Quentin Thompson

Second in the Cecil Field Boys Elite race in 15:16, behind only Armando Cruz of Belen Jesuit, and 73 seconds faster than the 16:29.6 that got him 32nd in 4A at state last fall. On a course where the boys' field opened dead even with its November fitness, that entire 73 seconds is real improvement, and it is the largest by any ranked runner in this class.

He beat Rishi Chopra by 23 seconds and Axel Sallault, the returning 4A runner-up, by 31, in the deepest race in Florida. Lake Minneola ranks fifth as a team on the back of it, with Jacob Kelly and Drew Sasson close behind him. Thompson takes the top spot over Jaxon Kiper by a tenth of a second on the board and by the quality of the field on the judgment.

The biggest jump by any ranked returner in Florida this weekend, by a wide margin. Thompson ran 16:29.6 at state last fall, which put him 47th on our returner list. He ran 15:16 for second at Cecil Field, a drop of 1:13.6. There is no course adjustment or heat allowance involved. He simply got a lot better, and Lake Minneola, already our projected third team in 4A, got better with him.