NCHSAA 1A Boys Preview
Athletes to Watch
Laith Nickell (North Stokes) has the top seed in the pole vault after jumping 13 feet last weekend, but Cooper Reinert (Swain) has been over 13' 6" earlier this season. Nickell was the indoor state champ, and he will have his work cut out for him if he wants to add an outdoor title this season. The high jump could also come down to a 2-man battle, between top regional competitor Jacob Lewis (Robbinsville) and Donovan Green (Mount Airy). Both have cleared 6' 4" this season, but Green only made it over 6 feet last weekend. There is also a veritable fleet of guys that have been over 6' 2", two of whom accomplished that last weekend. Haji McDaniels (Walkertown) is the heavy favorite in the triple jump, having posted a top mark of 45' 7" this season, well over a foot beyond the next-best competitor. Fred Evans (West Columbus) has a long jump PR of 23' 6.5", but he only managed 22' last weekend; that could open the door for Tyler Leek (Hayesville) or Da'Rod Crutchfield (Lejeune) to take the win, as both have been in the 22's.
Gabriel King (Mount Airy) has the best chance of any field event athlete to bring home double gold from Friday's meet. He is the slight favorite in the shot put with his best of 54' 8.75", just ahead of the 53' 4.25" posted by Ross Lucia (North Stokes). King is even stronger in the discus, where his PR of 149' 7" gives him a 5-foot advantage over second-seeded Lucia. Ben Cox (Riverside) posted the top regional time in the 110 Hurdles at 15.14; Trey Lomax (Starmount) has run the same as a converted hand time, but ran 15.40 FAT at his regional. Raleigh Charter's Enoch Cheung is the only athlete in the classification that has broken 40 seconds in the 300 Hurdles, which makes him the favorite.
Matthew Rogers (Walkertown) went all-in for the 1600 at his regional, and it paid off with a top seed of 4:29.88. However, Madison Daniel (Research Triangle) has also run under 4:30 this season, so this should be an exciting two-man duel up front.
Events to Watch
The 800 Run should be intense, with three guys who have run 2:01.10 or better this season. Travis Gallimore (South Davidson) leads the list at 2:00.20, and Madison Daniel (Research Triangle) has run 2:00.35 this spring - but he ran 1:59 last year, as did Jeremy Kankula (Atkins). Adam Urbaniuk (Hayesville) also has the potential to contend for the win in this one. The 3200 Run should also be fun to watch, with top seed Jacob Parker (Elkin) facing competition from Kyle Rhodes (East Wilkes) and Jacob McGee (North Stokes). All three are under 10:10, and all three are familiar foes, since they hail from the Midwest Region.
The top three competitors in the 400 Dash all ran within 0.23 seconds of each other last weekend, and that could make this a very interesting final. Do keep in mind, though, that Tony Davis (Atkins) has run 49.52 this season, the only one of the three to have broken 50, which does give him an advantage. Raekwon Bryant (Hobbton) and Zack Barnes (Rosewood) could end up battling for second if Davis was just cruising at his regional.
Behind the top two in the Shot Put, there should be an intense battle for the final two spots on the podium. Raekwon Mourning (Southside) and Da'Ome Mallory (Perquimans) both threw over 47 at their regionals, and Jalen Price (Riverside) did the same earlier in the year. With 4 more guys in the 46-foot range, we could be in for an interesting double battle - King and Lucia up front, then a whole pack of throwers not far behind.
The best battles of the day could come in the two shortest races, though. Sophomore Josh Polk (Hobbton) is a star in the making, and he could accelerate his ascension with strong performances in the 100 Dash and 200 Dash. He will enter Friday as the second seed in the 100 behind Jeremiah Wilson (Riverside), but the two are very evenly matched - and there are at four other boys in the race with legit times of 10.85 or faster! Polk holds the top seed and the top season best in the 200, having run 21.90 earlier in the year. Isaiah Cole (Bessemer City), Fred Evans (West Columbus), and Justin Pendegrass (Mountain Island Charter) may find themselves battling for second in that event.
Teams to Watch
South Davidson has the best 4x400 and 4x800 teams in the meet; they will be pushed by Avery (and maybe several others) in the latter race, but the Wildcats are capable of dominating the 4x8. West Montgomery is a strong #1 seed in the 4x100 after running 42.95 last weekend, fully half a second faster than anyone else in 1A this season. In the 4x200, Mount Airy enters with a time of 1:30.07, which is over a second faster than their next-best competitor. If those two squads can get the baton around safely, they should win.
North Stokes has a chance to repeat as the 1A team champion, but it won't be easy. Several teams appear to be within striking range, including chief competitor Mount Airy. Walkertown, South Davidson, and Hobbton could also contend for spots in the top 2.