A host of schools from across the northwest portion of the state will get their first opportunity to test out the state course today at the Carrollton Orthopaedic Invitational on the Carrollton City Schools campus.

Central and Carrollton are the only local schools competing from the bunch, with the Lions getting things started in the Class A-AAA boys varsity race at 8 a.m., followed by the Lady Lions hitting the course for the A-AAA girls varsity race at 8:30 a.m.

The host Trojans will start at 11 a.m. in the AAAA-AAAAA boys varsity race, with the Lady Trojans starting at 11:30 a.m. in the AAAA-AAAAA girls varsity competition.

Carrollton coach Mike Mason said with ideal weather expected this morning and early afternoon, he’s looking forward to a solid showing.

Mason said they had to tweak the course a little bit this year to measure it by the tangents, noting that it won’t change much but overall times may be a little slower.

Leading the Trojans this season are a trio of seniors in Cassidy Emory, Chris Foster and Nathan Trippe.

“They’ve done a great job of leading the team so far. And what’s been exciting is having a freshman, North Carter, he’s really stepped up and ran well and worked his way into the top seven. So we’re real excited about him,” Mason said.

For the Lady Trojans, junior Emily Adams has been the top runner early in the year.

“She’s a junior, but she provides great leadership for the girls. She’s always positive and does a great job with the workouts. I just look at her to continue to get faster, along with some of the other girls,” Mason said.