2021 Moments of the Year
To finish off 2021, we're going to countdown the MileSplit TN Top 10 Moments of the Year. Each day one 'moment' will be posted in the morning and one in the afternoon so check back as they get posted. As you'll see throughout the countdown, last year was filled with incredible drama, can't miss racing, and record breaking history. Enjoy.
#3 Memphis Central Drops Baton
When I went to the Houston Track Classic, Bartlett narrowly beat Memphis Central in the 4x400m Relay 3:32 to 3:33. It was the first meet of the season for the Warriors and what gets lost in the results of that final race is their second leg ran the ENTIRE lap in lane 8. He never cut in. If you're a superstitious person, that first mile relay might serve as an omen for what occurred in Rockvale during the final mile relay of the track and field season.
Heading into the event, Memphis Central would lean heavily on their sprint power winning both 4x1 and 4x2 relays and claim top three finishes in five other events. Jordan Ware finished runner up in the 100m and 200m while Dohnavon Hunt claimed silver in the 300m Hurdles and Bronze in the long jump. In the 400m Dash, the Warriors put two on the podium with Khalid White claiming second and Quincy Briggs placing 6th. With a first or second place finish in the 4x400m relay, they could finish no worse than tied for first as Bartlett trailed by just two points and through two and half legs, they looked in position to do just that until the 6th turn.
"Not the way you want to win" as Coach Harman of Bartlett said in his post meet interview but as I stated I elaborated on in a previous article, Bartlett did everything the needed to to simply be in that position. There's also no guarantee Bartlett doesn't outright beat Memphis Central by at least one position considering these results from the sectional.
Boys 4 x 400m Relay Finals ===================================================== Pl Team Sq Time Ht. (Pl) Pts ===================================================== 1 Bartlett High School A 3:22.98 2 (1) 10 2 White Station High S A 3:23.50 2 (2) 8 3 Memphis Central High A 3:23.54 2 (3) 6 4 Whitehaven High Scho A 3:26.76 2 (4) 5
While we can keep playing the what if game about this race, the only certain thing is it really ramps up the drama in a loaded section of runners heading into 2022. Most of the major scorers from all of these schools will be returning this spring and while my goal is to be in each major city at least once each season, I may have to make a couple of trips to Memphis.
Noted Coach McClain.