DJ Principe, senior, La Salle Academy
At the Class A meet this past weekend, Principe ran a "relaxed" race and still ran the 18th fastest time at Ponaganset in 13 years with his 15:39.1 clocking. We believe Principe will be a lot faster this Sunday. The early forecast for race day is sunny skies and the temperature in the mid 50s. In other words, it's perfect racing weather. Even though he still doesn't have to run at 100 percent to snare his third straight title, the La Salle standout knows that everyone else behind him will be running all-out on X-C's biggest stage. Plus, it's the State Meet! Those two factors, along with the Rams' chasing their third straight team crown with a talent Hendricken squad lurking behind, will have Principe shifting into high gear on the five-kilometer trails of Ponaganset. Last year, he clocked a course record of 15:09. That should be eclipsed on Sunday with potential for a sub 15-minute effort.