Early October is typically the time of year when coaches bring out the microscopes to look closely at the fitness levels of their cross-country athletes and how they are improved since their summer practices. Running a challenging course, with some top-level competition, is certainly one of the best ways to see who exactly is rising to the top. That may be why the annual Frank Horton XC Classic is a must on the calendar.

The first Frank Horton race was in October of 1989. It's named in honor of Coach Frank Horton, a long time XC and Distance coach at Christian Brothers high school. The original race started as mostly a regional contest, but as the years passed, it became a very competitive multi-state event. The event this year will have an Elementary school, Middle School, JV and Varsity High school divisions as well as a 2K and 5K trail runs for anyone that wants to enter and race!

There is a challenge out there to have as many coaches run the 2K (or 5K) so that their athletes can watch (and joke about it, if that is the case!).

As usual, pretty much anyone in the Memphis area that loves cross country will be running this nighttime race. Joe Edwards (15:38) of Christian Brothers High and Clark Wade (15:24) of Arlington are probably two of the top local athletes that will be going head-to-head Saturday evening. Joe is the defending Horton champion, and Clark just ran his first sub 16 time this past weekend.  They both have stellar resumes and come from solid teams!  This certainly looks to be a close race to watch. Christian Brothers has a slew of fast runners again this year and both Chaz Jones and upcoming Sophomore, Noah Mullenix, are certain to be in that mix of local front runners.

But as I mentioned earlier, this has become a multi-state event with teams coming from Alabama, Mississippi, Arkansas, Missouri and across Tennessee. Keep an eye out for a few Missouri guys with North Point High's Hunter Stahl (15:47) and West Plain's duo of Carson King (15:58) and Kyler Gunter (15:59).

Matthew Thurman, a junior from Shiloh Christian school in Arkansas, will bring his leg speed to the course Saturday. Matthew ran to a 3^rd place finish at the Sugar Creek Showdown in a swift 15:48. He's a sub 2 minute 800M runner and has clocked 4:21 for the 1600. Preston Mundy will make the short drive to represent Olive Branch Mississippi High School. Preston ran a 15:56.10 at the Mustang Stampede this past weekend to earn a runner-up spot. With that kind of performance, Preston is certainly in the mix here for a podium spot!

Likely one of the fastest seeds coming into this Saturday evening race will be Independence High (TN) Asher Oates. Asher comes in as the 4^th fastest ranked athlete in TN. He ran consistently in the mid 15's last season and this year is inching towards breaking under that mark. Asher won the Voyles Classic on September 7^th in a fast 15:09.93 to set a new PR and was 7^th at the Southern Showcase the following weekend. The Horton course is a sneaky challenging course and always tough to master, but if I were to guess, the drive back to Thompson Station TN might be a pleasant one for this athlete!

The girls side of this high school competition is also a pretty heated one at that. There are a lot of girls that have low 19's that will race on Saturday.

Coming into the Horton with one of the top seed times will be West Plains Missouri's Emily Ritter. This junior was in 12^th place at the early season Memphis Twilight race and 20^th last year at the Horton. I do believe she will improve on that place this season as she consistently runs in the mid to low 19's but comes in with a new PR of 18:59.97 set on September 7^th. Another athlete to watch will be Webster Grove's (Missouri) Sophomore Carson Selby. Carson has only run in the low 20 this season but has run a 19:03 at her 2023 state championship and hit a few low 19's and it may just take this competitive event to pull out another low mark for her. Rachel Lee, another Missouri athlete (Central HS) set a new PR of 19:39 on Sept 7^th and should be pretty optimistic about what she can do Saturday evening at the Horton.

A couple of other West Plains (MO) girls should be near the head of the pack with Seri King having a 19:23 time she ran a couple of weeks ago and Addison Sanders who set a new PR on September 21^st at 19:18.99. Paragould (Arkansas) High's senior Starlyn Edwards ran a new PR at the Chili Pepper this season and I'm sure she'll want to improve on that 19:26 this Saturday in the evening race with no sun baking down on her!

Ella Gary of Episcopal Collegiate School in Arkansas ran a 19:03 this past weekend to also be considered one of the front runners. Ella looks like she's improving and could be on track to down her previous PR of 18:56 that she set a year or so ago. Another Arkansas girl to be on the lookout for is Harding Academy's Junior, Elle Williamson. She won the 3A-6 District last season and seems to be tracking toward dropping her times even more than her 19:47 PR.

With it being their home court, a couple of Memphis athletes will be fun to watch. Bartlett's Kaley Byrd ran an 11:22.43 (3200M) at the HOKA postal event this past August to start out her season and has added a new PR at the Chili Pepper. Her 19:05 at that race let her drop almost 30 seconds from her previous PR and she is looking strong to set another strong mark at the Horton. Lindsey Barnes of Houston High ran the Trinity/Valkyrie Invitational in 19:58 dropping more than 30 seconds from her first race of this season. Lindsey was 9^th place last year at the Horton and I'm sure she's going to want to improve on that this year.

There's also a few other Tennessee girls making the trip to the Horton this season that are certain to make a splash. Nolensville High comes in with three girls who definitely will be running in or near the front. Sophia Priddy, a sophomore who just ran 19:08 at the Wingfoot XC Classic, and Keira Stegall, another sophomore who has a 19:14 mark to her name. And Anna Lasher adds to the group with her 19:25.

Just like the guys, Independence HS is bringing a pretty fast runner in Hailey Holloway. This senior has a PR of 19:07 that she ran at the challenging state course last year. Also from Independence will be Kacy Kramer, a senior with a 19:39 time she set Sept 14^th at the Southern Showcase, and Jacobi Ruiz, a junior who ran 19:33 at the Voyles Classic.

As far as the team standings, it's tough to bet against a strong Christian Brother High group but I'm sure the West Plains team is going to try. West Plains team was runner-up at the Memphis Twilight earlier this season and usually travels strong. The girl's top contenders will be the Independence squad and the West Plains group. Both seem to have strong and deep fields. But it's cross country and you just never know what can happen!  And I do have to mention - it is cross country - and so every course and every day is different, and a 16-minute time on one course could very well be a 19-minute time on a different, and more challenging course.  So let's see what kind of head-to-head competition we'll see both Friday and Saturday evenings this weekend... and who can come out on top! 

So if you want to watch some fantastic action on the cross-country course, make your way to the Horton this weekend. You'll see the 5K/2K trail race Friday along with some super-fast Elementary and Middle school athletes. This is your chance also to cheer on your coach who should be running the 2K Friday (... the challenge!!). Then on Saturday, come watch the excitement of the high school races.  With over 2300 athletes running this weekend, you are guaranteed to get your fill of cross-country action!  And if you want to be distracted, you can try your luck at ax throwing, corn hole toss, or get dinner at any one of several foot trucks parked in the village (it's Memphis, so you know there will be BBQ!). Then there's the VIP tent with food and beverages right along the finish line. Yea, this isn't just a cross-country race, it's a bunch of cross-country races alongside a festival atmosphere where you can show your love of the sport of cross country!

See you on the track...and the grass!!  Coach Ted