Comparing the Top 4 Boys Teams (a prelude to final rankings)

All season I have been eager to see the top StanCo teams (those from the TVL and those from the MMC) compete head to head against each other. Well it never (ever) happens. Of course Gregori beat Modesto High in all 4 MMC meets this year (although at MMC 3 it was only by a point). Also Riverbank beat Hughson in all 3 TVL meets. Both leagues run meets at Legion Park. So one might think a direct comparison of times could at least be done...but no, they don't even ran on the same course. The Sub-Section meet was the first day that all four teams were on the same course on the same day. Again, a direct comparison was impossible due to the fact that the small schools didn't have to push "all out" in order to qualify for Sections. That left last week's Section meet to really see the pecking order of the top 4 StanCo teams...

Maybe the easiest comparison is the combined time of the top five runners for each team:
1. Modesto 1:27:41 (6th place in D1)
2. Gregori 1:27:42 (9th place in D2)
3. Riverbank 1:27:51 (1st place in D4)
4. Hughson 1:28:33 (3rd place in D4)

With this comparison the two MMC teams are separated by a mere one second and the come out on top of the TVL schools (but not by much).

I was interested what the results would be if I intermixed the individual runners' times as if they all ran in the same race (like an invitational):
1. Morrett (Hughson) 16:15
2. Figueroa (Riverbank) 16:51
3. Alania (Modesto) 17:06
4. Medina (Gregori) 17:11
5. B. Williams (Modesto) 17:24
6. Hallack (Modesto) 17:28
7. Beliera (Riverbank) 17:29
8. Moses (Gregori) 17:32
9. Arauza (Gregori) 17:37
10. Villagomez (Gregori) 17:37
11. Alcantara (Gregori) 17:45
12. Salazar (Riverbank) 17:47
13. Watkins (Hughson) 17:49
14. Brooks (Hughson) 17:49
15. Paradez (Riverbank) 17:49
16. A. Williams (Modesto) 17:51
17. DeLaO (Modesto) 17:52
17. Ortega (Gregori) 17:52
19. Gomez (Riverbank) 17:55
20. Sanders (Gregori) 18:09
21. McCraig (Modesto) 18:15
22. Lee (Hughson) 18:16
23 Arce (Hughson) 18:26

If I score this as an invitational it comes out as:
Gregori--4, 8, 9, 10, 11= 42
Modesto--3, 5, 6, 16, 17= 47
Riverbank--2, 7, 12, 15, 19= 55
Hughson--1, 13, 14, 22, 23= 73

If I score it as individual dual meets it comes out as:
G 24 v  R 32    G 20 v H 39    G 28 v M 27  (or G 28 v M 28 depending on the order of the 2 runners in 17th place)
M 26 v R 29   M 24 v H 33
R 24  v H 31

Looking at all this data it seems to me that the MMC schools got the best of the TVL schools at the Section meet. The ringing question is who comes out on top Modesto or Gregori? Gregori wins with invitational scoring. Modesto wins by a second off of total team time. Head to head MoHi wins by a point OR it is a tie depending on whether DeLaO or Ortega hits the line first...my verdict? Too close to call for this meet.