Mariah Howlett and Izzy Evely obviously took their summer training seriously, and that makes Lake Norman Charter one of the better teams in the state.
I've been wanting to get down to Concord to see the Cannon School course for a while now, and I'm glad that finally going to happen this weekend! The course is obviously challenging, based on the times, and teams have been going there to toughen up in the early part of their seasons for several years now. The meet also brings together an unusual blend of public and private schools, which makes for interesting match-ups that we might not see otherwise.
More Cannon Invitational Coverage
Boys Preview
Teams to Watch
This should be a very interesting cross-classification team battle, with Community School of Davidson and Hickory Ridge grading out almost completely equal using this season's results. The 1A Spartans have had a good start to the season, ranking among the top 25 teams in the state considering all classifications together, while the 3A Bulls are trying to their solid pack into position to allow them to take more than just 1 runner to the state meet this year. There could also be a spirited battle for 3rd in the team scores, with as many as 4 teams in contention for that spot.
Individuals to Watch
Alex Cornwell (Hickory Ridge) will be racing the course this weekend. He has already run 15:34 this fall, and nobody else in the field has threatened the 16-minute mark this season. Brandon Hernandez (A.L. Brown) comes the closest, and he is almost as far ahead of the 3rd-ranked guy in the race as he is behind Cornwell, so it might get a bit lonely at the front of this race. If anyone is going to give Hernandez a race for 2nd, it could be Quinn Schneider (Woodlawn School), who hasn't raced hard yet this year but ran under 16:30 last fall.
Girls Preview
Teams to Watch
Lake Norman Charter had one of the most impressive first meets of the year at the Providence Invitational, and now they're looking to prove that wasn't a fluke. The Knights will be a serious contender in 2A if they continue to run well, and this course will help toughen them up a bit. Charlotte Catholic also had a solid start to the year, and could gain confidence by running well against one of the better teams in the state. Community School of Davidson and Gray Stone Day are both 1A contenders, so it's always interesting to see them race early in the season.
Individuals to Watch
Mariah Howlett and Izzy Evely (Lake Norman Charter) both broke 19 at McAlpine, but it's a safe bet they will NOT repeat that feat here. Still, they should be out in front of the rest of this field, and may need to push each other to maintain focus. Keep an eye on Annie Habeeb (Gray Stone Day), who seemed content to pace with her teammates in their first major meet, who didn't open well at Providence but has been solidly under 20 in the past.
