Contenders, Safe Bets And More: Our Eastbay Boys Breakdowns

The Contenders

1. Sam Rich, Catawba Ridge (SC)

2. Kevin Sanchez, Austin Vandegrift (TX)

3. Patrick Koon, Talahassee Leon (FL)

There will be no Rheinhardt Harrison and no Larry Josh Edwards. Both are nationally ranked and would have been strong bets for this regional. 

While their absence certainly effects the quality of the race, I'm sure none of their competitors are losing sleep over it, either. 

It spells good news for Rich and Sanchez, two runners with aspirations of not only claiming national championship qualifiers, but potential All-American finishes down the line, too. 

Rich is undefeated on the year, while Sanchez has had his ups and downs, most recently coming off a loss to Sahil Dodda at the Team South Region. However, few runners have been in as many quality races as him, so tactically that could make a big difference. 

Koon, for my bet, is the wildcard here. He's won seven out of nine races on the season and is coming off a FHSAA Class 3A win in Florida. Florida athletes tend to excel as they travel to cooler climates, and I have a feeling Koon will be one of the better underclassmen of the year -- along with Hauser in the Midwest. 

Should Be Safe

4. Miles Ramer, Ravenwood (TN)

5. Michael Toppi, Viera (FL)

6. Ethan Ashley, Denmark (GA)

7. Emmanuel Sgouros, St. John's Houston (TX)

Ramer has won three straight races, with his most recent one at the Tennessee State Championships netting him a 192 speed rating. Right now, that's No. 36 in the country and he's one of 60 athletes over 190. 

Toppi was second to Harrison in the FHSAA Class 4A state race, while Ashley claimed a GHSA Class 7A title. He was the fastest athlete in Georgia. 

Sgouros is a sneaky pick, too. While he competes outside the Texas public league, his times and wins are no joke -- he even won the McNeil Invitational in September, beating Sanchez in the process. 

Phew, That Was Close

8. Will Soule, Mount Tabor (NC)

9. Ferenc Kovacs, Woodberry Forest (VA)

Kovacs is a transfer from Europe and is coming off a private-school state title in Virginia. He may have no idea how pressure-packed or important a situation like this is for most American runners. But that's a good thing. His last three performances at 5K have been under 15:40, including his state win in 15:18.70 at Pole Green Park -- that effort was fourth-best all-time. 

Soule won't be far from home. He's likely been on the McApline Park course more times than he can count, and so you shouldn't discount that. He also is coming off a fast 3,200m performance on Nov 20 (9:07) and won a North Carolina Class 4A title in 15:31.62. He's confident. 

Livin' On A Prayer

MileSplit South Breakdown: Our Pre-Race Top 23