Compared to a year ago, things look a little different this fall.
We’re not just talking about determining who will be vying for the boys’ individual title at Saturday’s RIIL State XC Championships, but also taking a closer look at the rest of the top field looking to make an impact.
Thirteen runners in the field have broken 16 minutes, with nine of them achieving their season or personal-best marks at this past weekend’s class championships on the even playing field of Ponaganset. That’s considerably more than in 2025, when just six runners attained the mark.
Gone from last fall are four of the top five finishers at the State Meet, including the overall winner, former Portsmouth standout and current University of Virginia freshman Sean Gray.
The lone returnee from that group, runner-up Colby Flynn of Bishop Hendricken, is back for his final state championship race and is among the favorites to win on Saturday.
One thing is certain heading into this weekend’s meet. The podium will feature several new faces. And determining the final few runners who will earn first-team, all-state honors with a top-seven finish could be difficult, very difficult, considering the depth of the field that will be represented on the starting line..
Here are our contenders…
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Colby Flynn, Bishop Hendricken
The Hawks senior is our pick to win on Saturday. While we respect all of our contenders, he’s the most deserving. Over the last two years, Flynn has placed high, finishing third behind Gray and individual winner Marshall Vernon of La Salle Academy in 2024 and then coming within mere strides of victory against Gray last fall.
The Hendricken runner is a gritty performer, especially when it comes to championship time. Whether he wins or not, we can almost assure you he’ll be fighting for the title during the final stretch.
Flynn and teammate Shepherd Butler, another contender, finished together last weekend at the Class A meet, with Flynn claiming the title in a state-best 15:30.55, just 0.16 seconds ahead of Butler. Look for the recent University of Pennsylvania commit to potentially take a shot at the current course record of 14:56.09, set by former La Salle standout DJ Principe at the 2016 meet. He’ll certainly have the competition to push him toward a sub-15 performance if that’s his intention. His all-time best is 15:16.51 from his 2025 race.
Of course, the team is always the No. 1 priority for Flynn and his teammates this weekend. With the Hawks positioned to contend for another state title, expect him to balance his individual ambitions with what’s best for the team. Either way, expect Flynn to be front and center this weekend on the Chieftains’ Covered-Bridge Trail.
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Shepherd Butler, Bishop Hendricken
There’s a good chance Hendricken could go 1-2 in this race, and it wouldn’t surprise us if the roles from the Class A meet were reversed, with Butler taking the title and Flynn finishing second. The Hawks junior has been right on his teammate’s heels all season, serving as Hendricken’s No. 2 runner and consistently challenging Flynn at major invitationals. Butler finished second overall, just two seconds behind Flynn at the New Balance Shore Coaches Invitational on Oct. 3, and third overall, four seconds behind his teammate, at the Bowdoin Park XC Classic (NY) on Sept. 26. He also placed ninth at the Manhattan University Invitational, just two spots behind Flynn. With those performances in mind, Butler has shown that he has the ability to challenge his teammate for the top spot.
We’re predicting that, just as they did at the Class A meet, Butler will be up front with Flynn pushing the pace. Both indicated that this past Saturday’s race was a relatively relaxed effort, yet they still averaged 4:59 per mile. With the strength of their nationally ranked team behind them, they certainly have the firepower to turn up the intensity if they choose to this weekend. The bigger question is how much they’ll be willing to push, with the New England Championships and New Balance Regionals Northeast on the horizon and, if everything goes according to plan, Nike Cross Nationals still to come.
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Will Souza, La Salle Academy
Souza is certainly someone who can’t be ignored. After all, he ran a big-time PR of 15:35.2 to finish third in the Class A race. The Rams senior lowered his previous best by 50 seconds at Ponaganset! We’d be willing to bet that performance has given him plenty of confidence heading into Saturday and a better understanding of what he’s capable of accomplishing.
It’s no secret that Hendricken is the overwhelming favorite to capture the team title at this weekend’s competition. The Hawks posted a convincing 19-72 victory over La Salle, further establishing themselves as the team to beat. Right now, it looks as though the Rams could be battling for a top-three position, along with Barrington and East Greenwich. That should provide some added motivation for Souza to deliver another strong performance for the second consecutive week.
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Brooks Mello, Barrington High
Mello looked very strong in winning the Class B race with a time of 15:52.6. It was his second straight sub-16-minute effort, following a seventh-place finish and PR of 15:46.0 at the Catholic Memorial (MA) Invitational two weeks earlier. Mello appears to be peaking at just the right time to be a factor on Saturday.
Like Flynn and Butler, Mello has the benefit of training alongside teammates with similar talent, junior Brian Hurlock and senior Colby Napolitano.
There’s a good possibility we could see all three working together through much of the race. In his first year of cross country, we consider Mello a long shot to come out on top. But if this race turns tactical, you never know. He could make things interesting.
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Ryan Hurlock, Barrington High
Hurlock is another runner that could figure in the mix. The Eagles junior was second to Mello at the Class B race with a time of 15:57.1. He beat his teammate at the Catholic Memorial Invitational, clocking a PR of 15:45.3.
As indicated, he will likely utilize his Eagle teammates this weekend with hopes of racing to a PR performance that will land him among the top finishers.
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Leo Woodman, Providence Country Day
Woodman is another runner not to overlook. The PCD senior posted the slowest time among the three class champions, earning the Class C title in 16:06.0. But here’s what needs to be understood – He won that race by 52 seconds!
A little more than a week earlier, Woodman captured the Skee Carter Invitational in a PR of 15:46.5. In that race, he finished 34 seconds ahead of his closest rival.
Things will be considerably different on Saturday. At the State Meet, he’ll have plenty of runners capable of pushing him, and we’re predicting the PCD standout will respond. He finished 10th in this race last year and has made significant strides since then, including a nearly 20-second improvement on his previous best at Ponaganset this past Saturday, a race in which he wasn’t necessarily going all-out.
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There’s also a considerable group of runners capable of working their way into the top-seven conversation. Among those worth watching are Hendricken’s Andrew Williams, East Greenwich’s Andrew Parisi, Hendricken’s Jeremy Dru, La Salle’s Matt Lewis, Hendricken’s Colton Orr, Pilgrim’s Kingston Bayha and Barrington’s Colby Napolitano.
