Picking the top cross-country teams in the state before the season begins is never easy. A lot can happen over the course of three months. Athletes can experience breakthrough seasons, newcomers can emerge as key contributors, and, of course, injuries to important runners can quickly change the outlook for a team.
But we’ll do our best to set the stage for what we expect will be another exciting season on the trails. For some of the state’s top teams, the outlook appears fairly straightforward if everything goes according to plan. For others, however, the picture is far less clear, and where they’ll ultimately finish by season’s end remains anyone’s guess.
Beginning with No. 10 and counting down to No. 1, here’s our preseason ranking of the top 10 boys’ teams in the state. As always, if we’ve given your team a little bulletin-board material based on our rankings, you’re welcome. It certainly won’t be the first time.
(Above photo by Sterling Vernon @rhodeandtrack)
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No. 5, North Kingstown High
Last year’s results: First (8-0), Southern Division; Second, Class A Championships; Second, RIIL State Championships.
Key returnees/runners: Alex Turcotte, senior, 16:51.31; Xavier Baker, junior, 16:54.70; Camden Florio, junior, 16:58.30; Grayson Edge, junior, 17:07.51; Connor Tailman, junior, 17:12.25; Thomas Lawrence, junior, 17:25.90; William Bridges, junior, 17:31.80, Colby Anderson, sophomore, 17:35.11
Outlook: North Kingstown lost five runners from last year’s runner-up squad, including senior Colton Orr, who transferred to Bishop Hendricken. That’s a significant loss and a good reason why we’re guessing the Skippers will drop two places at the State Meet.
Here’s what keeps them in our top six – The Skippers have some depth, quite a bit of it. While they may not have a low-numbered leadoff runner who cracks the top 20, they do have a relatively small gap between their first and fifth runners based on last year’s results.
Yes, it’s all about pack mentality, and that could certainly work in the Skippers’ favor as they pursue their third trip to the New England Championships since 2016.
Returning from last year’s varsity squad are Turcotte and Baker, who placed 23rd and 31st, respectively, at the State Meet. Both were sub-17-minute runners last fall. The remainder of this year’s varsity lineup is expected to include several members of the Skippers’ junior varsity squad, which finished second behind Hendricken at the JV State Meet. There’s also the potential for an incoming freshman to crack the lineup.
Take a look at the key returnees and newcomers we’ve listed. We have eight runners separated by just over 40 seconds based on their 2025 season bests or PRs. That kind of depth gives North Kingstown plenty of options and makes the Skippers a team that could surprise a lot of people, despite losing five runners from last year’s silver-medal squad.
