JACKSONVILLE - In one of the biggest cross country pre-state festivals in Florida, the Fleming Island High boys cross country team got outstanding finishes from three runners to set the stage for a possible state championship run in late November.

"We kind of switched up our goals to getting second in the state because Belen Jesuit is so deep and their guy Marcelo Mantecon is kind of untouchable," said Fleming Island cross country coach Dave Allen. "He's the two-time defending champion and he already has a handful of the fastest times on courses all over the country."

Allen's prophecy before the Cecil Field Fall Classic seemed prophetic as Mantecon, as expected, blasted the stellar field assembled by race director Richard Fannin. Mantecon had a record-setting 14 minute, 39 second finish with runner-up Joshua Hicks 24 seconds behind highlighting Mantecon's dominance. Third place went to Holy Trinity's Evan Spreitzer, the 1A runner-up last year, who clocked in at 15:06. Holy Trinity was 1A runner-up last year.

For Allen and his Eagles' cadre, the goal of a couple of guys under 16-minute finishes and a slew of guys under 17 minutes as the blueprint for a top three Class 3A finish in November came to fruition with top finisher J.P. Strombeck taking 36th place in 15:50 and number two finisher Marcos Serrano in at 39th in 15:53.

"I was a little off the first mile and could see Marcos ahead of me after the mile mark," Strombeck said. "I knew I needed to get to him and we could work together for a fast time."

Strombeck did catch Serrano at about the two-mile mark and was on pace for the sub 16 with Serrano staying on Strombeck's shoulder. Unknown to both Eagles teammates, senior Andrew Boyer was also within shouting distance hovering in the 16-minute mark.

"Andrew has been our top runner the past few races with a great overall win at Bartram Trail last week (in 16:05) and we knew the three of us would be close at the finish," Serrano said. "We all have had good races and bad races, but we stay close and it doesn't matter which one of us is first, second and third in as long as we are under 30 seconds apart. That's where the team points stay low."

In the high-powered field, with Belen Jesuit battling with IMG Academy for the top spot, Belen was in first for most of the first two miles with IMG's team slowly closing the gap.

In the final count, IMG would counter Belen's top two finishers in the top 10 overall count with IMG landing its first three runners in 11th, 14th, 15th and 20th, thwarting Mantecon and teammate Armando Cruz's finishes at first and seventh. Belen's number three finisher was in at 30th.

In 2024, Mantecon and Cruz finished at first and seventh with Belen graduating their seniors at third, fourth and fifth. In the final tally, IMG Academy won with a 90-point total with Belen second at 133 and Nease third at a distant 251.

Fleming Island, with a team average of 16:13 finished ninth with 331 points ahead of region rival Ponte Vedra and behind Bolles, the 2A runner-up last year.
Where Allen got big team performance was from number four Luke Janke, who was in at 16:22 in 89th place and Ryder Muyres 16:48 for 141st place.

"We've been running through meets up until districts and will be tapering a bit through the district and region races," Allen said. "If they can all get under 17 minutes with heavy, tired legs, we can only expect bigger results when we back off."

Ahead of Fleming Island in the team points, were 4A-Spanish River, 4A-Columbus, 3A-Chiles, 1A-Geneva Classical and 2A-Bolles.

"We have won one and lost one to Chiles and we got a win over Ponte Vedra in invitationals, so we are in good shape," Allen said. "Thing is, everyone will be tapered and rested for the districts, regions and state so that is the X factor."

In the girls elite race, Fleming Island junior Brooke Reynolds jetted from the start in a flurry of the best in the state and maintained good contact with a strong second pack behind overall winner Annabella Tomasic of Bishop Moore. Tomasic led a pack of sub-18-minute runners with her 17:25 winning time only 10 seconds ahead of runner-up Jazlyn Forbes of Oasis. Forbes was just two seconds up on third place finisher Natalia Gaona-Zelaya of Wiregrass Ranch.

Gaona-Zelaya was 10th in Class 4A last year. Tomasic, a freshman, was at Lake Highland Prep last year and was third in Class 2A as an eighth grader. Forbes, a senior, was fourth in 2A last year.

In the finish chute, the top nine finishers were under 18 minutes with Episcopal's Kate Brice the lone north Florida runner in the top 10 at ninth. Bolles had Sofie Stam in 20th at 18:28 to claim the second north Florida runner in the top 20. Brice was 17th in 2A. Stam was ninth in 2A last year.

With IMG Academy claiming the top team spot with just 53 points, a handful of North Florida powerhouses made the top seven teams: Bishop Kenny (2A defending champion), Episcopal (third in 2A), Bolles (second in 2A), Ponte Vedra (3A champion), Creekside (4A champion) and Chiles (fourth in 3A).

For Fleming Island, ninth in 3A last year, Reynolds stayed on point to finish in one of her best times at 19:18 for 64th place. Fleming Island got strong runs from Karissa Lou at 20:38 and Eve Schlotthauer at 20:54 with Chloe Bourre just over the 21-minute mark at 21:07.

In the boys B race, Oakleaf's Jelani Chester finished 22nd in 17:01 with St. Johns Country Day School landing Nathan Kipnis and Arlo Kistner at 29th and 30th in 17:12. Oakleaf finished 16th, while St. Johns finished 28th.

In the girls B race, St. Johns Country Day School freshman Kate Staten finished ninth in 20:03 with Keystone Heights seventh grader Ryleigh Thomas continuing her impressive finishes with a 20:55 for 40th place. Also, a St. Johns freshman, Ella Rose Hanna ran 21:27 for 55th with Keystone Heights Melody Tyre in at 60th in 21:34. In the boys C race, Clay's Theodore Davila finished 10th in 18:16 with Ridgeview's Robert Petrosky 14th in 18:48.

In the girls C race, Ridgeview senior Emily Turner took the top spot in 20:23 with St. Johns Classical's Payton Carpenter, a sixth grader, third in 21:28. Oakleaf's Kellyn Dusanic was sixth in 22:02.

Cross Country Districts

District races: Nov. 3-8
Region races: Nov. 12-15
State finals: Nov. 22, Tallahassee

District 1-4A, Region 1
Nov. 4 at Alligator Lake, Lake City (7:30 a.m.)

Oakleaf, Atlantic Coast, Bartram Trail, Buchholz, Creekside, Crestview, First Coast, Flagler Palm Coast, Fletcher, Forest, Mandarin, Navarre, Nease, Pace, Sandalwood, Tate, Tocoi Creek and West Port.

District 2-3A, Region 1
Nov. 8 at Middleburg (8:30 a.m.)

Clay, Fleming Island, Middleburg, Orange Park, Ridgeview, Baker County, Beachside, Columbia, ED White, Gainesville, Matanazas, Menendez, Ponte Vedra, Riverside, St. Augustine, Terry Parker, Westside and Yulee.

District 2-2A, Region 1
Nov. 3 at Bishop Kenny (5 p.m.)

Keystone Heights, Andrew Jackson, Baldwin, Bishop Kenny, Bolles, Bradford, Eastside, Episcopal, Fernandina Beach, Global Academy, Newberry, PK Yonge, Paxon, Raines, Ribault, Santa Fe, Stanton, Suwannee, West Nassau and Wolfson.

District 2-1A, Region 1
Nov. 4 at Alligator Lake (8 a.m.)

St Johns Country Day School, Bell, Bishop Snyder, Branford, Christs Church Academy, Community Christian, Cornerstone Classical, Covenant School, Hamilton County, Harvest Community, Jacksonville Classical, Maclay, North Florida Christian, Oak Hall, Providence, St. Francis, St. John Paul II, Temple Christian, Trenton, Trinity Christian and University Christian.