available or guess-able, team likely excluded

Remember ... this list is just an informational starting point ... I also posted scores by individual class because some people are interested.

                  Pre-Season Projection - New York Boys Team Contenders - 2026

         ---------------------------------------
              Scores Using Top 37 Teams
         ---------------------------------------
                                         Section-
         Team                   Score     Class
         ---------------------  -----    --------
    1    Brighton                225     (05-A )
    2    Pittsford Mendon        240     (05-B )
    3    Burnt Hills             240     (02-B )
    4    East Aurora             250     (06-C )
    5    Guilderland             280     (02-A )
    6    Northport               295     (11-A )
    7    Ward Melville           310     (11-A )
    8    Saratoga Springs        335     (02-A )
    9    Vestal                  350     (04-B )
    10   Bethlehem               375     (02-A )
    11   Baldwinsville           385     (03-A )
    12   New Rochelle            390     (01-A )
    13   Bronx HS Science        400     (PSAL )
    14   Manhasset               460     (08-B )
    15   Pittsford Sutherland    470     (05-B )
    16   West Seneca             490     (06-A )
    17   North Rockland          500     (01-A )
    18   Marcus Whitman          510     (05-C )
    19   Fayetteville-Manlius    510     (03-A )
    20   Ithaca                  515     (04-A )
    21   Shaker                  545     (02-A )
    22   Clarence                550     (06-A )
    23   Chaminade               570     (CHSAA)
    24   Xaverian                580     (CHSAA)
    25   Cornwall                590     (09-B )
    26   St. Anthony's           600     (CHSAA)
    27   Corning                 605     (04-A )
    28   Horace Greeley          630     (01-B )
    29   Pleasantville           635     (01-C )
    30   Eastport South Manor    665     (11-B )
    31   Cicero-North Syracuse   670     (03-A )
    32   Liverpool               670     (03-A )
    33   Bronxville              675     (01-C )
    34   McKee/Staten            685     (PSAL )
    35   Warwick Valley          700     (09-A )
    36   Port Washington         710     (08-A )
    37   Kingston                715     (09-A )
    

• Where did the scores come from?
•  ... 2025 Seasonal Speed Ratings
•  ... Manual manipulation (track and other data) based on Guessing
•  
• Uncertainty Factors
•  ... Ability of a team to "reload" after significant loses (graduation, transfer, etc)
•  ... Impact of new runners ... my term for this is "New Blood" (e.g. soccer transfers, first time XC runners, etc)
•  ... Will returning runners improve??
•  ... Team Depth ... Impact of Injury or Illness
•  ... Impact of runners who decide to quit

Note ... The scores are simply my pre-season "guess" of relative team abilities in a combined race ... I included 37 teams to show some depth.

In General ... Similar to other pre-seasons, there is always uncertainty in the team scores posted above ... Pre-season projections are often made with limited knowledge (or no knowledge) of incoming impact runners such as transfers (from other sports or other schools) or significantly improved runners from the previous year ... It requires some guessing ... But it is good enough for pre-season!

---------------------

Brighton enters the 2026 season as the slight favorite based on speed ratings ... Pittsford Mendon, Burnt Hills and East Aurora are close behind ... Guilderland, Northport, Ward Melville and Saratoga are within reach with just one new or improved impact runner.

One or two new impact runners could make a big difference for a bunch of teams (All Classes).

In general, all NY teams seem to lack significant depth based on returning speed ratings, but depth can be fluid and change over the XC season ... That's what I will be watching - Which teams will be showing improved runners or talented new runners ... Like last year, really hoping that happens in NY State this XC season.

Important Note - Team Scoring in any race depends on the quality and number of other teams in the race ... The Combined NY team scoring posted above is limited to the 37 NY teams listed ...  ... BUT this is pre-season and team strengths can change during the season ... I am optimistically hopeful that all NY teams show major improvement.

---------------------

Additional comments and information are given below by Class ... Class consideration is important in the pre-season because it impacts far more runners than projections intended for Federation Championships or the NXR-New York regional qualifier ... Profiles for the Top Individual NY Boys are available.

 
                                         Section-
         Team                   Score     Class
         ---------------------  -----    ---------
    1    Brighton                125     (05-A )
    2    Guilderland             160     (02-A )
    3    Northport               170     (11-A )
    4    Ward Melville           180     (11-A )
    5    Saratoga Springs        190     (02-A )
    6    Bethlehem               210     (02-A )
    7    Baldwinsville           228     (03-A )
    8    New Rochelle            237     (01-A )
    9    West Seneca             300     (06-A )
    10   North Rockland          305     (01-A )
    11   Ithaca                  310     (04-A )
    12   Fayetteville-Manlius    310     (03-A )
    13   Shaker                  330     (02-A )
    14   Clarence                340     (06-A )
    15   Corning                 370     (04-A )
    16   Liverpool               410     (03-A )
    17   Cicero-North Syracuse   415     (03-A )
    18   Warwick Valley          435     (09-A )
    19   Port Washington         440     (08-A )
    20   Kingston                445     (09-A )
    21   Penfield                445     (05-A )
    22   Webster Thomas          455     (05-A )
    23   Commack                 475     (11-A )
    24   Rush-Henrietta          480     (05-A )

Like all classes, the Class A preseason rankings are based primarily on available speed ratings from 2025.

Based on returning speed ratings, Brighton has a slight advantage over the other Class A teams ... Brighton finished 5th at last year's State A race and returns 6 of 7 runners from that race (losing just the #4 scorer) ... they finished 6th at NXR New York.

Guilderland did not compete at States last year ... they finished 2nd to Saratoga at the Section 2 State Quals and return 6 of 7 runners including all 5 scorers ... they finished 20th at NXR New York.

Northport did not compete at States last year ... they finished 2nd to Ward Melville at the Section 11 State Quals (32 to 59 point scores) and return 3 of 7 runners,  including the top 3 scorers ...they finished 7th at NXR New York.(all 3 underclassmen scored).

Ward Melville finished 2nd to North Rockland at last year's State Class A race and return 4 of 7 runners including 3 scorers (but lose their #1 and #3 scorers) ... Ward Melville then finished 2nd to North Rockland at NXR New York (again, their #1 and #3 scorers graduated) ... Ward Melville finished 21st at NXN Nationals (beating North Rockland).

Saratoga Springs finished 6th at last year's State Class A race and return 4 of 7 runners including 3 scorers (but lose their #1 and #5 scorers) ... they finished 13th at NXR New York.

Bethlehem did not compete at States last year ... they finished 3rd to Saratoga at the Section 2 State Quals and return their top 6 runners.

Any team with one or more "new" good runners or noticeably improved runners can improve their ranking position by quite a bit (and perhaps, a lot)

Some Class A Returning Runners by Team  

                            Highest   Overall
                           XC-Rating  Rating    XC Ratings by Race 2025
                           ---------  -------   -----------------------------------
Brighton
  George Alessandria    12    178       176     172 178 178 175 168 172 170
  Elias Seppo           11    172       167     160 168 167 172 161 161 169
  Eli Strobert          12    168       162     148 159 166 168 151 163 156
  Jack Pearson          10    166       163     156 165 164 166 157 160 149
  Will Luongo           12    164       161     151 162 164 164 152 143 148
  Henry Alessandria     10    149       145     138 147 149 142 139 135 115
  Noah Foster           10    132       129     128 129 126 132

Guilderland
  Joseph Kosier         12    186       178     158 181 174 186 172 184 183 176 176
  Ryan Holb             12    165       160     154 156 165 157 154 156 154 150
  Joshua Melchior       12    164       160     148 158 164 158 163 161 155 152
  Jack Kransler         12    162       157     128 160 160 162 153 160
  Zachary Stupar        10    160       156     152 149 160 154
  Ben Mayer             12    160       153     144 148 155 152 156 160 145 147
  Colin Davis           12    155       151     139 155 152 149 142 153 136 139

Northport
  Seamus Taylor         12    176       173     168 172 176 170 161 173 153
  Evan Levine           12    171       167     156 171 165 159 165 162
  Griffin Tucker        12    165       161     152 165 165 158 154 155 149
  Chris Leary           11    163       162     163 160 153
  Mateo Rodriguez-Villa 10    156       152     136 152 156
  Thadeus Gallozzi      11    151       144     136 138 151 105 143
  Sawyer Brumm          10    145       144     142 142 145

Ward Melville
  Andrew Senf           12    181       178     177 174 179 177 174 181 177
  Matteo Ritieni        12    173       166     148 162 170 173 165 167 168
  Ty Buonomo            12    163       153     144 151 147 163 158 155 152
  Pepe Van Der Velden   12    161       159     158 153 161 158 156 150 156
  Leo Puckett           12    153       150     153 137 141 152
  Ryan Corey            11    151       149     148 151 143 142
  Will Stiegelmaier     12    144       143     144 138

Saratoga
  Levi Layden           12    172       164     147 163 166 161 172 169 159 166
  Grahm Burns           12    168       166     162 168 166 163 165 159 159 163
  Thomas Kirchherr      11    164       159     146 156 162 164 161 162 159
  Justin Lentini        11    161       158     149 161 157 161 144 146 152 161
  Jackson Shaw          12    158       153     138 152 158 157 150 138 155
  Brent Pasek           12    149       149     149
  Lucas Miller          12    146       141     122 146 141 135 138

Bethlehem
  Calvin Howard         12    175       170     155 169 175 174 168 171 163 151
  Lucas Bernacki        12    163       162     161 163 160 163 159 160
  Keaton Rickert        12    162       159     155 162 155 157 151 159
  Logan Greaux          12    160       156     154 160 152 150 144 142
  Andrew Turinsky       10    157       155     152 157 153 145
  Will Tait             10    155       154     155 152 140
  Tristan Mccarthy      12    151       147     136 150 146 145 151 115 143

Baldwinsville
  Dominic Dottolo       11    169       164     153 169 168 161 162 137 145
  Gaspar Rosario        10    168       165     155 168 163 166 159 157
  Liam McOmber          12    160       156     150 157 160 155 147 148 144
  Benjamin Forman       12    158       154     145 154 158 158 154 144 148
  Owen Holst            10    156       153     147 156 150 152 145 154 138
  Landon Royce          10    149       144     142 149 139 132 128 103
  Tyler Morgan          11    148       144     136 147 148 142 140 133 126

New Rochelle
  Jackson O'Rourke      12    173       171     172 173 162 168 169 164 162 164 162
  Riley O'Rourke        12    171       167     159 168 168 171 164 170 165 162
  Jonas Krasner         11    165       162     161 165 162 165 157 140 155 155 137
  Benji Salama          11    165       162     165 158 160 151 154 155 149
  Ronnie Guzman         10    136       132     113 136 129
  Nate Masi             11    132       127     126 118 132 125 106 121 115
  Joel Barajas          11    124       113     106 116 90 124 79 87 112

West Seneca
  John Donohue          12    173       173     172 173 173 173 170 165
  Ryan Steinwandel      12    167       166     163 167 165 166 151 165
  Matthew Steinwandel   12    154       153     150 154 154 154 147 149
  Ethan Stedman         12    152       150     148 150 150 152 146 130
  Austin Milewski       12    150       148     143 147 150 146 133
  Nicholas Machelski    12    137       127     108 109 137 134 129 125

North Rockland
  James McCarron        12    174       169     166 162 174 172 168 163 165 150 167
  Cooper Cataldi        11    171       147     19 159 171 162 154 144 140 134
  Emmanuel Perez Nieves 12    158       149     132 148 154 157 143 135 115 137 158
  Andrew Maltbie        11    152       147     152 145 84 137
  Deivy Deleon          11    139       138     139 137 133
  Kenneth Weng          12    138       131     123 128 138 115 91
  David Fyffe           12    127       125     125 122 127 115 117

Ithaca
  William Boscia        12    161       155     151 148 161 156 155 148 154 143 149
  Alasdair Smith        12    160       147     146 122 147 160 147 154 150 148 145
  Aidan Lazzaro         12    159       153     143 159 155 151 145 144 148 144
  Mookie Lundgren-Lahav 12    156       149     143 156 144 139 143 137 127
  Wyatt Eldermire       11    154       150     133 152 153 154 154 145 141 145
  Jorge Lynch           12    142       139     138 142 134 142 131 131 138
  David Yonker          10    135       131     130 130 129 132 130 132 135 132

Fayetteville-Manlius
  Kevin Heller          11    182       179     164 182 181 179 176 175 172
  Deven Lahaye          10    169       165     169 161 155 150 150
  Freddy Hunt           12    151       146     130 151 143 142 144
  Eliot Elbayadi        12    150       149     147 150 148
  Samuel Beeman         11    147       146     141 147 146 141 146
  Cristos Aris          8     146       144     132 146 146 136 134
  Parker Mason          10    145       143     139 142 145 139

 
                                         Section-
         Team                   Score     Class
         ---------------------  -----    ---------
    1    Pittsford Mendon         85     (05-B )
    2    Burnt Hills              85     (02-B )
    3    Vestal                  110     (04-B )
    4    Pittsford Sutherland    150     (05-B )
    5    Manhasset               155     (08-B )
    6    Horace Greeley          210     (01-B )
    7    Cornwall                220     (09-B )
    8    Eastport South Manor    235     (11-B )
    9    Queensbury              310     (02-B )
    10   Valley Stream North     330     (08-B )
    11   Goshen                  330     (09-B )
    12   Hamburg                 335     (06-B )
    13   Miller Place            345     (11-B )
    14   Christian Brothers      350     (02-B )
    15   Honeoye Falls-Lima      365     (05-B )
    16   Mexico                  370     (03-B )
    17   Batavia                 380     (05-B )
    18   Tappan Zee              390     (01-B )
    19   Nanuet                  395     (01-B )
    20   Amherst                 400     (06-B )
    21   Nyack                   405     (01-B )

Burnt Hills and Pittsford Mendon are even-up based on returning speed rating evaluations ... Winner Burnt Hills beat runner-up Pittsford Mendon at last year's State Class B race (close score of 66 to 71).

Burnt Hills returns 6 of 7 runners from last year's State Meet (losing only the #4 scorer) ... Burnt Hills finished 11th at NXR New York last year.

Pittsford Mendon returns 6 of 7 runners from last year's State Meet including the top 6 ... they did not have a team score at NXR New York last year (but 4 underclassmen did race).

Vestal finished 4th at last year's State Class B race and return 5 of 7 runners including all 5 scorers.

Pittsford Sutherland did not compete at States last year ... they finished 2nd to Pittsford Mendon at the Section 5 State Quals and return 5 of 7 runners including all 5 scorers.

I am expecting (hoping) a few teams in Class B will show some nice improvement.

Some Class B Returning Runners by Team  

                            Highest   Overall
                           XC-Rating  Rating    XC Ratings by Race 2025
                           ---------  -------   -----------------------------------
Pittsford Mendon
  Ryan Mehan            12    178       176     173 175 176 178 173 173
  Omer Ahmed            11    176       176     176 173 176 173 170
  Jack Magnuson         10    166       164     162 166 143 165
  Max Furman-Sanger     12    163       161     160 163 157 154 153
  Brody Ritter          12    160       157     144 160 160 157 153 150
  Jackson Pritchard     12    152       145     126 145 149 152 140 142
  Dominic Shand         12    145       140     130 145 137 135

Burnt Hills
  Ethan Owen            12    186       182     171 186 181 175 183 183 178 179 161
  Jackson Majewski      10    175       170     159 175 168 163 161 170
  Luca Piccirillo       12    165       159     151 165 149 160 163 136 152 146
  Dylan Piel            11    164       159     150 160 158 164 155 159 151 131
  Cooper Johnston       11    159       154     148 155 156 159 151 149 147 134
  Nolan Gillooley       12    142       134     123 142 128 123 117 103
  Jackson Cooper        10    139       138     139 138 135 136 103

Vestal
  Tyler Hayes           11    168       164     158 168 164 159 158 162 140 152 146
  Thomas Ciaravino      12    165       162     153 165 164 162 157 162 156 155 147
  Kevin Middendorf      11    164       159     153 164 156 158 152 150 150 150 144
  Titus Patton          12    162       159     155 154 162 161 158 159 158 159 143
  Oliver Parsons        12    158       153     141 158 152 145 145 149 154 148 145
  Jasper Graham         10    154       138     147 115 118 154 116 128 119
  Gideon Martin         12    137       135     128 135 137 132 125 132

Pittsford Sutherland
  Zine Kantari          11    178       168     136 166 178 169 170 168 163
  Bradley Grimm         10    166       164     165 166 164 138 152 148 143
  Collin Fallon         11    158       154     153 158 150 150 143 140
  Micah Ignatovich      12    152       149     152 148 137 140 138 124
  Alexander Grimm       10    147       144     145 141 139 147 135 134
  Lukas Maley           11    127       125     127 122 122 114
  Liam Evans            12    121       121     121 121 117

Manhasset
  Nicolas Katsoulis     12    175       172     168 175 172 174 161 174 167 151 151
  Max Tobar             11    167       157     125 167 165 156 154 145 138 121
  Andrew Tsimikalis     11    164       152     121 148 164 160 153 138 140 149 141
  Luke Falco            12    150       148     143 146 150 149 143 143
  James Milewski        11    143       136     126 134 143 131 113
  Cole Miller           12    140       134     131 138 140 128 122 111 104 121
  Cameron Appell        12    137       133     110 133 137 133

Horace Greeley
  Ryan Sykes            12    192       189     184 184 191 192 189 187
  Samuel Rooney         11    152       150     152 152 140 147 141 145 135
  George Palmer         12    151       141     133 118 151 142 120 146
  Gavin Mckie           12    148       145     130 148 147 147 147 145 142
  Sebastian Mendez      12    143       142     143 143 130 138 136 135
  Sean Sykes            10    132       132     132

Cornwall
  Luke Potter           12    176       172     168 174 168 176 171 167 170 172
  Colin Lewis           11    171       170     171 170 169 164 164 161 159
  Michael McCafferty    11    155       151     154 141 150 155 144 149 144
  Christian Cibirka     11    141       139     139 140 141 134 126 123 118
  Finnian Dill          11    134       131     129 131 132 134 121 125 114
  Ben Cabrera           12    131       127     126 131 108 111
  Aiden Schultze        12    128       123     128 104 113

Eastport South Manor
  Matthew Keller        12    164       162     160 163 164 156 152 145
  Jack Mikula           12    156       154     152 156 153 153 27 152
  Blake Fiori           12    155       153     147 155 152 150 149 144
  Timothy Dodd          12    150       140     118 150 131 129
  Kyler Albert          12    138       131     121 138 117 123
  Chris Dowd            11    134       129     115 131 131 134 112 121
  John-Paul Jaccard     11    129       129     129
		

 
                                         Section-
         Team                   Score     Class
         ---------------------  -----    ---------
    1    East Aurora              50     (06-C )
    2    Marcus Whitman          105     (05-C )
    3    Mount Academy           125     (09-C )
    4    Pleasantville           130     (01-C )
    5    Bronxville              150     (01-C )
    6    Vernon-Verona-Sherrill  200     (03-C )
    7    Ausable Valley          225     (07-C )
    8    Ichabod Crane           240     (02-C )
    9    Bayport-Blue Point      245     (11-C )
    10   Beekmantown             255     (07-C )
    11   Greenville              265     (02-C )
    12   Cazenovia               270     (03-C )
    13   Fredonia                280     (06-C )
    14   South Jefferson         285     (03-C )
    15   Irvington               290     (01-C )

East Aurora is not only a perennial contender, but they won last year's Class C race (by 68 points over Irvington) and they won the Class C race the year before ...  East Aurora is the pre-season favorite once again ... they return 6 of 7 runners from the State Meet race (losing just the #4 scorer), and the top 3 scorers were all sophomores (so some individual XC improvement would not be surprising) ... East Aurora could be a contender at NXR New York this fall.

Marcus Whitman finished 3rd at last year's Class D race, but moves up to Class C this year ... They return 4 of 7 runners from the State Meet, but all 4 returners were scorers (the #2 scorer graduated).

Mount Academy finished 4th at last year's State Class C race ... they return all 7 runners.

Pleasantville did not compete at States last year ... they finished 3rd at Section 1 State Quals behind Irvington and Bronxville and return 6 of 7 runners (losing just the #5 scorer).

Bronxville did not compete at States last year ... they finished 2nd at Section 1 State Quals behind Irvington and return 5 of 7 runners (losing the #2 and #4 scorers).

As normal, lots of uncertainty with various teams and placement ... Placement above is simply a best-guess.

Some Class C Returning Runners by Team  

                            Highest   Overall
                           XC-Rating  Rating    XC Ratings by Race 2025
                           ---------  -------   -----------------------------------
East Aurora
  Jonah Sebolt          11    182       178     168 175 182 180 180 150 172 174
  Max Fraser            11    180       176     168 175 180 174 172 174 165 170
  Noah Faherty          11    166       162     155 163 165 166 159 154 151 158
  Anthony Czekanski     11    160       158     155 160 152 160 157 158 156
  Nate Kubiak           11    157       153     146 152 157 152 151 150 146 143
  Michael Telban        12    156       152     144 156 150 148 149 146
  Ted Borowiak          12    148       146     142 148 145 140 137

Marcus Whitman
  Desmond Hill          11    179       176     170 177 176 170 173 179 174 175 177 170
  Peyton Woodworth      11    167       147     139 124 141 133 167 164 164 157 146
  Lachlan Dickmann      12    162       156     136 159 157 162 160 159 152 146 140
  Dominic Carlton       11    147       142     142 147 142 137 112 124 117 110
  Emmett Smithling      11    139       133     120 137 139 130 123 111 101
  Hunter Stevens        12    130       129     130 129 126 127 118 103
  Anthony Baker         11    123       123     123

Mount Academy
  Joel Horning          12    152       148     146 147 148 152 143 151 135
  Kelian Meier          12    151       147     140 147 145 151 118
  Brandon Woolston      12    151       143     132 141 143 151 139
  Joseph Wright         12    149       148     149 149 145 149 143 146 131
  Richard Scott         10    146       146     144 146 144 146 123
  Darvell Jeong         10    133       128     127 133 125 111 114 108 112
  Aidan O'Connell       10    121       117     111 121 114 103 104

Pleasantville
  Sean Dooley           12    172       170     172 167 166 167 166 171 161
  Julian Giebelhaus     12    164       159     157 164 149 153 149 151 142
  James Vukelj          12    146       143     146 135 134 145 136 144
  Michael Salvati       12    146       145     145 146 141 145 142 120
  Michael Corbelli      12    144       140     125 144 137 144 141 135
  Ryan Corbelli         12    142       138     126 141 133 142 132 137
  Miikko Cascardo       12    141       138     131 141 133 139 135 136

Bronxville
  Matthew Jensen        11    173       169     166 168 173 166 167 165 161
  Nate Deutsch          12    173       169     155 173 167 167 168 160
  James Conlon          11    147       144     140 146 139 147 134 121
  Sam Greenfield        9     136       135     135 136 125 129
  Grey Gastone          12    131       126     124 131 117 122 114 98
  Max Ficazzola         10    127       127     127
  Sean Ahn              12    123       118     106 123 99 120

Vernon-Verona-Sherrill
  Ammon Novoa           12    148       145     146 145 148 134 140 136 135
  Daniel Berberick      11    145       139     137 145 138 135 134 133 120 110 87
  Humd Syed             10    143       141     139 143 139 118 143 134 140
  Blake Werner          10    140       138     140 134 137 134 135 125 123
  Calvin Fowler         10    137       131     136 130 93 114 117 137 124 114 119
  Zachary Krupski       10    125       114     113 109 110 125 116 89 97
  Nick Anderalli        10    123       119     120 108 123 119 104 106
		

 
                                         Section-
         Team                   Score     Class
         ---------------------  -----    ---------
    1    Geneseo                 110     (05-D )
    2    South Lewis             115     (03-D )
    3    Arkport-Canaseraga      120     (05-D )
    4    Clymer-Sherman          125     (06-D )
    5    Barker                  150     (06-D )
    6    Norwood-Norfolk         170     (10-D )
    7    Maple Grove             175     (06-D )
    8    Beaver River            180     (03-D )
    9    Maple Hill              190     (02-D )
    10   Galway                  205     (02-D )
    11   Southold                205     (11-D )
    12   Lake Placid             205     (07-D )
    13   Saranac Lake            210     (07-D )

Class D seems to have enough uncertainties that makes prediction uncertain ... Factors such as lack of team depth, status of returning runners, and unknown abilities of new runners could make Class D interesting and changeable as the season progresses.

The overall speed rating evaluation of returning runners sees many possible contenders ... Looks wide-open to me.

Geneseo did not compete at States last year ... they finished 2nd at Section 5 State Quals behind Marcus Whitman (who finished 3rd at the State Class D Meet, but Marcus Whitman moves up to Class C this year) ... Geneseo returns 6 of 7 runners (but, lose their #1 scorer).

South Lewis finished 6th at States Class C last year, and drop back to Class D this year ... they return 5 of 6 runners including their top 2 or scorers.

Arkport-Canaseraga did not compete at States last year ... they finished 3rd at Section 5 State Quals behind Marcus Whitman ... Arkport returns 6 of 7 runners (but, lose their #1 scorer).

Clymer-Sherman did not compete at States last year ... they finished 3rd at Section 6 State Quals behind Maple Grove (who finished 2nd at the State Class D Meet) ... Clymer-Sherman returns 6 of 7 runners (but, lose their #2 scorer).

Barker did not compete at States last year ... they finished 2nd at Section 6 State Quals behind Maple Grove (and 1 point ahead of Clymer-Sherman) ... Barker returns 5 of 7 runners (but, lose their #2 and #3 scorers).

Enough teams could be close enough that one or two new impactful runners could make them a contender or the winner.

Some Class D Returning Runners by Team 

                            Highest   Overall
                           XC-Rating  Rating    XC Ratings by Race 2025
                           ---------  -------   -----------------------------------
Geneseo
  Bennett Antonucci     12    157       156     157 155 149 144 150 156
  Ian Amati             10    139       137     139 134 127 125 133 136
  Gabe Nvnez            12    139       136     139 132 112
  Noah Rice             12    137       134     134 131 137 129 134 131
  Andrew Matuszak       12    119       116     111 116 117 109 117 119
  Alex Jagoda           12    118       117     117 118 102

South Lewis
  Logan Pearson         10    154       152     152 154 150 138 147 144 136 142
  Michael Becraft       10    148       141     139 148 134 134 124 125 119 126
  Matteo Brinkerhoff    11    144       139     144 137 130 132 115 121 121 114
  Cameron Becraft       10    143       137     133 143 137 125 127 124 117 113
  Christopher Canova    12    95        84      95 68 70 70 51 57

Arkport-Canaseraga
  Adam Ford             11    154       127     135 39 142 145 12 154 -1
  Micah Churchman       11    136       129     136 117 114 123
  Ronan Williams        12    135       132     135 131 119 112 124
  Noah Miller           12    133       131     133 129 122 122 120
  James Young           11    128       123     128 116 98 113 115
  Tucker Wilson         12    119       116     119 114 99 109 115
  Huck Snyder           8     97        97      97

Clymer-Sherman
  Christopher Phelps    9     157       155     145 154 157 154 157 155
  Flynn Fadale          10    140       140     140 134 140 137 140
  Ely Smith             11    131       127     116 131 127 115 122
  Zach Odell            10    130       128     130 121 127 118 116
  Brody Ellis           10    126       122     120 120 126 106 108
  Colin Moore           11    97        93      80 97
  Rj Johnson            12    81        73      55 70 75 81

Barker
  Peyton Wagner         12    158       152     145 153 144 158 154 147 141
  Logan Wagner          11    134       131     132 134 122 117 127 125
  Grayson Prynn         11    131       128     131 125 117 93
  Ethan Gancasz         12    126       117     95 126 114 102 109
  Anthony Taliaferro    12    119       114     119 98 109 108

Norwood-Norfolk
  Riley Sweet           12    154       152     153 150 154 137 144 143 146 143
  Clark Hewitt          12    146       142     146 138 139 126 127 131 135 140
  Nikki Betts           12    128       125     126 127 128 114 111 104 112 102
  Danny Laferriere      12    118       97      92 98 81 65 47 78 118
  Lucas Kent            12    117       112     117 105 99 109 23 103
  Eric Lalonde          12    101       98      98 99 85 96 80 101 83

Maple Grove
  Jack Sherry           11    143       138     136 138 137 134 135 143 130 122
  Liam Price            11    137       133     131 133 137 127 128 129 116 108
  Joshua Ashbaugh       12    132       128     113 132 129 122 120 128 125 132
  Finn Erlandson        11    126       125     126 123 125 116 109 100
  Aiden Osgood          10    106       104     96 102 106

Beaver River
  Rowan Zehr            10    154       151     154 147 148 148 150 147 136 139
  Andrew Boliver        11    138       133     130 138 132 130 130 128 115 113
  Kaisyn Martin         10    125       117     125 108 110 109 99 87 88
  Bentley Nortz         10    124       120     119 124 102 103 114 107 105 120
  Matthew Monnat        11    117       106     117 115 63 87 52 66 49
  Miles Beiler          9     109       101     109 93 65 89 69
  Cale Widrick          9     80        77      70 80 72
		

 

         Team                   Score    Federation
         ---------------------  -----    ----------
    1    Bronx HS Science         95     (PSAL )
    2    Xaverian                140     (CHSAA)
    3    St. Anthony's           150     (CHSAA)
    4    Chaminade               155     (CHSAA)
    5    McKee/Staten            180     (PSAL )
    6    Albany Academy          200     (AIS  )
    7    Monsignor Farrell       205     (CHSAA)
    8    Regis                   215     (CHSAA)
    9    Iona Prep               225     (CHSAA)
    10   Brooklyn Technical      230     (PSAL )
    11   Xavier                  235     (CHSAA)
    12   John Jay Campus         245     (PSAL )
    13   Collegiate              255     (AIS  )
    14   Kellenberg              260     (CHSAA)
    15   Poly Prep               265     (AIS  )

Bronx HS Science won the PSAL Championship again last year ... they return 5 of their top 6 finishers, but lose their #1 scorer from that race ... they finished 4th at NXR New York (but lose #1 scorer Benjamin Berman).

Xaverian finished 5th at the CHSAA Championship last year, and return all 7 runners from that race ... they finished 25th at NXR New York.

St. Anthony's finished 2nd at the CHSAA Championship last year, and return 5 of 7 runners from that race (but lose their #2 and #3 scorers) ... they finished 15th at NXR New York.

Chaminade finished 1st at the CHSAA Championship last year, and return only 3 of 7 runners from that race (losing their #1, #3 and #4 scorers) ... they finished 9th at NXR New York.

Some CHSAA-AIS Returning Runners by Team 

                            Highest   Overall
                           XC-Rating  Rating    XC Ratings by Race 2025
                           ---------  -------   -----------------------------------
Bronx HS Science
  Christopher Thom      11    173       171     173 172 158 161 160
  Eliot Faith           12    162       157     150 150 162 158
  Elijah Hernandez      12    161       156     149 161 119 159 152 148
  Lex Yeung             12    160       154     149 145 160 150 150
  Aldo Hilpert-Navas    11    155       152     133 155 154 147 150
  Leo Kindred           12    150       149     150 146 137
  Reed Argiropoulos     12    150       150     150 150 142 147

Xaverian
  Elliot Stowe          12    175       171     166 175 167 167 159 163 161
  James Fabiszewski     11    157       154     149 157 152 153 150 150 149 141 147 148 142
  Samuel Frank          12    154       148     139 151 146 154 149 135 142 141 134
  Connor Stack          11    154       148     134 154 146 151 148 137 137 133 142 149 134
  Luca Zirino           11    140       137     140 138 127 112 128 131 120
  Quinton Vernon        11    133       119     111 98 132 133 122 131 59 -5 104 110
  Georgio Flessas       11    131       128     120 131 128 130 131 127 122 108 124 110

St. Anthony's
  Edward Lessing        12    177       175     172 174 176 173 175 177 168 172
  George Lang           11    154       146     141 154 142 141 135 111 119 122
  Joshua Berg           12    154       150     149 154 148 140 136 129
  Parker Cohen          10    151       149     141 150 151 147 143 142
  Brody Leo             11    145       139     125 145 139 136 142 133 111 129
  Richard Grillo        12    139       134     113 130 138 139
  William Moy           11    137       134     134 137 128 124 124 130

Chaminade
  Blake Weaver          12    171       166     141 171 167 164 167 165 156
  Kazuma Clarke         11    165       158     149 165 153 155 159 119 151 130
  Ryan Going            11    164       160     152 164 156 159 154 154
  Kenneth Wolf          12    145       141     141 141 145 137 124 123 124 115
  Brody Hoffman         11    134       129     134 124 115 121 126 121 108 124
  James Duffy           12    130       129     127 130 130 129 105 118
  Aiden McEneaney       12    130       127     130 121 126 127 103 102 104

McKee/Staten
  Adam Zarrilli         12    170       165     159 170 151 167 165 161 161 148
  Scott Kelly           11    158       152     149 152 151 156 151 158 151 147
  Matthew Fasanella     12    149       148     148 149 143 145 146 142 138
  Thomas Brown          12    147       143     127 147 143 141 141 144 133 120
  Jordan Calderon       12    135       125     103 130 102 135 113 132 121
  Alexander Dong        12    131       127     129 118 126 131 126 119
  Joshua Zaytsev        11    130       124     123 109 127 130 121 108

Albany Academy
  Kayden Mowry          11    168       167     168 164 164 168 153 156
  Ericcson Lu           10    164       160     153 161 159 164 143 151
  Alex Goldman          12    156       152     154 138 141 156 156 153
  Miles Catlett         9     139       136     135 135 138 139 115 124
  Xavier Morton         11    118       112     108 94 118 113

Monsignor Farrell
  Edwin Alleva          12    180       178     174 180 179 177 177 170 172 177 171
  Matthew Venditti      12    164       160     152 161 163 164 156 158 153 156
  Lucas Espinoza        12    145       141     145 126 140 133 126 131
  James Woods           12    136       134     136 133 130 134 127 117 129
  Pat Buckley           11    130       128     127 130 129 127 123 118 111 108 121
  Eric Gajewski         11    129       127     125 129 129 117 120 117
  Jack Fructman         11    125       124     125 123 124 107 119 111

Regis
  Griffin Conway        11    164       158     146 164 160 160 152 155 136 138 140
  Andrew Klimczak       12    163       161     163 149 160 157
  Alexandre Caille      11    145       143     142 144 145 145 143 129 129
  Aidan Shrekgast       12    138       134     138 114
  Colin Bulter          12    132       120     67 132 118 116
  James Granshaw        11    129       121     113 103 129 122 121 100 114
  Patrick Cassidy       11    125       124     125 122 125 122 121

Iona Prep
  Kieran Degen          12    158       152     136 158 148 145 149
  Wren Stramiello       12    153       147     137 153 145 143 144 135 136 133
  Andrew Jean-Baptiste  12    148       140     139 142 110 148 146 123 139 140 125
  Kyle Schmits          11    138       130     96 138 136 131 131 123 122 126 128 117
  David Martinez        11    135       125     93 126 135 128 129 111 112 120 113
  Jacob Pantelis        12    130       115     68 130

Brooklyn Technical
  Abraham Wilchins      12    160       158     160 158 157 138 151 146 152
  Finn Bache            12    150       146     138 150 146 137 126 137
  Brayden Coleman       12    141       138     141 127 128 136
  Dylan Szeto           12    141       139     137 141 137 140 136 138
  Wyatt Watson          11    136       132     136 126 121 125
  Rook Schucker Mallo   11    131       123     116 123 118 100 131
  Felix Lemm            11    130       126     130 116 117

Xavier
  Lorenzo Marmolejos    10    153       150     135 153 149
  Harrison Moeller      12    152       149     152 136 142
  Matthew Martinez      11    147       143     141 142 143 147 146 141 135 133 138
  Joseph Bruno          11    137       133     137 130 128 126 123 126 109 116
  Equon Sanders Jr.     12    136       133     132 135 118 128 133 126 136
  Matthew Kendall       11    134       131     134 132 129 124 120 125 113 112
  Kieran Danko          10    133       133     133