Classification Favorites Take The Titles
There are things our database can produce on paper that until you see a team or a runner in person, you just kind of have to accept as truth without any evidence. Such is the case when I play around with our virtual meets. We're not very far into the season, not everyone has had the opportunity to race in good weather, and some coaches with large rosters are still trying to give everyone a chance with meet entries to find who can contribute to the team later on the season. So I doubt by this point we've seen everyone at their best roster configuration but for a couple of team champions on Wednesday, I feel like I saw enough to defend their projected scores in that feature on the site.
Both the Martin Luther King girls and Pearl-Cohn Boys finished runner up last season in their respective divisions. They are currently both projected to win their classifications from our Virtual Meet feature.
Division I Class AA Girls Virtual Meet
MLK currently has a commanding lead over second with a projected score of 102 to Volunteer's 64 and after last night I can see why. There didn't seem to be a race on the track without a Royal competing for the victory. Senior Nevaeh Hyde opened the meet with a win the 100m Hurdles.
And fellow senior Koriona Boyd closed the night anchoring the blue and white to a TN #5 overall time in the 4x400m after finishing runner up earlier in the event with a new PR of 58.54.
With the fresh face of Aaliyah Varnado replacing the points lost from last year's top sprinter and defending state champion Lanaya Roberts in position to defend her discus title, the girls are going to be tough to beat this May. MLK gapped host John Overton by a score of 138 to 124.
On the boy's side, while Pearl-Cohn did not have the fireworks we've grown accustomed to them having in the past they grinded their way to victory on Wednesday placing no worse than 2nd in any relay, sweeping the hurdle events, and putting a trio of scorers in both the Triple and Shot Put. Sophomore Donavon Higgins won the highs with a PR of 16.19...
While fellow sophomore Josh Sims won the lows with a late surge edging out runner up at the line 42.39 to 42.54.
Not sure how many events the Firebirds will ultimately win in May but if they can score in a lot of them as they did on Wednesday, they may be able to flip the script on Alcoa who has won the event the last two seasons. They currently have a slight projected lead of 71.5 to 60.5 over the Tornadoes.