Even though the cooler, crisp, XC type mornings of October are several weeks away, it's time to start getting serious about the 2014 XC season. 

With close to 600 harriers scheduled to compete unattached, the 12th annual Wickham Park Jamboree will draw athletes from the far reaches of the State with 2 very, very competitive Girls and Boys varsity 5K races.

The 2014 season officially starts on Monday, September 1st, Labour Day, so Saturday's Wickham Park Jamboree falls into the category of the unofficial type XC season meet.  But rest assured, the competitive fervor will be rampant as we glimpse what the rest of the season portends.  Pre-season meets are notoriously hard to handicap as you never really know what everyone has done over the long, hot summer.  This is a race that offers a glimpse into who has put in the work.

With very little rainfall on the Space Coast over the course of the last few weeks and a 0730 start time, all things considered, the Wickham Park Jamboree course should be blazing fast for the girls race.

This will be the first race out for Melbourne senior Julie Wollrath after transferring from 1A Holy Trinity where she had won the last 3 State XC championships.  A game competitor, this will be Wollrath's first race since the State XC finals in 2013 after not competing during the 2014 Track and Field season.  We're not really sure what to expect in terms of performance from Julie.  It's been 10 months since we've seen her compete.  Will it be the Julie of old, ready to challenge for another State title which would solidify her place in Florida distance xc history?  Tomorrow, we'll get a glimpse.

Brevard Heat senior Emily Chapman had a stellar track and field season where she concentrated on the 3200, eventually placing 2nd at 1A State in 11:05.  Chapman is never far off the pace and during the course of the last track season, made that next step by being a front runner, if need be. 

We definitely see Emily as the favorite but she'll be chased by the likes of Holy Trinity's next up and comer, Sydney Friedel, Class of 2019, along with the likes of Tiger's Samantha Folio, Shelby Smith, Maleia Storum, Titusville's Hannah Fleming, Rockledge's Mackenzie Baysinger and Katarina Jernberg, and South Fork's Bethany Hardcastle and the aforementioned Wollrath.

Expect Chapman to pull away mid race and solidy herself as one of the favorites in 1A with a real toss-up for 2nd.   A second scenario we've contemplated as well is that Holy Trinity's Shelby Smith, 2nd at the Jamboree last fall after Wollrath, and 9th at State, emerges as a real force in 1A.  During track season, Shelby mainly concentrated in the middle distances during track going 5:19 and 2:19 but did run 11:47 at the Holy Trinity Invitational which is a good ways back from Chapman's 11:05 at State.  

Look for Timber Creek junior, Dyestat US #75,  Brandon Marquez to lead the field for the boys.  Marquez this past season ran unattached and it's still up in the air as to what his fall plans are in terms of high school competition.  Even though Foot Locker South is a good 2 1/2 months away, if healthy, Marquez has the speed and endurance to possibly be a contender for a coveted slot to San Diego.

Michael Nazareth, another Timber Creek student, is also one to keep an eye on after finishing 10th at State in 2013 going 15:57.

Titusville sophomore Mason Jones had a stellar freshman campaign going 4:53 in the 1600, 9:58 in the 3200 and 16:10 in the 5K and could also be in the mix.

Look for the likes of Melbourne's Garrett Camps to knock off some rust after being injured for most of this past track season.  Garrett surprised a good many pundits by being the 4th Florida boy at Foot Locker South last season after turning his attention full time to running after jumping from the pool.

Holy Trinity's Andrew "Catch" Cacciatore, 1A State XC runner-up last year will definitely be in the mix as he leads a very strong Tiger team that will be eyeing their fourth consecutive State Meet title, a feat that has never been accomplished by any sports team in Brevard County history. Trevor Kattenberg is another freshman that had a tremendous year going 4:30 for 1600, 9:39 in the 3200, and 15:48 for the 5K at FSU Pre-State last year.

The pressure is on for the Tigers to once again field a young but experienced team of harriers,  but depth is most definitely their forte'.

It will be interesting to see if Cacciatore can keep Marquez within striking distance the first half of the race or if he decides to let him go.  Without a doubt, Brian Atkinson's meet record of 15:47 will go down if Marquez and Cacciatore duel the first half of the race and have anything left for the second half.  The only other factor that may be an issue is the weather.  If your a boy runner, your best hope is for some cloud cover and that the race starts promptly at 0800.

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