Performer of the Week
Every week this season we will be conducting a poll from beginning Monday and ending Wednesday to highlight the performances from the previous week. This will give us an opportunity to showcase the best talent in Tennessee. Though some athletes will likely lay down marks every meet that are worthy of being in the poll every time, our goal is to cast a wide net and showcase a vast array of athletes from all parts of the state.
Ryan Lovelace - Cleveland High School
Ryan Lovelace ran with a lot on his heart this weekend as have a lot of others in the state since last weekend. He and Eli Cramer texted the day of his death about a workout just hours before it occurred. That did not weigh too heavy though as the senior from Cleveland debuted with two victories on Saturday at CCS with a TN #3 1600m in 4:20 and a TN #13 3200m in 9:36. He finished 3rd last year in the 1600m at state but didn't have enough left in the tank for the 3200 and finished 10th. I imagine podiuming more than once this season is the expectation.
Zavien Wolfe - Memphis Central
Sure, I could put Jordan Ware or Kylan Bernard in this spot but truth be told, neither of them scored as many points this weekend as Zavien Wolfe. The junior from Memphis Central won all three jumps at the Houston Track Classic this weekend highlighted by a TN #3 mark of 44-5 in the triple jump in cold, windy weather on Friday night. While his other two weren't any distance to write home about the bigger picture significance of what he could mean for the Warriors in the team race are immense. Anything above 43 will score points in triple and while his other two outdoor marks currently are on the fringe of doing so currently, if no one else in Section 4 is going to keep him from qualifying for Murfreesboro in three events, stealing a point here or there could be the difference between a state title and another runner up trophy.
Nashville Christian 4x100m Relay
Fortunately the kept time on Saturday or else it would be hard to legitimize this performance by Nashville Christian. After finishing 2nd, 2nd, and 3rd last season in all three sprint relays at the state meet they return as the favorites now the CPA is in Division II Class AA but after Saturday they probably don't feel like it would matter if they were still there or not. The quartet of Jamel King, Jae Marsh, Deion King, and James Warmbrod took first at the Doug Hall Relays with a TN #3 time of 43.58. They're on a collision course with BGA and FRA this season. Should be a fun region meet in a month or so.
Dawson Jones - Ooltewah
Last year, the Ooltewah 4x100m relay placed 8th at the state meet. I know from experience that just getting a taste of the podium can really motivate a team into the next season. That seems to be the case for Ooltewah's Dawson Jones who has gone from a leg on a relay without much impact in open races to the current TN #5 100m runner with a 10.81 at Red Bank early last week. Together with Edgar Lawrence, that same relay team now sits six overall in the state and third overall in AAA. Can't wait to see the talent from Chattanooga in person in a couple of weeks at the McCallie Mid-South Invitational. Hoping to have more race footage from this area next season. Reach out if you know someone who is interested.
Cole Combs - Page
As a sophomore in 2021, Cole Combs got his first taste of the State Championship finishing 12th in Large Division I. Now he's in Class AA and is going to get more than a taste this season, he may get gold. His tosses of 150-8 and 45-5 at Willco on Wednesday and Thursday of last week have him ranked 1st and 9th respectively in the throws in his division. He's improved by nearly 26 feet in disc and 6 feet in shot year over year. If he maintains this trajectory, he's going to keep from stepping onto the podium twice near the end of May.