AA Boys by Bruce Taylor
Not alot has changed from 2009 with the big 3 of Westminster, Lovett and Blessed Trinty being on top all season until Cross Keys ran hard at Region grabbing 3rd place ahead of BT and with Lovett being edged by only 6 points in their best team race of 2010. One has to be curious if the Cats are saving something for this Saturday and did not go all out in winning the Region or has Lovett closed the gap significantly?
Westminster did place their top 7 in the first 13 spots and had a team average of 17:19.32 in tallying 32 points. One of their better races of the season it seems and Lovett did push them with their top 5 with a team average time of 17:22.73 led by Parker Whitlock's 16:52.44. The Cats big advantage is their 1-5 Split of :32 managed by Cody Tedesco, Jake Candler, Sean Smith, Tyler Cooke and a trio of runners from 5-7 :10 apart. That is incredibly tight pack running which has been their strength for decades, many seasons not having the top Individual. Their recipe is simple, a repeat of their Region performance will garner them another State title. No one should discount Lovett though, especially if each of top 2-5 can drop around :10 each at Carrollton including Andrew Frazier and Jon Maddox.
Cross Keys has defending AA champ Leonel Ayala leading their hopes and this season Senior teamate Javier Garcia has come into his own as evidenced by his 17:29 at a moderately challenging Blessed Trinty course. A podium spot will be on Cross Keys radar for certain this Saturday. The Titans of Blessed Trinity qualified 4th in 6-AA and that is a margin that can be easily overcome with a few great performances or a slip up by Cross Keys. Will Blessed Trinity rise to the occasion and best CK Saturday? Better yet, can a healthy North Oconee put it all together and top them both? Tripp Hurt looked strong at Region 8-AA, but is Ian Wraga going to be able to run to his potential after being out a few weeks until last week's fray? The Titans chances for a podium spot may well depend on their 3-5 runners led by Chad Capobianco.
After this it could be very interesting as to who can fill out the top 10 team spots with 8-AA runnerup Dawson County, Bleckley County, Union County, Elbert County and Pike County. Will a 1-AA, 2-AA team like Thomasville, Tattnall County or Toombs County crack the top 10? Word is the 1-AA and 4-AA course especially were no picnic for runners. Bleckley seemed to tempo run their Region meet as a team in 3-AA. Rockmart had a good run in 7-AA with an 18:24 team average and may be a factor (No knowledge of the Region course)
Individually, Whitlock of Lovett is the favorite come race time with a Carrollton pr of 16:21 at Last Chance. We know that Ayala of Cross Keys has had success at State with a 16:22 Carrollton pr. Can he rise to the occasion again this Saturday? Will a Westminster Cat break away from the tight pack and go on the hunt for an Individual title like Tedesco or Candler? Brett Edmondson of Pike County has ran tough courses all season and could be a darkhorse and use that to his advantage. Or, can Tripp Hurt of North Oconee run tough and close hard like in the 1600m at Jefferson and electrify the crowd again? We'll see Saturday afternoon in the final races of the day.
AA Girls by Bruce Greenwall
Well folks, the race for a place on the podium at the girls' AA state championship has turned out to be a little one-sided this year. 6-AA looks like they may have a chance to sweep the podium if the cards fall in their place. I was surprised to see Buford make the ride, but after their strong showing at region they richly deserve it. GAC would have been my pick, but as we all know, injuries and illnesses can play a strong part. 8-AA has several teams that should crack the top 10, but Jackson County may have an outside chance of being a Podium winner.
As for which team wins, Westminster looks strong, but so does Blessed Trinity. In my opinion, either one of these teams could end up holding the champion's cup. BT defeated the Lady Cats back in September in a local meet at Westminster although Sahara Fletcher did not run that day....BT was paced at regions by Kate Beechum and Bailey Willett, but a strong effort by their 5-7 runners could make Cats fans sweat it out coming down the final hill. Lovett looks very solid led by outstanding frosh Haily Branch, but as for the fourth spot, Buford and Jackson County have put together solid teams this season and it could be a very tight race for that 4th Podium spot.
Who will crack the top 10 as this is a big deal for many of the schools outside Regions 6-AA and 8-AA. With many good squads left out that opens a door for schools like St. Vincent's Academy of Savannah, Bleckley County who has one of the deepest programs from grades 5-12 and upstart and vastly improved Coosa from 7-AA. Jefferson, East Jackson and Dawson County all ran well in 8-AA and could fill out the top 10.
On the individual side, Sahara Fletcher has been the front runner all season, but after a somewhat close finish at region, teamate Parker Rhodes could push her the final mile. Branch of Lovett will be a frontrunner also and she is a very experienced runner with plenty of big USATF races under her belt as well as having excellent coaching during that time. Throw in that chase pack Madalyn Waters of Dawson County, Brittany Aikens of Jackson County and 800/1600m specialist Maya Dillard of Buford mixed in with the remainder of BT's and Westminster's top 7.
It was disappointing to see teams such as North Oconee and GAC not to make the big dance, but I'm sure they'll be knocking on the door again next year. I regret to say that I'll miss this year's action in Carrollton, but I know things will be exciting and I encourage everyone that attends to stay until the bitter end when AA wraps up the show. Their's some awesome talent in both the boys' and girls' races that I know I will be missing.