The Friday Night Lights Festival is back and the competition is as hot as it has ever been. The annual under-the-lights invitational has been a focal point of many team's racing schedules, and has proved to be a great season-opener. Getting a chance to race on the state meet course is advantageous for any runner, but this is unlike any race they will see all season. The atmosphere is unmatched, and with over 3000 entries this year, Ivey Redmon is going to be packed!
The championship races are the main events of the evening, and kicking off with the girls at 9:15pm and the boys at 9:40pm. The meet starts at 5:50pm with the running of the Developmental 2-Mile.
On the boys' side of the championship race, we have eight of the top ten boys on the NCRunners Rankings.
No. 2 Jacob Laney (Porter Ridge) is making his 5,000m debut, he won the CRCXC 2022 2-Mile in late August, showing he has his fitness in check.
It will be no easy run for the defending NCHSAA 4A cross country state runner-up.
He is facing off with No. 3 Zack Gilbertson (Pinecrest) and No. 4 Caden Townshend (Weddington).
Gilbertson took home the win over Townshend in their first head-to-head matchup of the season at the Providence Cross Country Invitational. Gilbertson's 15:29.60 was a personal best for him. Townshend was runner-up, clocking 15:32.40.
No. 9 Ian Pierce (Charlotte Catholic) was 3rd at the Providence Cross Country Invitational, running a huge personal best of 15:47.40.
No. 6 Stephen Fernetti (North Lincoln) also set a personal best at the Providence Cross Country Invitational, as he ran 15:49.70 and took 4th.
No. 7 Krister Sjoblad and Noah Valyo (Athens Drive) are making their 5,000m debuts this season. The duo has been strong in their two 3,000m pre-season races in August.
No. 8 Raghav Gopalakrishnan (Ardrey Kell) hasn't raced since the 2022 NCHSAA 4A Outdoor State Meet, where he took 4th in the 3,200m.
No. 10 Logan Dingman (Lake Norman) also ran out of his mind at Providence Cross Country Invitational, as he ran 15:56.40 and took 5th.
Host-team Mount Tabor is making their 5,000m season debut under the lights.
They were the No. 1 team on the NCRunners Team Pre-Season Ranking. Andrew Burrell is going to be fighting for a top spot individually alongside the state's best, so don't be shocked to see a big finish out of Burrell.
Their main challengers are plenty deep. The No. 4 through No. 10 top pre-season teams are all in the field looking to get their first crack at the defending NCHSAA 4A state champion Mount Tabor Spartans.
It was somewhat of an upset at the Providence Cross Country Invitational, as honorable mention Marvin Ridge took home the win, and finished as the only team under 100 points (98 points). In their top five, they had three sophomores, so the summer training for Marvin Ridge had to have been impressive all around. They were led by a 6th place finish by their senior leader RJ Gajan (15:57.30).
No. 4 Green Hope was not far off at Providence Cross Country Invitational, as they were runner-up with 112 points. No. 5 Charlotte Catholic finished 3rd with 142 points and No. 10 Weddington was 4th with 149 points.
Pinecrest took down No. 8 Lake Norman and No. 9 Ardrey Kell at Providence Cross Country Invitational, as well.
No. 6 Chapel Hill and No. 7 Cuthbertson are making their season debuts. After big summers from both of these programs, let's see where their fitness is early on.
If you thought the field in the boys championship race was elite, the girls' field is going to take it to a level I didn't think was possible.
Three nationally ranked teams are toeing the line: No. 6 Cuthbertson, No. 16 Cardinal Gibbons, and No. 24 Weddington.
The Cavaliers of Cuthbertson are making their anticipating season debut, and the target is on the back of the defending NCHSAA 4A champs.
Their entire top five made the pre-season NCRunners Rankings. Alyssa Preisano has proven year in and year out that she is a big race runner. When the competition is the highest is when the older Preisano sister really shines. She was 4th at the NCHSAA 4A Cross Country State Championship last fall. The other senior on this squad is 2020 all-state cross country runner Lily Nasta, who placed 6th this spring in the 3,200m at the state championship. Now-juniors Charlotte Bell and Justine Preisano have made a name for themselves in the 800m and 1,600m, but they are undoubtedly able to drop a crazy 5,000m time. The other defending all-state cross country runner for the Cavaliers is Stella Kermes. After her impressive track season and her big summer of training, Kermes may just be the favorite heading into Friday Night Lights.
However, defending NCHSAA 4A cross country state champion Hannah Rae Shaffer may have something to say about that. During the 2021 cross country season, Shaffer went undefeated against Kermes head-to-head. On top of that, she took home the NCHSAA 4A 3,200m state title. Shaffer is ready to take her Cardinal Gibbons squad to the next level in 2022, and a win for the Crusaders at Friday Night Lights could be the spark that sets them off for the rest of the season.
Weddington's duo of Grace Hanson and Elizabeth Ritter are lining up next to each other in an invitational for the first time this season. Ritter ran 19:06.94 to take 5th at the Providence Cross Country Invitational, and the next week, Hanson clocked a new NC No. 1 18:28.30. If Hanson and Ritter can get in front of Cuthbertson's top runners that could be enough to score the win.
Another top individual who may turn some heads on Friday is Laney's Olivia Bufalini. The junior will be racing in her first invitational of the season. In the fall, she was 6th at the NCHSAA 4A State Championship. Her personal best of 17:54.83 comes from last fall's regional, where she took 2nd place.
Kasey Dingman (Lake Norman) is getting some great competition for her first crack at the state-meet course. The freshman was the top in-state finisher at the Providence Cross Country Invitational, where she ran 18:34.81. Madeline Stolberg (Lake Norman) was limited during the 2021 cross country season, but the senior placed 5th at the 2020 state meet as a sophomore.
Joiner Evans (Mount Tabor) and Ryann Aycock (Cary Christian) are athletes to keep an eye out, they are due for big performances.
The name that caught my eye most, however, is Morgan Boonshaft. We haven't seen her since the 2021 outdoor season. It was then, as a freshman she won the NCISAA DI 1,600m and 3,200m state titles. Injuries have plagued the ultra-talented Providence Day School product, but seeing her name in the entries is very promising. If she is indeed healthy, she could make her return to racing a very memorable one.