Girls | Boys

It looks like the weather is going to come together just in time for the NCHSAA 1A State Championship on Friday, at North Carolina A&T in Greensboro. That should be good news for the athletes that have slogged through one of the coldest, wettest springs that I can remember. This year's 1A meet features an unusually high number of athletes that can dominate in multiple events, even for a classification that often produces stars but rarely has much depth. You will hear the same names called many times throughout the day, and some of these likely repeat champions will be back next year, which could lead to some gaudy career numbers. Check out the previews by event groups below.

Girls Preview

Sprints/Hurdles

Reneazia Collins (Monroe) will try to follow in the footsteps of her namesake and former teammate, Janeiyah, who won the MVP award last spring. This Collins (no relation, by the way) is the top seed in the 100 Hurdles and the 200, and she is the defending champ in the 400, where she will compete again this year. Sloan Williams (W-S Prep) has both the top regional time and the top season best in the 100 dash, and her 200 has improved enough to make her a threat. Williams has also taken up the 300 hurdles lately and ran fast enough to win her regional in that event. Madison Sigmon (South Davidson) is the top seed in the long hurdles, but Williams has the speed to rise to the occasion.

Distance

Malia Ellington (Community School of Davidson) is a virtual lock to win all three distance races, and Shawnda Martin (Robbinsville) is a strong second seed in all three. That could very well leave everyone else running for third place. In terms of strategy, it would appear that Martin's best shot will be in the 800, but she might have to sacrifice her potential success in the 3200 to make that happen.

Field Events

Hailey Cook (Hendersonville) is one of two superstars of the 1A state meet, as she currently ranks 6th in the history of the state for the shot put and 12th all-time in the discus. She comes in with 6-foot and 21-foot advantages over the next-best seed in those events, and she will be gunning for her 4th straight title in each event, but she will not be content with simply winning. Go watch her compete, and there is a very good chance you will see something memorable. Makayla Roten (West Wilkes) is one of the most versatile athletes in the state: in addition to being the top seed in the high jump, she will also compete in the triple jump and pole vault. Tess Rogers (North Stokes) is the favorite in the vault, and she is attempting to win her third consecutive outdoor title.

Teams to Watch

Bishop McGuinness has the fastest 4x800 time this season among 1A schools, and could decide to push for a sub-10 time; if so, they will likely leave the other teams behind. Monroe chooses to put their best sprinters into the 4x200, and they will dominate that event as long as they get the baton around. Winston-Salem Prep has the top 4x100 team, while Monroe hopes to close out the meet with a strong 4x400. The Monroe girls are dominant, and it would be a serious upset for anyone to beat them on Friday. It looks like the battle for the second place trophy could be exciting, with Winston-Salem Prep and Bishop McGuinness both having a shot. The next two teams in the virtual meet would be West Wilkes and Community School of Davidson, whichwould give the Midwest 1A a clean sweep of the top 3 spots! The only team standing in the way of that appears to be Robbinsville.

Boys Preview

Sprints/Hurdles

Trentavis Friday is the other superstar of this meet, a young man who is staking his claim to the title of top NC sprinter with every race he runs. Last spring he emerged with a 48.18 400 at this meet, and now he enters with the fastest 100 time in the state. The young man is the top seed in all three sprint races, and Trentavis will not be pushed on Friday (his last name is a treasure-trove of great one-liners for announcers and reporters, by the way). Here's hoping that he will continue to run into the postseason. Hunter Walker (North Rowan) is carrying on a proud Cavalier tradition by holding the top seed in the 110 hurdles, and he will be in the mix in a very competitive 300 hurdles where Ethan Bischoff (Heide Trask) is the pre-race favorite.

Distance

There are two teams that bring multiple distance runners to this meet, and it will be interesting to see how that plays out (might some of them drop a race here or there to save energy for others?). Mitchell has Zach Boone, the #1 seed in the 1600 and 3200, along with Brandon King (#2 in 1600 & 3200) and Chase Stevens (#1 in 800). Science & Math may not have the big-name runners of the past few years, but they still bring plenty to the table with Josh Rees-Jones and Chatham Ellwanger. Keep an eye on Elijah Inuwah (Central Academy of Technology), who is a strong 800 runner, and Dylan Johnson (Hayesville) in the 3200.

Field Events

Interestingly, there is a different top seed in each field event. Together, Wesley Porter and Joshua Smith make one potent throwing combo: the Heide Trask teammates hold the #1 rankings in the shot and discus, respectively. High jumper Samuel Allen (West Wilkes) cleared 6' 10" at his home facility earlier this season, and 6' 8" in two different meets, but not since March. Even a jump of 6' 6", which he has done pretty consistently, should earn him the title, but something higher would be exciting. Jamaz Richardson (Lejeune) is the only jumper in the field over 22 feet; in fact, nobody even cleared 21 at their regional.

Teams to Watch

The guys from Heide Trask could get a big boost to their title hopes if they can live up to their #1 seeds in the 4x200 and 4x400. Union posted a strong 4x100 time last weekend and they could run away with it, while the 4x800 looks very competitve (at least 4 schools have a legitimate chance to win). The team competition will be up in the air in this one, with Trask facing off against defending champion North Rowan and a strong Monroe team. This could come down to the last event!