The transition to sprints and field events will be tough for me. I won't pretend I know much about the events (and this is obviously a big part of why I want to get more people involved).
So to start the transition, we begin with the longest of sprints: the 400m. My favorite race to run whether in college or high school was the 4x400m relay. It closed out just about every meet and it was a thrilling race in part because of the running and in part because of the fantastic crowds.
At the state championship meet, this is certainly true. I ran in the fast heat at the 4x4 at indoor states as a senior and although our lead off leg fell, the build up for the race was certainly unreal.
This year the title run should be one to remember. The obvious favorites are the defending champs, the same team that won my race in 2010 and the team that has the state leader at 400m: Cheltenham. Cheltenham has already clocked a 3:20 this indoor season at the armory and John Lewis has busted loose a 48 and a 1:52 this year. He's the best anchor in the business and can run a speedsters race or a strength runners race. Chelt also has speedster Christian Brissett on their squad, one of the best 200m men in the nation, already breaking into the 21 range for 200m and looking like a serious threat for 60m and 200m golds.
But there are a few concerns about Cheltenham's gold medal prospects. For starters, the ultimate goal will likely be a team championship, which means Brissett and Lewis will be running for gold in at least one individual event each with room for two, both may be on a 4x2 or 4x8 and then they will be finishing off triples or quadruples on the 4x4. That's some seriously tired legs and a lot of pressure on the panthers two stallions.
Meanwhile, this team has a target on it's back and a slew of contenders breathing down their neck. For starters, there is the team that just defeated them on Monday night, Upper Darby. Now I'm not sure how much of an A team was on the track for either squad, but the fact is Darby is running fast and confident right now. They have 3 state qualifier types in the 200m already and are led by an excellent 400m runner in Donovan St Louis. 3:29 doesn't sound like much, but for Glenn Mills, that time is really good. Like really good. Now this squad will have it's own doubling issues as they are quickly becoming a dark horse team trophy contender and their 4x2 is gold medal favorites in my eyes at this early point of the season.
Neshaminy has already clocked a flat track 3:29 in flats to start the month and has title hopes of their own looking ahead to March 1st. Dave Marrington, an excellent 300 hurdler, has been a weapon in the 60H all the way up to the 800m. He's got excellent speed, but even better grit and determination. He's joined by Sean Conway, one of the best 400m men in the state despite the fact that he hasn't traveled up to a bank track (which makes a nice difference for the top flight sprinters). Neshaminy has produced a ton of excellent 400 and 200 types over the years and is an excellent sprint program. With these two runners at the helm, big things are possible.
Penn Wood hasn't even been mentioned yet, despite their PA #2 status at 3:22. They have shown fantastic mid distance ability with a variety of strong marks at 800, 600 and 400. Penn Wood handled Cheltenham's 4x8 nicely at Glenn Mills last Monday. They are also PA #2 for the 4x200m. That combination of strength and speed should make for a dangerous contender.
The last team to mention now is Pennsbury. They have been medalist type contenders for a number of years now and their likely anchor Charles Snorweah has a personal rivalry with John Lewis that he wants to turn in his favor. The motivation is here for a successful title push and Snorweah is joined by Kornelius Klah, a strong 200m and 60mH and Alek Sauer, one of the state leaders at 800m. The 4 likely isn't the sweet spot for either runner, but both have thrown down strong enough races to give me confidence they could provide excellent legs for the falcons.
The race often features a slew of tired squads, but if these guys have enough in the tank, I'd expect to see as many as 4 teams fighting to crack 3:20. Some sleeper teams in the early going to crash the party include Penncrest and Pennridge. It's also likely that by the time you are reading this, the results of Kevin Dare have changed the game as well.
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