Of course some of North Carolina’s top runners & teams will be elsewhere this weekend, but wait until you see who is running at UNCW.
** Important Note: The boy’s preview was written prior to the race assignments being released. Assignments will be out tomorrow as well as the girl’s preview.
Why go to UNCW to race?
• The UNCW course is known to be fast
• The UNCW staff puts on a great meet
• It’s the beach!
• The competition is always heated
All of these reasons will hold true on Saturday as 60 teams and 1,800 boys & girls travel to Wilmington to put on a show.
See the list of teams
Chapel Hill’s boys will not be attendance. They are the defending state champs and many teams are hoping to knock them off this year. Their boys began the season ranked #1 in the Preseason Poll, but with impressive showings from both Enloe and Green Hope, Chapel Hill is no longer ranked #1. Coaches saw something in both of these other teams, as Enloe and Green Hope received 1st place votes in the first regular season poll. There are other teams in the Midwest Region who are running well, too. Take a look at the 4A schools that could be primed to knock CH from the top.
4A Boys Top Teams at UNCW
Enloe is now ranked #1 in the 4A Coaches Poll and will look to prove that is true. They are led by the two “Nicks”, Nick Carter & Nick Graw. Both ran well in their first race of the season at the Kickoff Classic at SAS Soccer Complex. Yes, the Enloe team only ran a 3k, but they had 5 guys under 9:50.
Green Hope is another contender, ranked 3rd in the latest 4A Coaches Poll. They ran very well on an extremely hot day at McAlpine Park. Despite the rough conditions, Green Hope had 6 guys run 17:14 or better. I would say that should translate to 6 guys under 17:00 Saturday on the UNCW course.
Broughton HS, ranked #4 in the latest 4A Coaches Poll, is also very solid this season. They raced Enloe and others at the Kickoff Classic and placed 5 under 9:50, too. They did this without their top XC returner, Burke Staub.
South View has definitely been turning heads so far this season as well. They are currently ranked #5 in the 4A Coaches Poll and are moving up fast. The Tigers were 2nd to Green Hope at the Providence Invitational, and then last weekend dominated the Jungle Run. Look for them to having all of their scoring members under 17:00.
Pinecrest is without one of their top 5 in Mark Moon, but they still ran well at the Jungle Run. If you check out the video from the meet, you’ll notice that some of their gutsy runners competed in the dark with only one shoe on. Wait until they race with 2 shoes . . .
Cary, who is ranked #10 in the 4A Coaches Poll, just jumped into the top 10 with fine performances at the Kickoff Classic. They are led by Mohamed Abushouk, who had the 3rd fastest time at SAS Soccer Complex, 9:33. Greg Barnes of Cary also ran well with his 9:42.
Other teams to look out for will be: Hoggard who was 3rd at the Jungle Run, Ardrey Kell who began the year in the top 10, Leesville Rd. who looks to be coming into their own again, West Johnston even without Dakota Lowery is still strong, and East Chapel Hill who is always near the top. Mount Tabor, SE Raleigh, Millbrook, and NW Guilford are other programs with history.
The Championship race should be dominated by 4A teams for the most part, but also look for Providence Day School to mix it up with the big boys. PD is the 2-time defending 3A NCISAA state champs and are led by senior Clay Sankey.
Also, look for Sherando (VA) to battle for a top 10 finish. Sherando finished 5th last year at the Virginia AA boys' state championships. They only had one senior in their top 7, so they should be quite experienced and ready to take on some of NC's best.