* Samantha and Nicole Humphries of Flower Mound (TX) charged to the finish line together at the UIL 6A Cross Country Championships
Photo Credit: Chris Langford/MileSplit Texas
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South Regionals
The Team South Regional kicks off on Saturday morning in the Woodlands, Texas and it will feature teams from Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Texas and Mississippi.
Going into the weekend, there will be a big showdown between the Texas UIL Class 6A state cross country champions, Flower Mound, and the runner-ups, Southlake Carroll.
This rematch will not disappoint.
In the Texas Class 6A state championship race, Nicole and Samantha Humphries, along with Alexandra Fox, finished 1-2-3 to help Flower Mound secure 42 points. The Jaguars had their top-scoring runners finish with an 18:12 average, just 21 seconds ahead of the Dragons.
The biggest question going into the South Regional is how Flower Mound's fourth and fifth runners will close the gap against Southlake Carroll's pack running.
At the state championships, Flower Mound was able to produce a 1:27 spread. This could potentially create a gap for Southlake Carroll to exploit, considering it held a 60 second spread at states.
Lucas Lovejoy, Austin Vandegrift, The Woodlands and Klein Oak are teams who could potentially sneak in for a bid. At the state championships, they finished fourth, fifth and sixth respectively. The team averages ranged between 19:44 and 19:59.
MileSplit50 South Regional Rankings:
1. No. 4 - Flower Mound
2. No. 5 - Southlake Carroll
3. No. 14 - Lucas Lovejoy
4. HM - Klein Oak (TX)
5. Austin Vandegrift (TX)
Team South Team Predictions
Cory's Picks
Girls Championship
| finish | team |
|---|---|
| 1 | Lucas Lovejoy (TX) |
| 2 | Flower Mound (TX) |
| 3 | Southlake Carroll (TX) |
| 4 | Bentonville (AR) |
| 5 | Boerne Champion (TX) |
Ashley's Picks
| FINISH | TEAM |
|---|---|
| 1 | Flower Mound (TX) |
| 2 | Southlake Carroll (TX) |
| 3 | Lucas Lovejoy (TX) |
| 4 | Klein (TX) |
| 5 | Austin Vandegrift (TX) |
Olivia's Picks
| FINISH | TEAM |
|---|---|
| 1 | Southlake Carroll (TX) |
| 2 | Flower Mound (TX) |
| 3 | Lucas Lovejoy (TX) |
| 4 | Klein (TX) |
| 5 | Bentonville (AR) |
* Mckenzie Bailey, the UIL 5A state champion, is one of the top seeds for the South Regional meet
Photo Credit: Chris Langford/MileSplit Texas
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The Team South Region is also stacked with Texas' top performers.
The Humphries went 1-2 at state and will push each other just as they did at Old Settler's Park to solidify their bid to the national championships in Portland.
Flower Mound's third runner, Alexandra Fox, and Southlake Carroll's top runner Ava Bushaw, the fifth-place finisher at states, could also be in the hunt.
Fox goes into the meet with a personal best of 17:25 and Bushaw clocked a personal best this year with 16:43 earlier this season.
It just won't be the UIL 6A state top finishers who will contest for a bid. Class 5A champion Mckenzie Bailey of Georgetown (TX) and Isabel Conde De Frankenberg of Cedar Park (TX) should be in contention as well.
There's a huge representation of Texas in the South Regional. However, it won't just be Texas completely dominating this race.
Edmond North's (OK) Liesel Kehoe will toe the line this weekend. Kehoe dominated the competition in Oklahoma and is undefeated through three races. Throughout her junior season, she produced the fastest 5K time in the state with a 17:11 and added her first 6A cross country state title to her name.
Can she be an individual who breaks up the talent from the Lone Star state?
Team South Individual Predictions
Cory's Picks
Girls Championship
| FINISH | TEAM |
|---|---|
| 1 | Samantha Humphries, Flower Mound (TX) |
| 2 | Mckenzie Bailey, Georgetown (TX) |
| 3 | Madison Peters, Pearland (TX) |
| 4 | Isabel Conde De Frankenberg, Cedar Park (TX) |
| 5 | Liesel Kehoe, Edmond North (OK) |
Ashley's Picks
Girls Championship
| FINISH | TEAM |
|---|---|
| 1 | Samantha Humphries, Flower Mound (TX) |
| 2 | Nicole Humphries, Flower Mound (TX) |
| 3 | Ava Bushaw, Southlake Carroll (TX) |
| 4 | Liesel Kehoe, Edmond North (OK) |
| 5 | Isabel Conde De Frankenberg, Cedar Park (TX) |
Olivia's Picks
Girls Championship
| FINISH | TEAM |
|---|---|
| 1 | Samantha Humphries, Flower Mound (TX) |
| 2 | Mckenzie Bailey, Georgetown (TX) |
| 3 | Nicole Humphries, Flower Mound (TX) |
| 4 | Ava Bushaw, Southlake Carroll (TX) |
| 5 | Isabel Conde De Frankenberg, Cedar Park (TX) |