Charlotte Catholic's boy come in as the No. 5 ranked team in our pre-season countdown. 

They were 13th at last year's NCHSAA 4A cross country state meet. However, they return six of their top seven runners including their entire top five. 

Charlotte Catholic is the defending NCHSAA 4A West Regional champions as well, after winning the tie breaker with T.C. Roberson after both teams scored 77 points. 

Their top five will have four or five senior in it, which will bode well for them as they get into more high-pressure race environments. 

Ian Pierce was 4th at the regional in 2021 where he clocked his best time of 15:58.20. He also won the SW4A Conference Championship.

Nick Potter was 9th at the regional, and AJ Painter was 13th. 

Rising junior Logan Hill had a strong track season in the mid-distance events. He ran 1:57.00 for the 800m and 4:38.29 for the 1,600m.

Also on the track, Painter was 15th in the 3,200m at the NCHSAA 4A Outdoor state meet. Pierce elected to run the 1,600m at regionals, and ended up taking 4th place and qualifying for the state meet, where he placed 10th in 4:24.64. 

Meanwhile, Potter elected to run the 800m and took 2nd at the 4A West Regional before placing 13th at the state meet. 

The Three P's of Pierce, Painter, and Potter all showed out in the 3,200m. Painter and Potter were both under 9:40 while Potter ran 9:53.

This is a team that, while it may lack true star power at the front, has three runners that could switch off as the top finisher, which will only make them stronger. If everyone in their pack are on the same page come state meet day, there is no reason this Charlotte Catholic squad cannot sneak onto the podium.