After pulling off the biggest 'upset' of the season at last year's state meet, Alan Gallardo-Lopez is back for his senior season and will be another one of Arkansas' best looking to etch their name alongside the state's all-time greats.
The Fayetteville standout is coming off a lighter workload this spring, having run just 13 races since his cross country title, suggesting he's as fresh and focused as anyone heading into 2025.
Elsewhere, Asher Found stands to be the biggest threat to the defending champion following his breakout fall last year.
The rising senior from Catholic won three races last season, including the 6A Central Championship, and finished 4th at the state meet - just 13 seconds behind Gallardo-Lopez. After spending his spring recovering from a sickness, Found is healthy again and will be looking to win his first state championship.
I would argue Rhett Moss had the biggest regular-season win last fall, taking down a pair of state champions in the Springdale School...