Meet:  		AAA Boys State Meet Predictions
Location:	Cabell Midland High School
Date:		To be held November 1, 2014

Predicted AAA Boys Team Results
I slotted everyone, and what did I get...a tie. Cabell Midland and University both ended up at 69 points. Cabell Midland gets the nod on the 6th runner. Cabell Midland's pack mentality will be their calling card. If the pack moves up together, it may be over. If the pack fades, they lose. University is stronger on the top end with the likelihood of 3 runners getting on the podium. Those three obviously have to do their jobs, but University's fortunes will likely fall on the shoulders of Freshman Philip White, who had an outstanding Regional run, and Jacob Hough. If White duplicates his Regional Performance or Hough steps up, University probably wins it. Cabell Midland has the depth advantage, so if one of their pack falters, they don't lose much. If one of University's top dogs is off, it really hurts them. I have Morgantown in the 3rd spot, just 10 points over Hurricane, who will need to have a much better run than they did at the Regional to crack the top 3.
1.  Cabell Midland       69
2.  University           69
3.  Morgantown          116
4.  Hurricane           126
5.  Parkersburg         151
6.  Musselman           151
7.  Elkins              209
8.  Capital             220
9.  Winfield            237
10. Jefferson           238
11. Ripley              241
12. Hampshire           297
13. Oak Hill            312

Predicted Boys AAA Top 25
Seth Edwards comes in as the favorite having taken the top ranking part-way through the season. There are several threats, though. Anthony Laurita has been closing the gap. On 9/24, the gap was 46 seconds. On 10/4, it was 20 seconds. At the Regional, it was 12 seconds. Shane Rigsby has put down some very good times. I've dropped him in the 3rd spot. Unfortunately, he didn't get to run against any of the other big dogs to see a true test of his abilities. He did have the top converted Regional Performance. Connor Riley was the runner up last year and has a strong resume. I've slotted him 4th, but he did beat Laurita at the OVAC's. Tristan Harvey has a history of stepping up at the State Meet, so I've moved him into 5th. Matt Wallace is tied for the 4th best ranking, but like Rigsby doesn't have a lot of meetings with the top level. He does, however sport wins over both Rigsby and Harvey. Nick Salmons leads the Cabell Midland crew with the 7th spot. It's quite conceivable that Cabell Midland doesn't get anyone in the top 10. It's also conceivable that they get 3. Nic Cheuvront gets the nod for 8th. He has a pair of wins over Salmons, including a one second win at the MSAC. I've put Alex Minor in 9th. His Regional run was not strong, but prior to that, he was the 4th ranked runner. Earlier this year, he topped Edwards at Bridgeport with a stellar time. I've slotted R.J. Weiford in the final All-State position. He's ranked 7th, and his Regional Run was the 4th best in the field. He's definitely a threat to move up.

The predicted top 25 is as follows. If you want to know where you are picked, just send me an e-mail, and I'll tell you.

Pick	Score	Name	 		Year	School
1	1	Edwards, Seth		11	University
2	2	Laurita, Anthony	12	Morgantown
3	3	Rigsby, Shane		12	Musselman
4	4	Riley, Connor		11	Morgantown
5	5	Harvey, Tristan		12	University
6	6	Wallace, Matt		12	Elkins     
7	7	Salmons, Nick		11	Cabell Midland
8	8	Cheuvront, Nic		12	Parkersburg
9	9	Minor, Alex		11	University
10	10	Weiford, R.J.		11	Winfield
11	11	Hallow, Jared		12	Musselman
12	12	Atkinson, Brandon	12	Cabell Midland
13	13	Minor, Josh		9	Cabell Midland
14	14	Henley, Jake		12	Hurricane
15	15	Hughes, Alex		10	Hurricane
16	16	Gillespie, Cody		12	Oak Hill   
17	17	Ruhnke, Michael		12	Capital     
18	18	Hathaway, Jonathan	10	Cabell Midland
19	19	Smith, Coy		10	Cabell Midland
20	20	White, Phillip		9	University
21	21	Sheils, Will		11	Cabell Midland
22	X	Beavers, Daniel		11	Hedgesville
23	22	Jordan, Austin		10	Cabell Midland
24	23	Harmon, Jacob		12	Hurricane
25	24	Wooten, Evan		10	Parkersburg