Muncie Sectional Preview!
POLE VAULT UPDATE!!!
DELTA GIRLS CLEAR OPENING HEIGHT IN POLE VAULT, TAKE 18-0 LEAD GOING INTO TUESDAY!
CENTRAL BOYS FINISH 1ST AND 3RD, SOUTHSIDE FINISHES 2ND AND 4TH...CENTRAL 16, SOUTHSIDE 13, DELTA 4 GOING INTO THURSDAY'S COMPETITION!
Lets begin with the boys' side...
Over the past several seasons, there always seemed to be a clear favorite for the sectional title...Muncie Central dominate in 2006, Muncie Southside had easy victories in 2007, 08 as did Jay County in 2009. That does not seem to be the case this year as there our several teams that look to be solid contenders. This, of course, will be a great meet to be a part of...the team that can bring the most balance and do it all on the same day will be this year's champion. Lets take a deeper look into some of ECIrunner's thoughts, predictions, and, most importantly OPINIONS.
Team Favorite: Muncie Central - the Bearcats have defeated all of the major sectional contenders they have faced.
Team Best of the Rest (in no particular order): Delta, Muncie Southside, Winchester, Muncie Burris, and Monroe Central
Athletes to Look For: Sprints - Shayon Cork (South) Distance - Ethan Evans (South) Hurdles - Gabe Detro (Winchester) Jumps - JaRon Terry (Central) Throws - Shane Conley (Delta)
Event Breakdown
Pole Vault: Arguably the weakest event in our sectional. Most of the sectional school's are not equipped with a pole vault pit, therefore, they do not compete in it. I would look for the Muncie Central duo take the top spots in this event. Osborne and Lattimer have both cleared 10'0 and will look to provide big points for the Bearcats. Southside should have two vaulters. Both have cleared 9'0 or higher and should be able to bring home solid points. The question remaining for this event is...will Delta enter anyone in this event?...they are equipped. Pole Vault will be contested on Monday the 17th at Delta High School.
Shot Put: Conley of Delta and Leggett of Burris look to be the clear favorites in this event with Conley having a slight edge. I can see Monroe Central and Jay County also picking up some solid points. For any throwing enthusiast, this will be a great competition as Conley and Leggett go head to head. They have been back and forth on the leaderboard all year until just recently when Conley threw into the 49's. Will Conley bring it all next Thursday? Will Leggett rise to the challenge?
Discus: Maybe I should just copy and paste what I just typed above. Once again this will be the Conley vs. Leggett show and this time Leggett may have the slight edge having thrown into the 140's. Monroe Central could score big points with Tinsman and Southside has had steady throwers all year in Dulaney, Reed, and Anderson. Don't sleep on Nunley from Union Modoc as he has been into the mid 120's this year.
Long Jump: This is Muncie Central's event to lose. The Bearcats have put together strong performances all year in long jump and have, arguably, one of the better jumpers in sectional in their 3RD JUMPER...who of course won't be able to compete. Look for another 1-2 finish by Terry and Hopkins for the Bearcats. I would not count out Southside. They have recently put together some impressive jumps and have 3 athletes jumping into the 19's with Anthony, Cork, and Henderson. Bridgeman from Monroe Central could put himself in the mix with his recent jump of 19-9. Lets not forget, Young has returned to the Delta team...I would expect him to emerge near the top of the results come sectional.
High Jump: Looks like we have another Bearcat setting atop this event. Terry has been out jumping the competition all year and that doesn't look to change much on the 20th. I would look for Young of Delta to possibly best Terry in this event. Henderson of South, Detro of Winchester, and Thomas of Monroe Central also look to be possible contenders.
4x100: Muncie South looks to have the top time in this event with the help of 100 stars Wolfe and Cork. They have been defeated, however, by both Delta and Central. These three teams look to be clear favorites for the top three spots as there is nearly a full second before another team crosses the finish line. Bickford and Janney of Delta have been running strong and look to power their squad to the front. Sophomore sensation Terry of Central will also try to will his team past pre-race favorite, Southside Rebels.
4x400: South has not lost to a sectional team in this event all year. Can they maintain that dominance through sectionals? Anchored by Yoder, a low 50 runner, South could be a tough squad to beat. I would not count out the likes of Delta, Central, Burris, or Winchester. All three of these teams have shown signs of toughness in this event. Delta recently put together a 3:39 at their VERY WINDY county meet, which may project to a stronger performance in better conditions. Burris has run a 3:38 on several occasions this season...can they put something together come sectionals? I have to add Winchester to this mix because they always seem to show up for this event. Detro is a machine in the 300 hurdles and that usually translates into a good quarter...the question still remains though...will he run it? You also have to like Central's chances. They have a couple of strong 400 runners in the House brothers...can they muster the energy after a long day of multiple events to run a strong 4x4?
4x800: In my own opinion, this will be a fun race to watch. I like Central and South to runaway with this one.... I just don't think I can pick a winner between the two of them. Central's House brothers provide a huge blow to any team and could prove too powerful for the rest of our sectional. They have gone as fast as 8:37 this year and have a history of running this race strong at the sectional meet. South has their own horse in Evans. He has gone a 2:02 in the open 800, and, if this race is close at the end, look for Evans to try and close the door. These two squads have met once earlier this year with South coming out on top by a small margin. Will the results be the same or will Central rise to the occasion once again? Lets not forget about Jay County. They have run as fast as 8:38 and narrowly lost to the Bearcats at Central Relays. If Jay County is still in it when Nichols receives the baton then they have to become the favorites. He has sub 2:00 potential!
110 Hurdles: Detro, Detro, Detro...everyone else is running for second! Not that I am going out on any limb with this pick...this Winchester stud is the number one returnee from a year ago and has not lost to a sectional opponent all year...CLEAR FAVORITE. Flake for Central could be an outside contender. This is his best event and has been running well at it all year. I like Flake for second. Cash from Jay County is another solid contender. After running in the shadows of his former teammate, Brandon Reynard, for several years, Cash should be ready to make a name of his own in this year's meet. Drummer of South, Hopkins of Central, and Cook of Delta are my last editions to the contender list. Drummer has made huge improvements from the beginning of the year and looks to finish the season strong, Hopkins has been a solid contributor for the Cats, and Cook has been a consistent force for the Eagles.
300 Hurdles: I must say, I like Detro of Winchester once again. He is the sectional hurdle King. Some possible dethroning may come from the likes of Cash from Jay County, Henderson and Drummer from South, Cook of Delta, and Flake from Central. Cash looks to be next favorite after Detro having run in the low 42's on several occasions. Henderson can be a scary when he is having a good day. Drummer has dropped nearly 3 seconds in two weeks. Cook looked strong in county...running well when it counts. And I have personally seen Flake run out of his mind in this event once this year...can he do it again?
100: Lately, this has been the Muncie South show. Wolfe and Cork have been running 1-2 in many of their meets and will look to do much the same on the 20th. I like them as pre-race favorites. Challenges should come from Terry of Central, Janney and Bickford of Delta, Detro of Winchester, and Kauffman of Union-Modoc. Terry has been running strong during his sophomore campaign but came up short against the Southside duo earlier this season. The same holds true for Janney and Bickford. If this Southside fails to go 1-2 I would look for these three to be the ones to mix it up.
200: Cork of Southside looks to be pre-race favorite. He has not lost to any sectional opponent this entire season. If he can bring his best on Thursday then I see little chance of him not winning this event. Bickford of Delta may be young but has looked really strong all season. He looks to be the future of this sectional as far as sprints are concerned but may have to settle for a top 3 finish this year. Janney is stronger in the 100 but still may be a force in the 200. Kauffman of Union-Modoc may be a sleeper in this event as he has been running under the radar and has had a couple fast performances of late.
400: This looks to be a race between Thomas of Monroe Central and Yoder of Muncie South. Yoder has been consistently running in the low 51 range and Thomas has clocked similar times. This event could go to the cameras. Hawkins of South has emerged as another possible threat having narrowly missed the 52's. Williams of Winchester is also running strong and could provide some competition to the front 3. Hopkins of Central has a mean finish, and, if he's close, will make a run for it at the end.
800: This event belongs to Nichols of Jay County and Koontz of Burris. Both of these athletes have low 2:00, sub 2:00 potential. I am guessing the bigger question would be, which athlete, if not both, will be fresh for this race. Nichols will likely run on Jay County's 4x8 squad. Will he also run the 1600 making the 800 his third event of the night? Koontz may run the 4x8 and is arguably one of the better 1600 runners in the sectional, will he double up before he toes the line of his best race? If they both triple...could be a close race. If one triples and the other doesn't, my pick will go to the one who is more fresh. It will be interesting to see what coaches will do with their line ups. I like the House brothers of Central to be outside chances. Daniel House could be the most intriguing as he will likely have only run the 4x8 before this race. This could easily be Fabian's third race making him a little exhausted to contend for the win. Also, will Klett of Burris return? At just a freshman, he was an early season favorite for this event.
1600: The favorite goes to Evans of South. He has ran in the low 4:30s this year and defeated every sectional opponent with the exception of Nichols from Jay in the first meet of the season. If Nichols runs this event, look for him to contend. I also like Koontz of Burris to be a contender as long as he competes in it. Outside of these three it is wide open. F. House of Central has run low 4:40s as has his teammate Green. Kimbrell of South has posted a 4:43 in this event and could be a possible threat. I would expect a lot of mixing up in the last 200 of this event...maybe the real question is...who can kick?
3200: I like Evans of South as favorite again. He has posted a time over 30 seconds faster then the next best time. The biggest question mark for Evans would be his endurance coming off the 4x8 and 1600. Green of Central has been running this event strong all year. I like him as the next best contender unless he runs the 1600 making the 3200, more than likely, his 3rd event, in which case, I may go with Prince of Delta who has been on Green's heels all season and will not likely run the 1600. Thomas of Monroe Central could also be a threat...he ran this race strong last year and always pulls through towards the end of the season. Lets not forget Hiatt of Union Modoc who ran a respectable time in the earlier part of the season.
Now the Girls...
You almost have to fell sorry for the Jay County Lady Patriots. They continue to narrowly miss the sectional title year after year after year...As I sit back and look at the performances through the year, I wonder if it will happen again. These girls have been rather successful all year, but part of me doesn't want to fully commit to the idea of them winning this sectional. Muncie Central has quality points in sprints and distance...will it be enough? Then there is Burris. The Lady Owls have not ever been considered a contender in recent years but that is about to change. With the exception of the deficiencies in the 100, this team is DEEP. They seem to have 2 girls in every event that have point potential and that is exactly what you need to win this meet.
Team Favorite: I am going to cheat this one...Jay County, Muncie Central, Muncie Burris
Team Best of the Rest (in no particular order): Delta, Winchester, Monroe Central, Wapahani
Athletes to Look For: Sprints - Eboni Collins (South) Distance - Simmons (Jay) Hurdles - Reber (Delta) Jumps - Clemmons (Burris) Throws - Murphy (Jay)
Event Breakdown
Pole Vault: Muncie has the only vaulter that I know of at this point, so I will give Andres the nod in this event. I would not, however, count out Delta or Central as they are both equipped for this event. Edit: I just returned from this year's pole vault competition. Delta had two girls clear opening height and they were the only two to clear. Big blow to all the rest of the teams. Delta leads the sectional going into tomorrow 16-0 on all of their competition.
Shot Put: Murphy of Jay County looks to be the frontrunner for this event having thrown in the upper 35's. Anigbo and Newman of Burris will make it hard for their opponents and could give the Owls the points needed to claim the sectional crown. Delta has a strong thrower in Little. Herron of Wapahani is a beast in Discus and could have enough to claim the individual spot in this event.
Discus: Herron of Wapahani has the best throw in this event, but I am going to pick Lumpkin of Union as the early favorite. She has been consistent in this event all year and has had really nice throws of late. Murphy of Jay will again be strong and Southside brings in freshman phenom, Douthitt, as a possible contender. Burris will try and pack on multiple points with their two throwers...as mentioned above, this could be enough to with the title.
High Jump: Lumpkin of Union Modoc and Fullenkamp of Delta are the easy favorites in this event. Both are clearing over 5'0...this could come down to misses. Jay County has a couple strong jumpers in McMillan and Wood, they will need these points to stay in the team title hunt. Burris also has a strong jumper in Childress...she will need to finish in between the two Jay County athletes.
Long Jump: Clemmons of Burris has jumped into the 17's this year, and, if she does it again, will win this event rather easily. Super athlete, Raef of Wapahani, has jumped in the mid 15's and will push for first. Raef is a fighter in everything she does, and I believe she will be in the mix. Franklin of Randolph Southern, Jones of Cowan, Koontz of Central, McMillan of Jay County, and Fullenkamp of Delta will all have their hand on first...who will get to keep their hand on it?
4x100: Central look to be the clear favorite in this event, and, to be honest, I can't remember a time when they were not. Delta, Burris, Randolph Southern, and Southside could all be legitimate contenders but I just don't see anyone taking down the Bearcats in this event. I like Southside's chances if Collins gets the baton at the same time as any other anchor...she will shut the doors on anyone else.
4x400: This looks to be a 3-way race between Burris, Delta, and Central. Rumor has it that one of Burris's relay legs won't be competing...it will be interesting to see if this holds up and if they can replace her with another strong athlete. Burris is favorite in this event at full strength, but with out one of their legs, Delta may become the team to beat. Another ? mark for this event would be the health of Flake from Central. If she is at full strength then she could easily punish the field. Here's to hoping we have 3 times coming down to the wire.
4x800: Jay County and no one else even close. This is a little premature but I have a good feeling about Jay County easily winning this event. Winchester has a good squad and could contend with the help of Wiist. Central has several solid 800 runners and could make a run for it. Delta has always been strong in this event but a look a little down this year. Burris has several good distance runners and one of the sectional's best 800 girls...if LeBlanc is within striking distance, look for her to pounce on the other girls.
110 Hurdles: Though Reber of Delta looks to have the third fastest time in this event, I look for her to take the win. Strong competition will come from Maggart of Winchester and Franklin of Randolph Southern. All of these girls have posted times under 17.00. Delta has another strong hurdler in McMullen and Childress and Pollalis will provide big points for the Lady Owls.
300 Hurdles: This will be the Raef (Wapahani) and Reber (Delta) show and will arguably be the most entertaining race of the night. These two have met before with Raef coming out on top...I look for her to better her competition again. Burris has a strong duo of Childress and Morningstar which could be huge in the team competition. Rumor has it that Morningstar will not be competing...could change the dynamics of this event and meet. Also, don't count out Maggart of Winchester and Franklin of Randolph Souther...they could very well mix it up near the front.
100: This is such a hard event to predict. I would normally go with McMillan of Jay County as she has dominated her competition all year, however, she recently lost to Collins of Southside in two different events. With that being said, I think the nod will go to Collins who will likely have tons of confidence coming in to Tuesday. Jefferson of Central will also be in the mix and I look for her to round out the top 3. I would also not be surprised to see Raef of Wapahani near the front of this event as she is a freak athlete.
200: If Flake of Central is healthy then this event belongs to her otherwise I will have to go with Collins from Southside. McMillan from Jay could easily pull this win off if her endurance holds up through the meet. Raef from Wapahani has been very fast in this event and could be a surprise winner. All the rest of the athletes will be staring at the backs of these young ladies.
400: Flake of Central would be hands down winner if healthy. With that being said, Clemmons of Burris could be a strong challenger. Flake's teammate, Young, has been steadily improving and become of the Sectional's best threats in the 400. These three are the standout favorites for this event.
800: I like LeBlanc of Burris in this event. She has been the only runner to dip under 2:30, and she brings a lot of experience to Tuesday's meet. Hemmelgarn and Wellman of Jay County will be a tough duo to match. Farmer of Delta has come in to her own with this event. Ogle of Winchester has been running strong in this event all year. Can she rise to the competition?
1600: With Simmons and Wellman, Jay County looks like the team to beat in this event. Norris of Monroe Central brings a lot of talent to this race and Wiist of Winchester is also strong. It will be interesting to see if LeBlanc runs this race. Her 800 speed could mean all the difference in the longer 1600 race.
3200: Simmons of Jay, Wiist of Winchester, and Norris of Monroe Central look to be the standouts in this event with Simmons having the slight edge. The next best group of runners could be nearly 30 seconds back. Will this be a photo finish? I like Simmons to be a double winner in the two long distance races at this year's sectional.