My CA rankings with some notes on their known basic roster changes (although there's lots of unknowns about incoming Freshmen and transfers):
Top 3 CA teams should go to NXN.
1. Buchanan lost their #3, 6, 7. Who cares? They'll dominate. Their super freshmen from last year should improve, of course... and I'm sure they've got a crop of new Freshmen this year, as always. They'll win State, and could win NXN.
2. J Serra lost their #2 from State (Polay was usually their #1), and has 2 super Freshman coming in. Elbaz is better at shorter distances, so her being #1 might not be good enough for them, but they're so deep, they'll cash in on their annual trip to NXN.
3. Del Norte lost their #2. With a few seniors, they will podium in D1. Might even find their way to NXN. Hong was the #2 soph in the State.
4. Santiago lost their #1 (Blade) and #3 and they supposedly have a super Freshman coming in. They're well coached and are always in the mix, but Braelyn Combe can't do it alone, so all those other Seniors on that State Champ 4x800 team need to step up this year without Blade.
5. Oak Ridge - Only lost their #1. Young team, and they can do some damage this year.
6. El Toro lost their #4 and 5, but the rest of team is very young. They could end up #2 on this list if the youngsters improve faster than everyone else's upperclassmen.
7. Saint Francis lost #3 and 5. Young and hungry, and could challenge El Toro for D2 State title.
8. Trabuco lost their #1, 4, 5. Enjoy 2024, your run is probably over.