High Jump: Two of North Carolina's best jumpers go head-to-head here, with Steve Fossi-Noue (Mallard Creek) and his 6' 8.75" PR taking on Jordan Dale (Northwest Guilford), who has cleared 6' 8". Both of them could be looking up at Phillip Lee (Boyd Anderson FL), who went 6' 9" last spring.
Shot Put: Current state leader Daniel McArthur (Mooresville) will face the top returning thrower in NC, Terrell Adams (Middle Creek). Both have indoor bests in the 53-foot range, which should lead to a spirited battle for the win! Behind the two favorites, there should also be a secondary competition for third place, with Andrew Halvorson (Higher Power) hoping to open the season well - that's a tradition among his club teammates, who work very hard in the fall and often start the winter ahead of previous years.
55 Hurdles: Top returner Marcus Krah (Hillside) makes his indoor debut (he has run 7.46 outdoors), and he will race the guys with the current NC #1 and #2 indoor times, Brent Carroll (Berry) and Elliott Graves (Reidsville). Don't be surprised if Benjamin McMillan (Hough) also gets into the think of that competition.
55 Dash: The boys' short sprint is just as competitive as the girls' race on the previous slide, but you have to hunt a little harder to find the true top seeds amid a sea of hand times and "generous estimates." Daniel Estrada (Northwest Guilford) is the top returner in the state and the top seed in this race, with Kadarius Lotharp (Sun Valley) looking to build on his awesome 3A Outdoor State Meet performance and move up in the rankings. Cravont Charleston (Mallard Creek) and Myles Breedlove (West Charlotte) are two other guys with seemingly lower seeds that should be in the finals. Likewise for Brent Carroll (Berry) and Jeremy Massenburg (Wakefield). As always, the most interesting thing about this race is finding out just how bad some of the hand times around the state really are.
4x200 Relay: This race always holds interest, if only because of the challenging (and potentially destructive) exchanges, which can devolve into NASCAR-style crashes at times. Making this one even more special, the #1 team in the state, South View, will take on several strong challengers. Hillside, Parkland, and Wakefield have all proven their ability in this race time and again. Glenn appears to have a talented team this year, and West Rowan has sprinters entered all over the meet - if they are for real, the Falcons could make this very interesting.
500 Dash: I'm really looking forward to this one! The top returner in North Carolina and current state leader, Jayon Woodard (Southeast Raleigh), will take on talented challenger and #2 returner R.J. Russell (Richlands). As if that wasn't enough, you can add Lorenzo Graise (Parkland) and Kokayi Cobb (Christ School) to the mix! Emmanuel Daniels (West Meck) and Nolan Patrick (SW Guilford) could also make the top 5 out of the second section.
1000 Run: Former Southeast Raleigh runner Jayquan Williams, now at Green Hope, holds the top seed in a very competitive field. He will have teammate Henry Pehr in the race, plus Christian Pigues (Trinity Academy); all three have been under 2:36 indoors at some point. There could be a second group in the 2:37 range trying to engage the leaders, with James Gildard (East Chapel Hill), Marquise McGee (Z.B. Vance), and Paul Arredondo (Cape Fear) among the leading candidates there. Don't be surprised if Noah Shore (Asheville) drops a good time, too.
300 Dash: The current state leader, Ky-Mani Dula (Southern Alamance) will square off against the top returner in the state, Dylan Peebles (Wakefield). It will also be interesting to see how Daniel Estrada (Northwest Guilford) does in the longer sprint, which hasn't been his forte in the past.
4x400 Relay: Three of the top 4 squads in NC are entered here - Parkland, Wakefield, and South View. Add Southeast Raleigh to the mix (they don't have a big time yet this season, but the Bulldogs always run this race well) and you have a formula for an excellent conclusion to the day!
Athletes to Watch
Steve Fossi-Noue: In addition to the High Jump (see above), the versatile Mallard Creek athlete will be in the triple jump, where he will square off with someone else on this list.
Elijah Cole: He opened his indoor season with an all-time PR of 15' 4", showing that he definitely put in the offseason work. The Millbrook senior could get some competition from Joseph Popek (Ragsdale) and Bailey Frederick (Marvin Ridge), but he could also run away with the vault competition.
Marcus Krah: The top returner in the state in the triple jump, he could have his hands full with Fossi-Noue. The Hillside senior is also a prohibitive favorite in the long jump, where he is the only guy in the field that has gone beyond 23 feet.
Alex Cornwell: After a great fall season, the Hickory Ridge senior is ready to prove his chops on the track, and he is the top seed in the 1600.
Zackary Marchinko: A fever robbed him of the chance to run for the 3A state title in cross country, and you can BET that he has been motivated in training since then! The Carson senior, who will join Cornwell at UNC Charlotte next year, will be a contender for the state title in the 3200 this winter.
Teams to Watch
South View: The Tigers have strong relays - their outdoor times are currently NC #6 in the 4x800, NC #1 in the 4x200, and NC #4 in the 4x400. That kind of depth also results in some individual points, and South View has a good chance to take home the team title here.
Green Hope: although the Falcons are missing one key runner, they still have enough talent across multiple event groups to contend for the overall win.
Asheville: the Cougars hold the top indoor time in the 4x800, and as usual they have strength in the field events.
West Rowan: Loaded with sprinters that have strong hand times, the Falcons need to prove themselves under the glare of the FAT system.