Summary: Saint Anthony's is shooting for its 20th crown and is a heavy favorite to win its first title since 2015, the longest drought for the Friars after their first win in 1976 except for a similar six year gap from 1980 to 1987. With an outstanding pack compression, Saint Anthony's is one of the top three teams in the state that will be vying for one of the two tickets at NXR-NY for the trip to Portland for Nationals.

Xavier is likely the only team with a shot at an upset here. The Knights also have a very good pack compression, and they had a speed rating of 162.0 with a split of 13 while winning the city's BQ-NY CHSAA title at VCP, while the Friars were at 169.6 and 14 out at Sunken Meadow while taking the NSCHSAA win. The CHSAA Intersectionals have had a fair amount of surprises in the last few years, but it would be a big one for St. Anthony's to miss out on its 20th title.

Far more competitive will be the battle for the six spots to the state Federation meet. Six teams appear to have serious shots at the four Feds berths behind St. Anthony's and Xavier, so the action there will be far more exciting than last year when the top six teams were far ahead of the rest of the field.

Aidan Brancaccio has been the frontrunner for Saint Anthony's this year after placing 37th last year in the CHSAA as a junior. He had by far the best rating in the sectional meets while winning the NSCHSAA race, so he should be well in the lead on Saturday.