Apopka Blue Darters

Players to watch: At the end of last season, the Blue Darters lost strong performers Juvon Treasure, Travis Brantley and Deandre Williams. They also retained some key members, though, including Austin Warner, Charles Cooper and Jesse Barral.

Outlook: “Several runners on the boys’ team just missed out on regionals,” says Coach Brian Axon, “so we are looking to continue to raise the bar this year. Go Darters!”

Boone Braves

Players to watch: Senior Spenser Blake is coming off a sensational junior season and returns as Boone’s No. 1 runner. He was named to the all-Metro Conference East team after placing 4th at the conference meet. His time of 17:23 was good for 9th place at the 4A District 4 meet, earning him a trip to regions, where he finished in 37th. Blake posted a personal best of 16:15 at the West Orange Invitational and seems primed for a big senior season. Other key returners are seniors Emmanual Cruz Pabon and Jose Vasquez-Dickson, who took 25th and 26th, respectively, at the conference meet. Sophomore Jake Colvin showed promise as a rookie and other returners include senior Erik Dethlefs and juniors Michael Collins, Thomas Fletcher, Reid Marlett and Eric Tormanen.

Outlook: The Braves placed 3rd in the conference meet and 5th at districts last fall, and enter 2016 with high hopes with Blake at the front of the pack.

Colonial Grenadiers

Players to watch: Colonial had a young squad last year and most of those runners are returning. Included in that group are a pair of promising sophomores: Rodrigo Estrada, who took 24th to lead the team at the Metro Conference East meet, and Luis Morales, whose 27th-place effort was the Grenadiers’ best finish at districts. Santiago Mora is another sophomore in the top five and the key juniors are Dante Figueroa and Jordan Perez. Other returners are senior Courtney Butler, junior Christopher Manenco and sophomore Carlos Carruego.

Outlook: With most of their top runners returning, the Grenadiers have the potential to improve on last year’s 7th-place finish at the conference meet.

Cypress Creek Bears

Players to watch: Cypress Creek said goodbye to No. 1 runner Chris Cabret, who graduated after a strong season in which he placed 3rd in the Metro Conference East meet. The key returners include junior Carlos Cabret and senior Christian Bernabel, who will look to move to the front of the pack. Other returners are seniors Charles Duran and Julian Abraham and sophomore Christopher Duran.

Outlook: The Bears aren’t likely to be in contention for any team championships but hope to show improvement throughout the year.

Dr. Phillips Panthers

Players to watch: Dr. Phillips suffered a big loss with the graduation of Jean D’Haiti, the Metro Conference West champion who also placed 18th in the state and finished 1st on the team in every competition in 2015. The good news is that junior Bo Ivey appears ready to fill the No. 1 spot after a terrific sophomore campaign in which he took 5th at the Metro Conference West meet. Ivey also placed 7th at districts, 24th at regions and 68th at states. Senior Carl Schwartz is a strong No. 2 runner whose accomplishments last fall included a 6th in the conference and 13th at districts, and sophomore Josh Matzner burst onto the scene as a freshman with an 8th in the conference and 17th at districts. Seniors Jacob Matzner—Josh’s brother—and Alex Nkuitabong round out the top five, and other returners include senior Alaric Ruiz, juniors Seamus Mageri and Nubean McBride, and sophomores Nick Perdew and Anthony Venturini.

Outlook: The 2015 season was a memorable one for the Panthers, as they were among the top 12 teams at state and regionals, placed 3rd at districts and won their first Metro West championship since 2010. Despite the loss of D’Haiti, this has the look of another successful year.

East River Falcons

Players to watch: East River graduated No. 1 runner Michael McKinnon, and several returners will aim for the top spot. That includes seniors Nathan Wood and Miles Maybin Hill and sophomore Shawn Aring, who showed potential as a rookie. Javier Molina and Peter Vigeant are other seniors hoping to have an impact.

Outlook: The Falcons hope to develop some of their younger runners and build a foundation for the future.

Edgewater Eagles

Players to watch: In 2016, the Eagles’ boys’ cross country team will likely be led by seniors Kyle Saylors, William Hataway and Jack Agar. Other runners expected to return include sophomores William Stratton, Loran Gaines and Carlos Guzman, among others.

Outlook: “Last year, the boys’ cross country team won district runner-up,” says Coach Alexa Corbo. “The team is dedicated and working hard to make this our best season yet.”

Evans Trojans

Players to watch: A pair of seniors is back to lead the way for Jones: Kemy Eliassaint and Corneil Hyppolite. They should be pushed by junior Jahmal Fleming, another key returner. Sophomores Anochs Georges and Cameron Ward are looking to build on solid freshman campaigns.

Outlook: The Trojans aren’t ready to contend for championships, but they hope to develop their younger runners for the future.

The First Academy Royals

Players to watch: Returning senior Andrew de Armas, who took 1st place in the Boys 5K Run at last year’s district competition, will be back to lead the Royals this season. Also expected to return are sophomore Jackson Bisienere, senior Sage Ramsammy and senior Evan Stone.

Outlook: The boys of The First Academy’s cross country team had a fantastic outing in 2015, claiming 2nd place in District 10, 4th place in Region 3 and No. 11 statewide in Class 1A competition. Coach Bryan Crist will look for ways to help his runners shave more time off their times in order to secure even better rankings this year.

Freedom Patriots

Players to watch: According to Coach Leonard Malech, returning male runners to Freedom’s cross country team will include juniors Timothy Doyle and Ryan Bromley. Also coming back are seniors Alex McKee, Dillon Ortiz, Jose Bravini and Ryan Hiesinger.

Outlook: The Patriots ranked as District 4’s top team in Boys 5K, 3rd in Region 1 and 8th overall at the Class 4A state championship in 2015. With so much returning talent, maintaining and building on those successes is possible.

Hagerty Huskies

Players to watch: Hagerty graduated No. 1 runner Andrew Stivers, who placed in the top 20 at states. But don’t feel too sorry for the Huskies, who bring back a host of talented competitors. Leading the way are seniors Caleb Getty and Caleb Ramirez, who both clocked terrific times at the Seminole Athletic Conference meet to place 13th and 15th, respectively. Ramirez also took 20th at districts, one spot ahead of Getty. Junior Garrett O’Malley is another strong competitor who took 16th in the conference and 35th in the region, the highest among any Hagerty returners. Sophomore Adam Mastrobuono looks to follow up a promising rookie campaign, and other returners pushing for the top five are junior Nicholas Ebert and senior Tyler Klein.

Outlook: The Huskies put together top-10 finishes at the conference, district and region meets and should be one of the area’s best teams this fall.

Jones Tigers

Players to watch: Junior Edward Urbano is coming off an impressive sophomore season and leads the way for Jones. He ran 18:24 to place 15th at districts and qualify for regions, and also placed 20th at the Metro Conference West race. Fellow senior Lenique Bisnote will look to push Urbano as the No. 2 runner, and other returners include seniors Lauredan Official, Evvine Wright, Dwayne Senior and Dontarvio Dunning.

Outlook: Urbano will make noise at the major meets and the rest of the Tigers will look to lower their times throughout the season.

Lake Brantley Patriots

Players to watch: Lake Brantley’s No. 1 runner has graduated, but a solid core remains led by senior Parker Brown. He ran 18:06 at districts to take 29th and also placed 28th at the Seminole Athletic Conference meet. Sophomore Juan Moscoso’s rookie season included a 31st at districts, and key veterans are junior Brian Johnson and senior Chad Steinke.

Outlook: The Patriots have some talent in the program and hope to improve on last year’s 7th-place showing in the conference and 8thplace effort at districts.

Lake Highland Highlanders

Players to watch: According to Highlanders Coach Rudy Chihak, Jack Vaughan and Gavin Addeo are expected to be the boys’ team’s star runners this season. “Jack just started last year but is a natural runner and was an all-district and all-region runner last year,” says Chihak. “Gavin was injured most of his freshmen year but has been steadily progressing since. The past spring, he qualified for the state track meet. I anticipate him to continue his remarkable improvement.”

Outlook: “We return nine of our 10 varsity runners from last year’s team that took 9th place at the state meet,” says Chihak. “We have a young team, and our success will depend upon how well those boys step into leadership roles. A lot of the boys have gone through their growing pains and are now steadily progressing in bigger and stronger bodies. More importantly, they are gaining self-confidence that they can run up in the front of the pack.”

Lake Howell Silverhawks

Players to watch: Lake Howell fields a fairly small boys’ cross country team, but many runners from last season are expected back. They include seniors Ari Guardascione- Wolf, Irvin Montero and Nicholas Georgian, as well as sophomores Morgan Rodriguez and Ryan Gonzalez.

Outlook: The Silverhawks had limited success in 2015, finishing as the No. 6 Boys 5K team at last year’s Class 4A, District 2 track meet. But with continued growth from returning players and a spark of excellence from newcomers, they could go much further this year.

Lake Mary Rams

Players to watch: Despite the graduation of No. 1 runner John Lyons—who placed 11th at states—and several other strong competitors, Lake Mary has plenty to be excited about, starting with junior Devin Boyle. He clocked in at under 17 minutes to take 38th at states, the 2nd-best effort on the team behind Lyons. Boyle also placed 10th at districts, 27th at regions and 22nd in the Seminole Athletic Conference and seems primed for a stellar season. Another key returner is sophomore Canaan St. Lewis. All he did as a rookie was post top-20 performances at the conference and district meets and take 38th at regions. Seniors Ethan Goldsmith and Tom Conigliaro also return to give the squad a very capable top four.

Outlook: The Rams were consistent at all of the major races in 2015, taking 3rd at both the conference and district meets, placing 5th at regions and 9th at states. Although Lyons is a crucial loss, this has the potential for another memorable season.

Lake Nona Lions

Players to watch: Lake Nona brings back most of its top harriers, including No. 1 Roberto Castro, a junior. He ran 16:28 to place 18th at regions, and also took 5th at districts and 9th at the Metro Conference East meet. Seniors Zane Salyers and Bryan Cruz joined Castro in the top 20 at the conference meet and took 16th and 29th, respectively, at districts. Other key seniors are Joseph Colarusso and Sebastian Peralta.

Outlook: With a strong core returning, the Lions could possibly do even better than last year’s 4thplace finishes at the Metro East and district meets, as well as their 12th-place effort at regions.

Lyman Greyhounds

Players to watch: Lyman graduated two outstanding runners in Josh Jacques and Jordan Armstrong, who took 1st and 2nd, respectively, at the Seminole Athletic Conference, district and region meets in 2015. Jacques was the 4A state champ in 2014 and they both placed in the top 10 at states last year, so they clearly will be missed. But junior Bryce Bell is ready to step into the No. 1 spot after an impressive sophomore campaign in which he took 4th at both the conference and district races. He went on to place 16th at regions and 29th at states. Junior Kyler Hodges is another strong competitor who ran 17-flat at districts for 9th place. He also took 19th in the conference and 48th at states. Sophomore Daniel Harrell showed potential as a freshman and other returners include senior Paul Le Grand and sophomore Christian Coduto.

Outlook: A year after winning the 4A state championship, the Greyhounds posted another excellent showing at states by taking 3rd. They also won conference and district crowns and placed 4th at regions. They might not be at that level without Jacques and Armstrong leading the way, but they’ll still be a team to watch at the major meets.

The Master’s Academy Eagles

Players to watch: TMA had a pair of freshmen who showed potential last year and should lead the squad in 2016. Esdras Camacho placed 13th at the district meet and Trey Mathias took 29th, and it will be interesting to see what they can do this fall. Other key returners are senior Nicholas Molitz and juniors Ross Hardy, Kyle Morris and Markus McCoy.

Outlook: The Eagles have made strides as a program in recent years and hope to continue doing so under new head coach Margie Morris, who has been an assistant the last two seasons.

Oak Ridge Pioneers

Players to watch: The three best boys’ cross country runners from last year’s team are expected to return this season. All sophomores, they are Daniel Marrero, Joshua Modeste, Jimano Noel and Jordan Harris.

Outlook: The boys’ cross country team at Oak Ridge gained little traction last season, having not ranked as a team at the district level. We’re sure that everyone involved would have preferred a more competitive finish to the season, and Coach Larance Ford will be working closely with his returners and new runners to move the team forward.

Ocoee Knights

Players to watch: Ocoee’s top male cross country runner from 2015, Cole Pruim, is set to return as a senior this year. He took 1st place at the District 1 meet in Boys 5K. Also expected back are senior Hunter Filipello, junior Ian MacDonald, and sophomores Jose Barajas, Antoni Perez Prado and Dylan Weidman.

Outlook: The Knights finished 5th in Class 4A, District 3 cross country competition, and Coach Greg Murphy will strive to help them get into the top 3 this season. With growth from returners and the right new runners, it could happen.

Olympia Titans

Players to watch: Olympia’s boys’ team lost last year’s No. 1 runner Tyson Occenat to graduation, but returning senior John Hinkle, senior Ethan Hodd and sophomore O’Neel Occenat, with the latter two both being new to the squad, look to have a very strong season while defending their district title.

Outlook: The Titans took 1st place at last year’s Class 4A, District 3 competition, and new coach Stephanie Manny wants to build on that success. “We are going to surprise a lot of people this year,” says Manny. “The kids are already putting in the extra work, and our season doesn’t even start for another couple of months.

Oviedo Lions

Players to watch: Oviedo graduated a solid senior class, including No. 1 runner Mason Mihm, but there are several talented returners. A likely choice for the top spot is senior Zack Metz, who ran 17:20 at districts to place 17th and also took 33rd at the Seminole Athletic Conference meet. Junior Ethan Fields placed 33rd at districts and also seems primed to make the jump to the front of the pack. Sophomore Ali Owji and junior Tyson Harper are other key returners.

Outlook: The Lions placed 5th at districts and 6th in the conference last fall. If some of their varsity newcomers can develop nicely behind the returners, they should stay competitive this season.

Seminole Seminoles

Players to watch: Seminole graduated three of its top four runners, including its No. 1, so this year’s squad will have a much different look. Junior Justin Jones is the top returner and will look to lead the pack after placing 38th in the Seminole Athletic Conference meet last season. Seniors Michael Bishop and Andrew Delgadillo are other returners who will be expected to guide the younger runners. Varsity newcomers hoping to contribute are senior Chad Sasiadek, junior Royce Newman and sophomores Diego Lega, Grant Williams and Tousaint Clarke-Rogers.

Outlook: The ‘Noles have a young squad, and the objective for this season is getting better as a team.

Timber Creek Wolves

Players to watch: Senior Juan Camacho returns as the No. 1 runner for Timber Creek after placing 18th at districts and 27th at the Metro Conference East meet. He should make his presence felt at the major races this fall. Sean Williams is a key junior who was in the top 30 at the district and conference meets, and Justin Gomez leads a sophomore class that had an impact as rookies. Also in that group are Diego Rivera and Josh Butenschoen. Junior Jordan Harris is another returner hoping to contribute.

Outlook: The Wolves had a solid 2015 season, taking 5th in the Metro East meet and 6th at districts. Expect more of the same this fall.

Trinity Prep’s Boys Cross Country

Trinity Preparatory Saints

Players to watch: Kayamo Galloway, who as an 8th grader clocked the 3rdfastest time at last season’s Class 2A, District 8 meet behind two since-graduated Trinity seniors, will be back as a freshman. Fellow incoming freshman Mamush Galloway should play a key role, too, as will seniors Trenton Mandato and Patrick Salas.

Outlook: The Trinity Prep boys’ cross country team is coming off their 3rd state championship in a row and plans to work hard to defend their title. With so much talent expected to return, Coach Kenneth Vinal and his team should be successful in that goal.

University Cougars

Players to watch: University graduated its two top runners and will need someone to emerge at the front of the pack. Seniors Jovanny Camacho and Zion Haynes are key veterans, and junior Nicolas Gonzalez will look to build on a solid sophomore campaign. Senior Cameron Sparks and junior Christian Oquendo are other possible members of the top five.

Outlook: The Cougars, who took 6th in the Metro Conference East meet and 7th at districts, hope to make progress as the season wears on and reach their peak times at the major meets.

Wekiva Mustangs

Players to watch: Wekiva graduated a strong No. 1 runner in Kamron Woodbury, who claimed 13th place at districts. Seniors Anthony Davis and Hunter Murray are key returners who will look to take over leadership of the team. Juniors Jaydon Owens and Kobe Desue should only get better as upperclassmen.

Outlook: The Mustangs hope to continue making progress with their returning runners and add some numbers to the program.

West Orange Warriors

Players to watch: West Orange graduated its three best runners from a year ago, so new leaders will have to emerge. Two of the candidates are sophomore Nicholas Miller and junior Jake Vickers, who both placed in the top 20 at districts and the top 30 at the Metro Conference West meet in 2015. Senior Kiave Jacobs is another important returner who took 23rd in the conference and 33rd at districts. Jake Specht and Zak Bennouna are other returning seniors, while sophomore Cole Wilson and junior Shane Bacchus have the potential to crack the top five.

Outlook: The Warriors might find it difficult to place 2nd at districts and 3rd in the Metro West as they did a year ago considering the runners who graduated, but expect another solid season out of them.

Winter Park’s Boys Cross Country

Winter Park Wildcats

Players to watch: According to Coach Will Anguish, the Wildcats’ top runners will include Alex Boucher, Tommy Daly, Cameron Gangle, Ethan Stephenson and Omar Alkadry. Boucher and Daly were the team’s top runners in 2015.

Outlook: “They say cross country championships are won in the summer,” says Anguish. “Last year, we didn’t have a great summer, and it proved the saying right. While we qualified for regionals, we missed state by one point. So for us, it was a very disappointing season. The boys came back pretty well in track and are training hard now. They’re way ahead of last year’s progress at this point, so I’m optimistic about the fall.”

Winter Springs Bears

Players to watch: Winter Springs brings back four of its top five runners, including senior Tanner Skotnicki, who ended last season with a time of 16:54 at states to earn 37th place. He took 8th at districts, 29th at regions and 18th at the Seminole Athletic Conference meet and should accomplish big things in his final season. Junior Justin Czurak is another talented returner who had top-10 showings at the district and conference races, and senior Matt Doyle was just outside of the top 10 at both of those meets. Senior Nicholas Beauregard placed 21st in the conference and 24th at districts and rounds out a solid top four. Junior Delvin Fourcand is a varsity newcomer expected to contribute.

Outlook: The Bears were a major threat at all of the big races in 2015, taking 2nd in the conference, the district and the region to go with a 6th-place effort at states. Look for more of the same this fall.