James' Boys Picks
Editor's Comments
In 4A, It's Green Hope's world and we are all just living in it. In 3A, The Spartans of Mount Tabor are invading after their move down from 4A and teams like Chapel Hill and Weddington will hope to rise to the occasion and defend their territory. There is no lack of individual talent on the rise this season that could totally change the dynamic of a team, and these rankings are sure to be in shambles by the end of week one. Here are my best guesses at how things will shake out, feel free to show me why I'm wrong.
| RANK | TEAM | LAST RESULT | COMMENTS |
|---|---|---|---|
1 0 | This could end up being one of the best teams North Carolina has seen in... well, ever. I expect for this squad to have aspirations beyond Ivey Redmond in December, | ||
2 0 | Broughton is like the Patriots, or Alabama football, or the Yankees. Don't expect a down year. Coach DC will be looking to keep the state crown on the Raleigh side of the triangle if Green Hope isn't careful. | ||
3 0 | They bring a trio of 4A's finest down to 3A, and Coach Cromwell has a knack for building winners, so don't expect that distant 5 runner spot to be an issue for long. | ||
4 0 | Yes, this new school belongs here among the state's most historic powerhouses. Don't believe it? Let Wesley Provost and his talented pack show you. | ||
5 0 | The distance powerhouse has all but perfected pack running, and that gives them a good chance at competing with Tabor for the top spot in 3A if they can use their always impressive 1-5 split to exploit Tabor's gap. | ||
6 0 | The 1-5 split is flashy, but Cary urgently needs to build depth behind that to move up in these rankings, which they've shown as a program that they are capable of doing. | ||
7 0 | |||
8 0 | Panther Creek has one of the best problems in running by not having a clear cut number one. Between Joey Bream and Jarred Komyati. expect the friendly competition to help this team find another gear. | ||
9 0 | |||
10 0 | Behind the lil bro John Tatter, the real factors to watch are the guys behind him. Ward and Andrew Rawlings are looking to make the most of their senior year, and some coaching consistency could have RJR feeling confident heading into this season despite losing two of their top three a season ago. | ||
11 0 | Connor Lane is irreplaceable, but Sam Thornton is motivated to prove that Cardinal Gibbons is a program to be reckoned with and can fill the vacuum in the Midwest left by the departure of Mount Tabor. | ||
12 0 | |||
13 0 | Like Cary Academy above them, Northern Guilford has an insanely fast front man that is a threat to run away with the race every time he steps on the course. The talent behind David Melville is there, but Melville will need to bring his teammates up to a new level to compete with Weddington and Mount Tabor at 3A Midwest. | ||
14 0 | Count me in on the David Cart hype train. If the senior can find the form he had last year at regionals, then Apex has a very capable and talented runner leading their effort. | ||
15 0 | Noah Dolhare is due for a monster season if you've paid any attention to him on the track. In fact, if you paid attention to PD's team on the track at all you will see why I have them 11 spots higher than their statistical returning ranking. | ||
16 0 | |||
17 0 | |||
18 0 | |||
19 0 | |||
20 0 | |||
21 0 | |||
22 0 | |||
23 0 | Haven Honeycutt showed that he is a beast on the track this spring, and he is a rising star of NC distance running in any classification. Having him as a low stick up front should help set the tone for this team. | ||
24 0 | Brian Risse and Jackson Cathey hope to capitalize on the move down to 2A and warrant North Lincoln's spot in this rankings, with a strong potential squad behind them. | ||
25 0 |