Khafre Brown (West Mecklenburg) - 100, 200 & Long Jump
Brown returns wit the top returning mark in the 100 with a 10.55, second best returner in the 200 at 21.25 and the #2 returner in the long jump at 23-6.75...and he is going into his sophomore season. Brown plays football and basketball for West Charlotte, and looks to be a highly talented football recruit with offers from Michigan, NC State and North Carolina according to his 247 Sports Profile.
Last season Brown took 1st and 2nd in the Emerging Elite Section of the 100 and 200 respectively at New Balance Outdoor Nationals as well as a National JO Champion in the 100, 200 and runner-up in the Long Jump.
Zamir White (Scotland) - 100
White is also a superstar on the football field as well as the track. He is a 5 star running back and is ranked #3 RB in the nation for the class of 2018 according to his 247 Sports profile. White focuses in the 100 on the track and holds a PR of 10.58 as he won the 4A East Regional in the event last spring. White went on to take 6th at the 4A State Championships, but seems to have a load of potential on the track going into his junior season.
Dontavian Smith (Person) - 100, 200, 400
Smith did compete twice this indoor season unattached in the 60m Dash and beat J Johnson (Panther Creek) in the event at the David Oliver Classic. Smith took 3rd last year at the 4A Outdoor State Championships running 10.58 making him the top returner in the event. Smith was also the state champion at 200 meters running 21.51 and is the #4 returner in the event with a PR of 21.45 during the summer. We will see Smith compete at New Balance Indoor Nationals in a few weeks
Avin Lane (Cox Mill)
In December we saw Lane clock one of the fastest 55m Dash times in the nation (at the time) of 6.41 where he narrowly was edged by eventual 4A State MVP J Johnson (Panther Creek). Lane also competed at the David Oliver Classic 60m Dash and ran a 6.94. Lane holds outdoor PRs of 10.69 in the 100 and 21.31 in the 200 and will most certainly improve on those after an impressive few indoor races.
Lane moved to Cox Mill from Kansas where he was the 100m State Champion as a sophomore. Last season in his first year in a new training system at Cox Mill he was 2nd in the 100 and 3rd in the 200 at the 3A State Championships. As he is now fully adjusted to new coaching, I expect a big outdoor campaign from Lane in his senior year.
Dante Miller (Richmond Senior)
Miller had an impressive sophomore season improving his 100 PR from 10.85 to 10.67. He made the finals at the 4A State Championships and took 7th in the 100. He looks to have had an off day in the 200 at regionals where he took 12th. Miller hasn't broken 22 under FAT timing in the 200 so far in his career, and this year should certainly be the year he does so.
Titus Toms (Burns)
Toms posted a massive upset last outdoor season where he won the NCHSAA 3A 100m Dash State Championships beating favorites Kadarius Lotharp and Avin Lane. We did see Toms in his first indoor track season last year, but looks to have taken the season off as he does play football for Burns as well. Hopefully Toms makes his return to the outdoor track this fall where he looks to defend his 100m state championship. Burns holds a 100 PR from his sophomore season of 10.69.
Eddy Sherman (Cary Academy)
Thought we did see Sherman racing unattached a good amount this indoor season, the sophomore was impressive enough to make this list. He was very consistent in the 60 running 6.61-6.62 in each of his 5 races. In the 300 Sherman clocked a 35.19. Sherman took 2nd in the NCISAA 3A State Championships 100m Dash and 4th in the 200. But after a strong first indoor track season I expect Sherman to be the man to beat in the sprints in the NCISAA this spring. Sherman is only a sophomore and will likely post drastic improvements on his 10.88 and 21.74 PRs from his freshman season.
Millan Henegar (Providence Day)
Last outdoor season Henegar looks to have switched his focus from the 400 up to the 800 where he went from a 2:02.76 PR down to 1:57.61. Henegar was 2nd at the NCISAA 3A State Championships in the 800 last season where he narrowly lost to Sam Goldstein (Asheville School). Henegar will have loads of competition in the 800 this season including freshman Mark Alkins (Durham Academy) who was a 1:58 800m runner as an 8th grader for Durham Academy as this looks to be a strong match up between the two boys over the next two years.
Sam Grelck (Cardinal Gibbons)
After an impressive cross country season where Grelck took 9th at the 4A State Championships, we didn't see him race this indoor season. Grelck did take 3rd at the 4A State Championships in the 1600 last indoor season where he ran a 4:23.48. His outdoor PR is 4:24.31 in the 1600, and after a long training stint after cross country he should be ready to break 4:20 early on this indoor season. In a tough 4A Midwest region he took 6th and failed to advance to the outdoor state championships. Grelck took 22 seconds off his 5k PR this season showing he has a lot left in the tank on the track.
Elliot Schenker (Asheville School)
Schenker jumped 14-0 last outdoor season and has been 3rd at the NCSIAA 3A State Championships the last two years. Schenker is the top returner going coming back to this years state championships where he will have his sights set on a state title. He improved 2 feet in Pole Vault from his sophomore season where he jumped 12-0.
Enoch Cheung (Raleigh Charter)
Cheung was one of the top 55m Hurdlers in the state this indoor season clocking a 7.66 at the Eastern Challenge. But Raleigh Charter does not run indoor track, so he was racing unattached. Cheung fell in both the 110 Hurdles and 300 Hurdles at the outdoor state championships where he was one of the favorites for a state title in both. He was cruising in the 300mH until he tripped over the final hurdle and stumbled to the ground just short of the finish line. Cheung flopped across the line and still ran a 40.91 and won his heat, but it was not faster than the mark set in the previous section. This will leave him extremely hungry for a state title this outdoor season, and after a strong indoor season he looks to be the favorite to sweep the 1A Hurdles.