The 4 Runners Only Cross Country Carnival is populated by the majority of the contenders for NCHSAA state championships, but there is one drawback: many of the teams use the race more for a state meet preview than for competition.  Still, some teams may wish to make statements about their place in the pre-championship season pecking order.  The previews below assume teams are running their best, so beware of drawing too many conclusions.  I also assumed that the top 9th and 10th graders will be running in the Frosh/Soph race, but some teams may choose to keep their top 7 together in the Championship or Invitational.

Frosh/Soph Boys  |  Frosh/Soph Girls

Championship Boys  |  Championship Girls

Invitational Boys  |  Invitational Girls

Frosh/Soph Boys (the UNOFFICIAL JV Boys State Championship)

Wyatt Maxey (Providence) and William Roberson (Broughton) could stage a great battle in this race, as both have ran under 16 minutes on fast courses last weekend.  It looks like East Rowan, led by Conor Honeycutt and Cal Meyers, could have the best shot at a team title in this division.  Drew Navarro (Millbrook) has shown strong improvement this season, and Tom Nobles (Green Hope) would be in the hunt for a top 5 finish.  Below is the pool of top freshmen and sophomores from teams that are entered in this race.

Frosh/Soph Girls (the UNOFFICIAL JV Girls State Championship)

This race will be Sydney Foreman's to lose if she runs it, as the Ardrey Kell 10th-grader has the best time by 46 seconds.  Natalie Andrejchak (Robinson) has already turned heads and established that she is a real talent, and could get more recognition from this race.  Megan Sullivan (Broughton) is fully recovered from her injury during spring track, as evidenced by her time last weekend, and could still have some time to drop this season.  If they choose to go after it, the Providence girls will be hard to beat, as they have the potential to put 6 in the top 20 during this race; Pinecrest also has a lot of young talent.  If they enter the race, don't be surprised if Allie Castro (North Lincoln) and Rachel Bartolomeo (Cardinal Gibbons) come away with top 5 finishes, as both are veteran runners with championship-level experience.  Rebekah Greengrass (Panther Creek) has improved steadily this season, and could be a sub-19 runner here this fall.  Below is the top end of the 9th- and 10th-grade pool of runners from teams that entered the race.

Championship Boys

The most interesting story line of this race might be the battle between Lake Norman Charter and Science & Math, the top 2 teams in the 1A classification.  If they both go hard it would certainly reveal their relative strength going into the postseason, and NCSSM has not run a big race on a fast course this season.  It's interesting that both teams chose to "run up" in the Championship division, seemingly trying to face the best possible competition.  Another interesting head-to-head competition could develop between Weddington and Cardinal Gibbons, 3A contenders that last faced off in the Providence Invitational.  4A title hopefuls Mount Tabor, Broughton, Ardrey Kell, and Reagan will all be in the race, but will not all be running at full strength or full effort.  Individually, Sam Roberson (Broughton) may be looking to bounce back from a slightly down race last week at Great American.  Either Jonathan Bivens (Weddington) or Jimmy Hollingsworth (Northern Guilford) could claim to be a 3A title favorite with a strong race here, while Mason Boyles (Ashley) will insert himself into the discussion for the 4A individual title if he runs well.

Virtual Championship Boys Race

Championship Girls

Samantha George (Millbrook) returns to defend her title, and she is capable of taking down the course record of 17:52 if the race goes out fast.  Expect Davie's Anna McBride, runaway winner of her last two races, to be right on her shoulder and make a run for the win around the 500m inner loop to the finish.  Ardrey Kell teammates Kaitlyn Kramer and Sydney Foreman (if she doesn't run the Frosh/Soph race) will also be in contention, as will Mallary Price.  Don't be surprised to see Shelby Howell (New Hanover) racing for a top 5 spot, either.  Expect Green Hope to hold out their 5-senior lead pack and run the next seven juniors and seniors here, leaving the door open for other squads to take the team trophy.  Ardrey Kell and Broughton seem like the best bets, while Cardinal Gibbons and Charlotte Catholic could square off to establish some early bragging rights in the 3A classification.  Nearly every team in this field gets solid contributions from 9th- and 10th-graders, so coaches' decisions regarding the Frosh/Soph race could have a huge impact on the outcome of this race.

Virtual Championship Girls Race

Invitational Boys

Even if they pull their #2 and #3 runners to compete in the Frosh/Soph race, East Rowan should have enough firepower to earn a team title in this race.  2A title hopeful North Lincoln and 3A Marvin Ridge will be the chief contenders.  Cole Honeycutt (East Rowan) will be tough to beat up front, but Marvin Ridge teammates Drew Buckley and Alec Lane will definitely push him.  Zach Milsaps (Elkin) and Anthony Hughes (Ledford) should also contend for top 5 honors, as would East Rowan's Conor Honeycutt and Cal Meyers (if they don't run the Frosh/Soph race).  Look for German Perez (North Lincoln) to rebound from a bit of an off race last week and join teammate Chris Boyle in the top ten.

Virtual Invitational Boys Race

Invitational Girls

If Providence doesn't load up for the Frosh/Soph race, their young runners will still be the favorites for this race; however, if North Lincoln keeps Allie Castro in this race, they will provide a strong challenge.  A veteran Marvin Ridge squad could be in line to capitalize if either of those two break up their squads.  Pinecrest is another team with significant young talent, so this race is really up in the air until we see who toes the line.  Ravenscroft, with their eyes on competing for an NCISAA 3A title in three weeks, has three juniors in their top 5 and could also benefit if other teams split off the underclasswomen.  Individually, this could either be a fantastic race between two pairs of teammates--Grace Sullivan/Bianca Bishop (Providence) and Allie Castro/Savannah Fornshell (North Lincoln)--or it could turn into a walkover victory for Fornshell if the younger runners race elsewhere.  The competition for the top 5 should be intense, with Jennie Cunningham (Pinecrest) and Madison Simmons (Cuthbertson) potentially holding off several young competitors.

Virtual Invitational Girls Race