The Team Race:
Had Sasha not been disqualified last year, Dobyns-Bennett would've finished 2nd overall as a team. Instead the 64-point swing dropped them to 8th. This year they are a slight favorite to finish first. They have four seniors in their Top 5 (Neglia included) but will be relying heavily on a Freshman Autumn Headrick, to be 3rd or 4th in for their team. Big races are not new to her though. Last year she won TMSAA State Championship by 25 seconds.
That said, in last year's state preview I declared Brentwood to be the favorite. Instead they finished 3rd (4th if you count Dobyns-Bennett). This year, they're in a similar position that they were last year with a pack of runners that could get six across the finish line before everyone else's 4th. The fact that they're in the running again is surprising considering they had to replace 2-3 core runners from last year's team who are now exclusively competing in club events. They have reloaded though and while their top 3 will be in the running for top 20 finishes their next 3 are looking to come in around 40-50.
It'll be hard to tell who will be victorious out of these teams until individuals are counted out. Good to anyone who it tasked with counting finishers.