Remember, this is only how it looks from the rankings heading into the regionals. This is not a prediction based on any analysis of races held during the season. If a team has fewer than five ranked runners, it is assumed that their first unranked runner would finish three places behind the last ranked runner, their second unranked runner would finishe six places behind the last ranked runner, etc. Runners run above and below their ranking in every meet, and the Regionals will be no different. The important thing is that if you have five runners, get them to the starting line. If you have 7, get them to the line. If you only have 3, get them to the line. Your region may be depending on you.
Region I: This Regions should advance three teams. As in the girls division, this Region is brutal with 4 of the top 8 ranked teams. University is the stalwart in the Region with 4 of the top 6 ranked runners and 5 of the top 11. Wheeling Park looks to be pretty solidy in the 2nd spot, and Morgantown appears to be pretty well locked into the 3rd position. 11 Individuals should advance from this Region. The current top 11 are Josh Edwards, Rocco DeVincent, Mack Allen, Ryan Blohm, Jonah Nizami, Drew Zundell, Brady Miller, Landon Young, Max Morgan, Jordan Gillum, and Jacob West. Runners within 60 points of the top 11 that aren't on an expected advancing team are Preston's Lowell Cerbone (12th) and Bridgeport's Bailey DeMoss (13th). Cerbone would be ranked 4th in Region II, 2nd in Region III, and 7th in Region IV. There are 55 ranked runners in Region I.
Region II: This Region should also advance three teams. Jefferson looks like the team to beat. Washington appears to have a grip on 2nd, and Martinsburg looks like they should hold the 3rd spot. This Region will advance 10 Individuals. The current top 10 are Kyle de Nobel, Justin Gottlieb, John Larsen, Parker Mackey, Noah Schappell, Nico Szabo, Logan Musser, Tyler Stine, David Foglesong, and Chance Boulware. There is only one runner within 60 points of the top 10 that isn't on an expected advancing team. That is Musselman's Justin Moss (14th). There are 31 ranked runners in Region II.
Region III: This Region should advance three teams. Woodrow Wilson looks to have the top spot locked up with 6 of the top 8 ranked runners. I only show 17 points separating the next 4 teams in the battle for 2 spots. St. Albans appears to have the best shot at 2nd with a 10 point gap on the other 3. Only 7 points separate the next three with this analysis showing Riverside as the favorite to get the 3rd spot over George Washington and Oak Hill. Positioning of the unranked runners will determine things. If everyone that can run does run, the Region will advance 12 runners. There are a couple pretty shaky ones in there based on what I've seen, so I'm going to go with 11. The current top 11 are Aiden Kneeland, Brandon Canaday, Chris Huffman, Christian Saffouri, Skylar Hudnall, Ryan Bazzle, Conner Cormack, Josh Cormack, Austin Bias, Noah Endres, and Robert Shirey. There are no runners within 60 points of the top 11 who aren't on an expected advancing team. The closest is Princeton's Zachary Neal (13th). There are 21 ranked runners in Region III.
Region IV: This Region should advance three teams. Hurricane is the top dog in the Region. Cabell Midland appears to have a firm grasp on 2nd. Parkersburg South looks like a solid 3rd. The Region should advance 11 Individuals. The current top 11 are Franklin Angelos, Ty Steorts, Aaron Kidd, Nick Kennedy, Cooper Gibson, Tristan Blatt, Jared Bailey, Brady Dawkins, Max Meadows, Aiden Blake, and Chris Hall. Runners within 60 points of the top 11 and not on an expected advancing team are Ripley's Chase Pepper (14th) and Lincoln County's Jackson Sanders (15th). There are 40 ranked runners in Region IV.