NCHSAA 1A/2A State Meet Preview

NCHSAA 1A/2A Indoor State Championship
Jeff George


Another great battle between two 3-event athletes to decide the MVP, and another chance for the Cummings girls and North Brunswick boys to extend their dynasties.


The second session of the NCHSAA Indoor State Championship starts at 9 AM on Saturday morning, and it wil be the state's smallest schools on display.  The 1A/2A meet was created in 2014 when there were enough 3A schools participating in the sport to justify having their own championship; prior to that year, the 3A's had largely dominated the meet, with the exception of some Cummings wins.  In its third year of existence, the 1A/2A meet now also looks fully justified - after two years of having relatively small numbers of entries, this year's edition has at least 10 entries in every event except girls pole vault and the wheelchair competition.  That's major progress, and it should also make for the most competitive 1A/2A meet so far!  Despite that, though, you know the old saying: "the more things change, the more they stay the same..."


Events to Watch

  • Girls Triple Jump: Peighton Simmons (T.W. Andrews) has surged over the last few weeks, taking over the top spot in the state-wide rankings as well as the #1 seed here.  She's far from a lock, though, when the Cummings trio of Kelsia Moore, Kenyae Majors, & Lashonda Tate are in the event.  The only thing that can hold all of these jumpers back is their involvement in other events earlier in the meet.
  • Boys Pole Vault: Surry and Stokes County are neighbors to the North of Winston Salem, and they have become the epicenter of the 1A/2A vault scene.  Tyler Fitzgerald (Surry Central) is the top returner in this event after finishing 3rd last year, but he will have to win an evenly-matched duel with Laith Nickell (North Stokes) if he wants gold this year.  If either of them falter, John Ramsey (Bunker Hill) and Troy Lieberman (Polk County) could be there to capitalize.
  • Girls Shot Put: The top four girls from the 2015 state meet graduated, leaving a wide-open opportunity for this year's crop of throwers. Chevy Blair (North Rowan) is the top returner, but she has four girls in front of her on the performance list.  Veranda Webb (Monroe) holds the top seed as the only entrant over 37 feet, making her the favorite.  Amy Yarborough (Hendersonville) and Tanazsa Simpson (Pender) could wind up fighting for second place, with Mya Roberts (Cummings) also in contention for a podium finish.
  • Boys Wheelchair Shot Put and 55 Dash: For the second straight year, there will be a multi-athlete showdown in the wheelchair events at this meet, another indication that North Carolina is on the forefront of adaptive competition. Senior Bryce Floyd (South Lenoir) is back to defend his shot put title longtime opponent Dylan Pinder (North Johnston) and North Brunswick's Kenny Korff.  In the 55, though, Pinder is the speedster of the bunch, having won the title in 2015.
  • Girls 4x800 Relay: There is no dominant team in this race, which only makes it more exciting.  In fact, the top two seeds (Brevard & Polk County) are separated by less than half a second.  Defending champion Community School of Davidson is also in the hunt for a repeat title, as are Croatan & Robbinsville.
  • Boys 55 Dash: Who knows what's going to happen in this one?  The top 5 seeds all have outdoor hand times, so it's difficult to predict how they will translate to FAT.  Adding to the confusion: ALL EIGHT of last year's finalists were seniors!  The smart money is always on guys who have FAT marks, so that means you have to consider Elliott Graves (Reidsville) and Ja'Quan Buffaloe (Northhampton) the narrow favorites.  Cameron Barnhill (North Brunswick) emerged as a legit sprint threat last spring, too, and don't be surprised if Floyd Louallen (Forest Hills) is pushing to make the podium.
  • Boys 1600 Run: Sean Doyle (Polk County) is the favorite, but he has strong competition from Dakota Mendenhall (Forbush) and Noah Graham (Brevard).  There could be some strategy involved here, too - does Doyle want to swing for the fences and run for two titles, or give himself the best chance of winning one title?  This race could push him to his limit and leave him tired for the 1000, which is his better event.
  • Girls 500 Dash: Freshman Kaleigh Hanson (Croatan) is the top seed, but only barely.  Veteran Simi Gbadegesin (Durham School of the Arts) comes into the meet only 0.09 behind, and CSD has two girls that are also within a second of the leader: Julia Grainda and Rebecca Fesperman.
  • Girls 1000 Run: Sophomore Alex Rodman (First Flight) burst onto the scene with second-place finishes in this race and the 1600 last February, and she has improved significantly.  Now she is the favorite, although she could have as many as three close contenders to hold off if she wants the crown.  Will Kaitlyn Stone (West Stokes) and Shawnda Martin (Robbinsville) run this race, when both have normally focused on longer distances?  If not, then this could come down to a two-girl battle between sophomores, as Anna Bristle (Parkwood) is the 3rd seed.
  • Boys 4x400 Relay: Interestingly, North Brunswick is the 7th seed in this race; the Scorpions are normally very good in the 4x4, and it's possible they could need points here to secure their team title.  The six teams that will be in the fastest section (barring scratches) are separated by only 2.63 total seconds!  Northeastern has the top seed, with Heidi Trask, Hobbton, & Northside (2A) very close behind, which could make for some high-traffic exchanges!


Athletes to Watch

  • Kenyae Majors, Cummings: In addition to being a contender in the triple jump (see above), she is the top seed in the long jump and one of only two girls in the whole state that have been over 18 feet this winter.  She also has the second seed in the 55 Hurdles behind one of her teammates.
  • Jayhlen Washington, North Brunswick: He holds the top seed in the long jump (where his teammate JC Smith is the only one close enough to beat him) and triple jump, plus he is seeded second in the 55 Hurdles, which should set up a nice battle with Graves (below).
  • Magnus Herweyer, Carrboro: He has been one of the best throwers in the state across all classifications this winter, and his season best is a full 5 feet better than the next-best entrant.
  • Kayla Moore, Cummings: She is back to defend her 55 Hurdles title, and also slated to score in the long jump.  She is not entered in the triple jump, which should keep her fresh for Cummings' top-seeded 4x2.
  • Elliott Graves, Reidsville: The top seed in the 55 Hurdles, he hasn't run as well in that race since December.  He HAS run very well in the 300, though, where he is also the #1 entry, and he could be a surprise winner of the 55 Dash.  If so, he will be very hard to beat for the MVP.
  • Tajah Walston, Cummings: The transfer from West Craven has lit up the track this winter, and she can cruise to the 55 Dash title (the next FAT mark behind her 7.13 is a 7.52).  As the top seed in the 300, however, she will have much more competition, chiefly  from Peighton Simmons.
  • Brittany Stanley, Mount Pleasant: After a disappointing end to her fall season, Stanley went back to heavy training and emerged three weeks ago in excellent shape.  She is the top seed in the 1600 and 3200, where she will have to contend with Kaitlyn Stone, Alex Rodman, and Shawnda Martin.  Don't be surprised if Stone and/or Martin decide to save everything for the 3200 and challenge Stanley after she has already worked hard in the mile.
  • Derrick Puryear, T.W. Andrews: He doesn't get much press (my bad), but he has quietly posted the #4 time in North Carolina in the 500, and he should dominate that event.
  • Sean Doyle, Polk County: As mentioned above, Doyle is the top seed in the 1000 as well as the 1600, but will he run both?  His best times over the last two years are in the shorter races.
  • Noah Graham, Brevard: He is the favorite in the 3200 in addition to contending for the 1600 title, although Michal Swepson (Research Triangle) could give him a push.  Both are seeded at their November outdoor times, and both have run just above 10 minutes recently.


Teams to Watch

Two dominant favorites, both defending champions, both deep and talented: the Cummings girls and the North Brunswick boys.  Cummings has won both 1A/2A state meets since the split in 2014, and the Cavaliers are as loaded with talent this year as they have ever been.  North Brunswick is also working on a third straight team title, although the Scorpions lost some talent to graduation last spring, forcing others to step up to fill in the points.  The battles for second place could be intense: n the girls' side, T.W. Andrews and Community School of Davidson look evenly matched, while the boys' competition could see Polk County trying to hold off T.W. Andrews and Franklinton for the silver trophy and a spot on the podium.


More NCHSAA State Meet Coverage

  • Schedules, Performance Lists, Meet Info, Previous Results: