2A Midwest Preview
Boys Teams to Watch
The top 5 squads are separated by 50 points, and the difference between 3rd and 5th in the virtual meet for this race is only 9 points! In reality, there are 6 teams with legitimate chances to get out of this region, and the order is anybody's guess. CATA has been the best during the season so far, but Surry Central has also been quite good. Even more interesting is the 4-way battle for 3rd place, which also means that only two of the 4 can advance. Mt. Pleasant, West Wilkes, and West Stanly are virtually identical, with Salisbury lurking not far behind.
Boys Individuals to Watch
With only three runners in the region under 17 and none below 16:30, this is a toss-up, too. Josh Weirich (CATA) is the top returner in the region, but Dakota Mendenhall (Forbush) has the best time this season. If they falter, CATA's #2 runner, Alex Merrill, is also capable of getting a top-2 finish. Seth Harper (West Stanly) has an excellent chance to break 17 for the first time, as this race sets up perfectly for him to stick with the leaders.
Girls Teams to Watch
This is shaping up to be quite an interesting race, with no breakaway favorites and a top 4 all within striking range of the win. CATA holds the #1 ranking in our database, but their margin over West Stanly is not large enough for them to feel secure there. Forbush has a good shot at second and an outside chance to win the whole thing, and you can say the same for Parkwood. And while West Davidson is probably not in range of the top 2, the Dragons ARE capable of sneaking into the top 4 and advancing to the state meet.
Girls Individuals to Watch
Brittany Stanley (Mt. Pleasant) has been a beast all season; her only "loss" was against the current state leader and the defending 4A champion at the NCRunners Elite Invitational. Kaitlin Stone (West Stokes) is no joke, though, and don't be surprised if this duel is better in person than it looks on paper. West Stanly's Lefler McManus and Parkwood's Anna Bristle are the only two others in the race who have broken 20, and while they may not be able to stick with the two front-runners, they should have an interesting battle of their own.