Girls Preview

Sprints/Hurdles

This is definitely the most wide-open year for the sprints that I can remember, with no clear favorite in the 100 Dash coming into the meet. Jasmine Dawson (West Johnston), Breanna Lee (Butler), Katlyn Sherman (Parkland), and Tyra Lea (Wakefield) all ran within 0.03 seconds of each other last weekend, and with good races girls like Shakinah Brooks (Southeast Raleigh) and Sydnei Murphy (Apex) could certainly win. Lea is the favorite in the 200 as she continues to move toward the sub-24 time she has been gunning for all season. Her teammate Tiana Patillo is one of the chief contenders there, along with Dawson and Sherman. Patillo is also a force in the 400, where there are 5 girls who ran under 57 at the regionals last weekend. Cary's Layla White enters with the best time, considering either regional marks or season bests, while Jocelyn Culbreath (Reagan), McKinley McNeill (Parkland), and Jemay Ward (Wakefield) will all be in the hunt. Just like last year, Mollie Williams (Clayton) has had an up-and-down season but is turning it on at the right time, and she leads the rankings in the 100 Hurdles. Ebony Williams (Parkland) and Hunter Roberts (Southwest Guilford) will be gunning for her, though. In the 300 Hurdles, teammates Tametris Morrison and Jacklyn Howell (Southeast Raleigh) hold the top two seeds, but expect both Ebony and Mollie Williams to challenge.

Distance

The top four seeds in the 800 all came out of a competitive race in the Mideast, but that doesn't mean there won't be others getting involved in the chase for a title. Megan Sullivan (Broughton), who is NC #3 all-time in this event, is definitely the favorite, but Jennie Cunningham (Pinecrest) will not be defeated easily (and don't count out Providence's Gina Daniel). The outcome of the 800 could depend on the 1600, as Cunningham and Mattie Blue (Broughton) will be chasing freshman phenom Blair Ramsey (Grimsley) for the win in that race, and could be flat for the second event. Pegah Kamrani (East Chapel Hill) looks like a strong favorite in the 3200, where past champions and contenders have had major problems this year, although there could be a great race for second.

Field Events

Bre'anna Warren (Western Guilford) is the only girl in the entire meet that is seeded to win two events; she will not be seriously challenged in the discus, but could feel some pressure from 9th-grader Khayla Dawson (Olympic) in the shot put. Warren is still chasing the 45-foot mark in that event, and it's a big goal for her. Shakinah Brooks (Southeast Raleigh) has several 19-foot long jumps on her resume this season, and she probably only needs one this weekend to take the title. Dejah Hayes (Western Guilford) is the only competitor with a 38-foot triple jump this season, but there is enough talent behind her that she could be seriously pushed. Jocelyn Culbreath (Reagan), who hit 5' 8" and turned heads last summer, has duplicated that mark and also become a more consistent high jumper this spring. Amara Bell (Southeast Raleigh) and Bojo Jada (Ragsdale) have cleared 5' 6" this spring, and Gustell Preston (Mount Tabor) did it during the indoor season. Finally, the pole vault features two of the best ever from North Carolina, rivals and friends Kristen Lee (Wakefield) and Rayna Yvars (Green Hope). Lee set a new all-time state record at the regional with a mark of 13' 5", but the state meet has typically NOT produced improved heights in this event.

Relays/Team Scores

Wakefield has won the last three 4A outdoor team titles, but this year the competition is closer than it was in any of those. Southeast Raleigh and Parkland both have legitimate chances to win, and the final results could hinge heavily on the relays. Last year, Parkland capitalized on some Wakefield injuries to claim the 4x100 and 4x200; this year, an even stronger Mustangs team could pull off the win again, even versus a full-strength Wolverines squad. Southeast Raleigh is also capable of taking the 4x100, but if the meet comes down to the 4x400, you have to give the nod to Wakefield.

Boys Preview

Sprints/Hurdles

The 110 Hurdles might lack a dominant favorite, but the 4A athletes make up for that with a lot of depth, making the race extremely competitive. Jerome Beatty (Vance) and Malik Diggs (Scotland) have the top seeds, but 8th place comes in only 0.35 seconds behind first in this event. In the 300 Hurdles, though, expect Erin Jenkins (Vance) to pull away, as only Jenkins and Seth Pierce (Southeast Guilford) broke 39 last weekend (South View's Xavier Brown did so earlier this season). Xavier Jones (Ragsdale) has emerged as a force in the sprints, leading the 100 and 200 coming into the meet (and Jones is always a force in the 400). Defending 100 champion Jahmaal Daniel (Terry Sanford) will certainly not give the title up without a fight, and Jakara King-Penn (Reagan) is talented enough to contend. One of the intriguing stories in the sprints is the return of Bryce Love (Wake Forest-Rolesville), who tore up the summer track circuit two years ago but has not produced on the high school level yet. His best 200 time, run as a rising 9th-grader, would put him right in the thick of things (though Jones and Daniel would still appear to be the chief competitors). Expect the 400 to develop into one of the most exciting events of the day: Marquavious Johnson (Knightdale) and Jamaree Murray (Southeast Raleigh) both ran under 48 last week, and Kwame Donyinah (Myers Park) and Jones have done that previously in their careers.

Distance

Philip Hall (Terry Sanford) holds the top seed in both the 800 and the 1600, but Bakri Abushouk (Cary) has put all his eggs into the 1600 basket, and there is very little chance that he will concede. If Hall has enough legs left after that race to run his best in the 8, then the battle for second behind him could be spectacular. Four athletes ran 9:38 or 9:39 last weekend in the 3200, setting up a tremendous race Saturday; if you go by season bests, you have to give the nod to Nikolaus Kreiling (Jordan), but William Roberson (Broughton) and Ian Milder (Mount Tabor) should be right there.

Field Events

To me, the best match-up of the day is between Jon Beyle (East Chapel Hill) and Winston Craig (Ragsdale) in the throws. Beyle gets the nod in the shot put, having thrown over 60 feet twice in 2013, but Craig has an edge in the discus. Craig is 4th all-time in that event, with Beyle sitting at 10th, and if they get going they could shake up those rankings one more time. Chris Cubra (AC Reynolds) and Jalen Peterkin (Southern Durham) are also in the mix for the shot put. The top long jumper in the classification struggled at his regional and failed to advance, leaving the field wide open for the young man with the best ability to seize the opportunity. Daryl Napper (Glenn) has the top seed, but there are 5 jumpers within 9 inches of his regional mark, including Hillside freshman Marcus Krah. Kimani Hoffman (Knightdale) is the favorite in the triple jump, the only athlete in the 4A ranks to have gone 46 feet this season in what has shaped up to be the weakest year in recent memory for this event. Elijah Edwards (Garinger) jumped 6' 8" early this season and then matched that last weekend, but there are several 6' 6" jumpers that will be gunning for him. The pole vault is also wide open based on regional marks, as vaulters around the state struggled last weekend. Thomas Popek (Ragsdale) and Kevin Schmidt (Cary) tie for the top seed, while Luke Ward (Mount Tabor) has jumped 14 feet. Phillip Thomas (Cary) cleared 15' 1" in a college meet this spring, but hasn't been higher than 14' 6" since then; still, that is enough to make him a slight favorite.

Relays/Team Scores

Knightdale appears to be invincible, but that can be an illusion at the state meet. Ragsdale has a good chance to claim second place, but may not have the depth to mount a serious charge for first. Likewise for Terry Sanford, a team powered by only two main scorers. That means Knightdale has more margin for error than anyone else, and that is bad news for teams hoping to prevent a three-peat. And why is Knightdale so strong? Just look at the relays: the Knights ran the fastest times last weekend in three of the four, and lost only to Cary in the 4x800. The 4x100 is probably the best chance for teams to upset Knightdale, as even the slightest bobble could allow Scotland, Mallard Creek, Wake-Forest Rolesville, or E.E. Smith to get past. Don't expect Knightdale to lose their signature event, the 4x400, though.