Junior Desmond Jackson is the only high school athlete in the state that can truly say he has a legitimate chance to qualify for competition in Rio this summer.
In truth, every event at the 4A state meet is an event to watch! The championship for the state's largest schools has only gotten deeper and more talented as more athletes and programs invest in the winter season. That's because it has become clear that winter track is incredibly valuable to any team that wants to build for long-term success. You can find a little bit of everything in this meet, but let's look at the events, athletes, and teams that REALLY stand out, even at this level:
Events to Watch
- Wheelchair Events: As awareness of adaptive participation in our sport continues to grow, hopefully we will see more head-to-head competition like we have in this meet. Gracie Chaluga (West Forsyth) and Cara King (Apex) will square off in the girls' shot put and 55, while Omar Sanchez (Broughton) and Christopher Coke (Ragsdale) compete in the boys' events. Sanchez and King are veterans who are back from last winter, but Chaluga and Coke have been solid in their first seasons.
- Girls High Jump: The favorite is Kenya Livingston (Rocky River), the only girl in the state over 5' 7" this winter (and she has done it twice). It might take more than that to win Saturday, though - both Kayla Nesbitt-McEwen (High Point Central) and Sarah Timberlake (West Forsyth) have cleared 5' 6" and seem poised to break through to a new height soon. Wouldn't it be great to see all three jumping at 5' 8"?
- Girls 4x800 Relay: If Leesville Road runs anywhere close to their season best of 9:16, they won't be touched. However, the race behind them will be INTENSE, with Green Hope leading 6 more sub-10 teams that could be jockeying for position all race (plus two more teams that are just above 10 that could end up well below before the race is over). Will the battles between these teams allow the Pride to pull away, or will they push the whole pack forward and into contention?
- Girls 55 Dash: When the top 10 girls all have FAT times and are separated by a TOTAL of 0.12 seconds, you know you're going to have exciting trials! Charminiqu Hackney (Cary) is the slight favorite, but she has Cambrea Sturgis (A.L. Brown), Tamara Clark (High Point Central), and Lauren White (Rolesville) breathing down her neck, among others. In an event where a slight delay in reacting to the gun or a miniscule stumble can cost you a few hundredths of a second, this one is going to be a challenge for the timers to sort out!
- Boys 55 Dash: Cravont Charleston (Mallard Creek) doesn't have the top seed time in this race, but he established himself as the favorite by winning the Elite 60 last weekend at the David Oliver Classic. In that race, he best his two chief competitors, Daniel Estrada (Northwest Guilford) and Jawan Miller (Hopewell). Still, the three are very close to each other, and that should make for a great rematch up front.
- Boys 4x200 Relay: The 4x200 is always fun to watch, but this year's boys race could be particularly interesting with more teams qualified than ever before. Looking at indoor times, Green Hope is the favorite, but unless there is a scratch among the top 6 the Falcons could be relegated to the second-fastest section. On the other hand, that gives them the opportunity to score more than the virtual meet predicted in this event! Providence, Parkland, Hopewell, & Glenn also have good indoor times and experience with the tighter curves; on the other hand, two of the top 5 seeds have not run under 1:34 indoors this season.
- Girls 1600 Run: Last weekend we saw Elly Henes (Green Hope) win a duel with Blair Ramsery (Grimsley), both going under 5 minutes. Add in Sara Platek (Ragsdale), who has been off from competition for two weeks, and you have the makings of a big race! There could also be an incredibly competitive second pack, with 5 girls seeded between 5:11 and 5:13.
- Boys 1000 Run: This looks like the most exciting of the three boys' distance races, with the potential for three big guns to square off. Connor Peeples (Cardinal Gibbons) is the top seed, with Jayquan Williams (Green Hope) certainly capable of challenging him. Henry Pehr (Green Hope) has also been right in the mix all season. One other variable: Pehr and Peeples are both entered in the 1600, while Williams is not.
- Girls 300 Dash: What a final section! Three girls that are already under 40: Charla Ward (Ragsdale), Tamara Clark (High Point Central), and Breanne Bygrave (Wakefield). Two more girls that are right on the cusp of breaking 40: Cambrea Sturgis (A.L. Brown) and McKinley McNeill (Parkland). Could we see all 5 under 40, and maybe even a threat to the 39-second barrier?
- Boys 300 Dash: Even if Dylan Peebles can't run (the Wakefield senior was hurt earlier this season), this could be a barn-burner. Ky-Mani Dula (Southern Alamance) has also been dinged up (see below), but he is the favorite if healthy. Jawan Miller (Hopewell), Jayon Woodard (Southeast Raleigh), and Junpai Dowdy (South Meck) are all capable of winning with a good race.
Athletes to Watch
- Desmond Jackson (Hillside): Most fans of the sport are already familiar with the state's premier high school Paralympian, as he has been scoring points for his team in state meets for a few years now. This is the start of something even more special, though, because this is an Olympic year, and that means there will also be a Paralympic Games in Rio this summer! It will be fun to watch his progress toward that ultimate goal as the outdoor season progresses, and this is just another stepping stone along the way.
- Marcus Krah (Hillside): He has only been competing indoors for two weeks, but he has a chance to win three events. He is heavily favored in the hurdles, but he has a strong opponent in each horizontal jump: Jordan Johnson (East Forsyth) in the long jump, and the next guy on our list in the triple jump.
- Steve Fossi-Noue (Mallard Creek): It has been a bit of a weird season for Fossi-Noue, one in which he has primarily competed unattached. He did qualify in the high jump, where his all-time PR would be the best of the field, and in the triple jump. That second event brings a showdown with the top returner, Mr. Krah, that all of us would like to see!
- Khayla Dawson (Olympic): She's been pretty quiet this winter, but her season best of 48' 1.5" puts her within a foot of the all-time state meet record. She also wants to hit 50 feet. Badly.
- Terrell Adams (Middle Creek): He's been the top thrower in the state all winter, and the only one over 56 feet. If he throws well, this is his title to claim; if not, Daniel McArthur (Mooresville) or Chetney Taylor (Ragsdale) could steal it from him.
- Chesney Ward (Ragsdale): Speaking of Ragsdale athletes, Ward is tied for US #8 right now with her 13 foot season best (which she has done twice). That puts her less than one inch below the all-time state record, and a full 6 inches ABOVE the current state meet record. It will be interesting to see how she chooses her heights if she can eliminate the rest of the competition. Don't be surprised if Zoe Early (Apex) catches fire, though, and gives Ward a run for her money.
- Elijah Cole (Millbrook) & Joseph Popek (Ragsdale): Two 15' 6" vaulters square off Saturday night, and if all goes according to plan it will just be the two of them for the last few heights.
- Breanne Bygrave (Wakefield): She has had to operate in the big shadow cast by the state's all-time best hurdler, as they are in the same graduating class. We haven't missed Bygrave's special performances, though, and this is her chance to shine. A state meet record (the current one is 7.81, only 0.05 faster than her season best) is definitely within her ability range.
- Southeast Raleigh Girls 4x200 & 4x400: The Bulldogs have been special all season, but they still have room to improve when it comes to all-time rankings. This may not be the meet for that, though - the state meet is compressed and is more about grinding out points for a potential team championship. Still, SER has run under the current state meet record in the 4x4, so that bears watching on Saturday night.
- Kenny Kneisel (Mount Tabor): The top seed in the 1600 and 3200, he looked very strong while winning the Elite Mile last weekend. He will have to hold off Henry Pehr in the 1600, if the Green Hope senior elects to race there, and the 3200 will bring Connor Lane (Cardinal Gibbons) as challenger, but Kneisel is capable of winning both.
- McKinley McNeill (Parkland): How would you feel if you ran under 1:15 and were still well over a second out of the top seed in the 500? That's what Kleo Torres (Southeast Raleigh) and Shellbi Chapman (Leesville Road) feel, as McNeill is the all-time state record holder in this race. Will she go all-out and try to crush Layla White's state meet record of 1:14.10, or will she hold back a bit to make a run at winning the 300 also? If she holds back more than a bit, she could find herself in a world of trouble from Torres and Chapman, so expect her to let if roll and see what happens with the 300 later.
- Ky-Mani Dula (Southern Alamance): If he's healthy, he has the potential to claim to wins, in the 500 and 300. However, he sat out last weekend to nurse a minor injury, so we hope that's all cleared up and he's ready to rock.
- Elly Henes (Green Hope) & G'Jasmyne Butler (Leesville Road): The strategic decisions of these two athletes could affect several races. Will Henes run the 1000 or the 3200 (or will she attempt the triple?). Will Butler be running for max points in both the 1600 and 1000, or will she drop the former and challenge for a title in the latter? If Henes opts for the 3200 and Butler runs both races, then the 1000 could become a runaway for Taylor Delaney (South View). Meanwhile, Henes and Sara Platek (Ragsdale) in the 3200 could be an epic duel, but only if both are reasonable fresh.
Teams to Watch
Green Hope has the early advantage in the competition for the boys' team title, but they could have close competition from Broughton and Mount Tabor - and that make the boys 4x800 and 4x200 interesting. If either the Caps or Spartans struggle, Mallard Creek and Cardinal Gibbons could get into the mix for a podium finish, but they would both be hard-pressed to catch the Falcons. On the girls' side, Southeast Raleigh has been gaining momentum all season, and they could roll to the title. That is, unless Leesville Road can catch fire on Saturday evening, as the Pride are the closest competitor to the Bulldogs. Leesville Road could have its hands full with holding off Parkland, Green Hope, Wakefield, & Ragsdale for second place.
More NCHSAA State Meet Coverage
- Schedules, Performance Lists, Meet Info, Previous Results: