4A Boys Indoor Preview
Photos by Mark Keenen
New Bern looks to be the favorite, but there are a number of teams ready to pull off the victory. New Bern is loaded with talent, from the relays, to the middle distance, to the sprints, to the horizontal jumps – they will be very tough to beat. However, East Forsyth, led by Dylan Ferris will look to steal a victory. Another team, flying under the radar, may be West Charlotte. This team has sprints, middle distance, and relays, too. Some other teams that will be towards the top could be: Wakefield, Knightdale, SE Raleigh, Butler, and Vance.
Shot Put
Ardrey Kell’s Giavonni Scott is the leader in this event. He has thrown just over 51 this winter. NW Guilford’s Jared Stalling is close behind with a toss of 50-11. It looks to be a race between these two, as they are the only ones over 49 feet.
Long Jump
Mike Price of New Bern will look to get his team off to a great start by winning the event he is favored in. He has leaped out to 23-06.50 this winter, with a best of 22-10.75 indoors, 13th in the US. This will be no easy task as Pine Forest’s jumping specialist, Lincoln Carr is right behind Mike. Lincoln’s best of 22-07.75, ranked 23rd in the US, was only 3 inches behind Price’s best indoor jump. Also, Mike Daniels of SE Raleigh is right there with a jump of 22-07.50, 24th in the US. Let’s hope this event as it appears it could be, with 6 guys with marks at 22-04 or better.
Triple Jump
Lincoln Carr gets the top seed this time around, as he is the 11th best in the US so far this season. He is over 2 feet further than the 2nd best, Jared Baldwin of Page. This should be Lincoln’s event to win. New Bern’s Mike Price, seeded 4th, will try and gain valuable points for them in the triple jump as well.
High Jump
Cary’s Mike Graham is the event leader with a jump of 6-04. There are 4 others with jumps of 6-02, and 3 others with leaps of 6-00. Of the teams looking for a team title, SE Raleigh has 1 entry and New Bern does as well. Only 8 athletes are entered in the event.
Pole Vault
Don’t let the 15-00 entry for Scott Houston of NW Guilford fool you. This vaulter has set a new All-Time state best this season. He is the greatest NC pole vaulter ever! In Reno, NV earlier this year, he cleared 16-10, the 3rd best in the US this winter. Following Scott, will be a solid group of vaulters, led by Butler’s Stephen Hodapp. Stephen won the Eastern HS Challenge a couple weeks ago and will hope to continue improving. East Forsyth will look to rack up major points in this event as they have Aaron Zakula and Eric Fowler, ranked 3rd and 5th in the event.
55m Hurdles
Well, there isn’t much to be said about the favorite in this event. Wayne Davis is a national champ, a national class record holder, a world champ, and only one hundredth of a second off Johnny Dutch’s national record. Obviously, he is the #1 ranked hurdler in the US! Booker Nunley is seeded 2nd, but as reported earlier, Booker is now ineligible. Keare Smith, Wayne’s teammate, is also one of the best in the nation, ranked 3rd in the US. Proving NC is still the state to beat in the hurdles, we also have the 5th ranked hurdler in the US, Spencer Adams of Butler. Look for fast times and hopefully a new national record.
55m Dash
TJ Graham, one of the nation’s finest sprinters, currently ranked 7th in the US, leads the way here. VERY close behind him is Laney’s Sam Jordan, who is ranked 11th in the US. Fuquawn Green of New Bern is only ranked 11th, but should make it to the finals and be a force as well. Look for the 55m to be fast and close.
4x800m Relay
New Bern has actually run 7:57 this indoor season, ranked 5th in the US, but they are only listed at 8:06. They are the team to beat no matter where they are seeded. The Hendrix twins ran the 3rd and 4th legs at the Eastern HS Challenge and are a tough duo to beat. However, if one person can make up distance and light up the track, it is Dylan Ferris of East Forsyth. The countries’ leading 800 & 1600 returnee, he has already split 1:51 this year.
1600m Run
Dylan is a very strong runner as we all know. He recently ran 1:51, 4:16(true mile), and a 1:54 in one day’s time, but there is talent in the 1600m and he will need to run well to win. Vance’s Alex Wiggan ran a great race at the Eastern HS Challenge to run a new PR of 4:24. Others who should be at the front are: Dakota Peachee, Zak Roshdy, Derrick Poage, and Alex Taylor.
500m Dash
Anthony Hendrix of New Bern is 7th ranked in the US, but only the 3rd seed here. With fast polar bear times, Bobby Grier of West Charlotte and Gabb Love of Richmond are seeded in front of him. This will be a great race as Bobby Grier has the potential to run very well, as he has a 48.83 PR in the 400m. Chris Johnson of Mallard Creek was moving very well towards the end of the 500m at the Eastern HS Challenge, and could also be a contender should he keep in contact early on. West Charlotte has 3 of the top 9 and New Bern has 2 of the top 5, so they are counting on big points.
1000m Run
Ferris will probably be doing what he has to do to win in each of his events. East Forsyth team is in the hunt, but will need wins from Ferris. He has the fastest time in the 1000m, ranked 15th nationally. Alex Taylor has the wheels to compete with him, but will also be coming off of the 1600m. The freshest athlete who could put some major pressure on Dylan will be Andrew Hendrix of New Bern. He ran a smart race and ended up winning at the Eastern HS Challenge – he’d love to do that again.
300m Dash
TJ Graham should win here, as he is ranked 2nd nationally. He is one of only 12 athletes in the country to break 35 seconds this year. Chris Herring of Knightdale is ranked 26th in the US with a time of 35.50, but is ranked 8th in this event. Again, the “polar bear” times are pushing indoor times back. This will be a crucial event for New Bern and West Charlotte as well, with some of the top athletes entered. Fuquawn Green of New Bern is only ranked 18th but should score points.
3200m Run
Dakota Peachee of West Johnston ran 9:36 at the Eastern HS Challenge, holding off South View’s Derrick Poage and his wicked kick. However, last weekend, Dakota traveled to VA and ran a new personal record of 9:24 – the 12th fastest time in the US. Dakota may have jumped to the next level with that race, but only time will tell. Both Poage and Peachee will be coming off the 1600m, so they will be a bit fatigued. Green Hope will score major points here, as they have Doug Black and Bryan Spreitzer, the #3 & #4 ranked in the event.
4x400m Relay
Another interesting event as New Bern is ranked 9th in the US, yet only 3rd in this event. West Charlotte is ranked #1 with a very fast time of 3:22 and Mallard Creek is seeded with a 3:26. New Bern has run 3:24 indoors, but only listed here with a 3:26. No matter what (yes, I’ve said this in every preview), this will be exciting. Five teams have run under 3:30 and that is moving. Could this decide the champion? Let’s hope it comes down to this event.