Believe it or not, the postseason is already upon us for the Maryland indoor track season.
Athletes will be playing for keeps on Friday when they descend upon Hagerstown Community College for the Washington County Public Schools Indoor Championships.
Smithsburg’s boys, some of whom helped the Leopards win an Maryland Public Secondary Schools Athletic Association state title in cross country this fall, will be looking to help the team defend its indoor county championship. Of course, Smithsburg is more than just a team of distance runners, as the Leopards are also lethal in the sprints, jumps and pole vault.
North Hagerstown’s girls, who took second in the county last year, seem to have all the makings of a team champion this time around. The Hubs are loaded in the distance events and will be a threat in the sprints, jumps, hurdles and relays.
South Hagerstown boasts some of the fastest athletes in the area, and the team will be looking to make its mark in the sprints.
We’ve selected the WCPS Championships as our Meet of the Week.
In the weeks and months to come throughout the high school sports season, we plan on spotlighting multiple teams and sports with our Game of the Week. Any big upcoming contests we should know about? Send suggestions to Andy Sandrik via email at [email protected].
Washington County Indoor Track and Field Championships
Start time: Friday, 4 p.m., at Hagerstown Community College
Meet the Leopards: There’s no pressure on the Smithsburg boys, who are only expected to dominate the county meet and defend their team championship … From the sprints to the distance events to the relays, expect to see Leopard athletes all over the podium this weekend … If all plays out according to seeding, Smithsburg should be in contention for at least six gold medals, including two from the 4×400 (3:41.58) and 4×800 (8:31.31) … Members of those relays include Levi Miller, Luke Gentzel, Dylan Lowe, Dylan Herbst, and Camilo Mellott, many athletes of who will compete for individual medals of their own … Mellott is the favorite in the 800 (2:02.98) and ranks No. 3 in the 500 (1:11.56), while Herbst will be the man to beat in the 1,600 (4:30.71) and checks in at No. 3 in the 3,200 (9:52.13) … Gentzel is Smithsburg’s mid-distance ace and is the county’s top-seeded athlete in the 500 (1:08.74). He will also be looking to move up in the 800, where he owns the county’s third-best time of 2:04.89 … Miller, ranked No. 2 in the 300 (37.22) and No. 3 in the 55 (6.77), could win multiple medals … Cadyn Nesbitt, the defending county champion in the pole vault, and teammate Luke Scott are seeded 1-2 in their event … To give you an idea of how good Smithsburg is, we’ve made it this far without even mentioning Michael Wynkoop, the defending champion in the 1,600 (4:33.12) who has clocked a season-best time of 4:44.85 this winter … The Leopards have two others seeded at No. 3: Matt Smith (shot put) and Michael Jackson (high jump) … With only three Top 3 seeds, Smithsburg’s girls will have a difficult time defending their team championship from last season … Lilian Hade, who has posted the county’s top mark of 9-9 in the pole vault, will be shooting for gold … Smithsburg’s 4×400 (4:49.87) and 4×800 (12:01.45) relay squads will both be striving to improve upon their No. 3 seeds.
Meet the Hubs: With a lineup chock full of Top 3 seeds and defending champions, North Hagerstown’s girls have to love their chances to compete for a team championship … The Hub girls, who took second in the county last season, are especially deep in the distance events, but also boast a few others who could win gold in other events … Mackenzie Philp and Caroline Philp should land multiple podium spots this weekend. The Philps are not only crucial members of North’s No. 1-seeded 4×400 (4:30.06) and 4×800 (10:57.01) relay squads, but also are the runners to beat in every distance event … Mackenzie Philp is Washington County’s top runner in the 800 (2:27.94) and 3,200 (12:02.12), and checks in at No. 2 in the 1,600 (5:31.70) … Caroline Philp leads the county in the 1,600 (5:30.76) and ranks No. 2 in the 800 (2:35.09) and 3,200 (12:03.21) … Another distance runner, Anna Ramanan, is the county’s No. 3 runner in the 1,600 (5:48.03) and 3,200 (12:20.57) and will be a threat to take bronze or better in both events … Taraji Nartey is just a freshman, but she ranks No. 1 among county runners in the 300 (43.93), No. 2 in the 55 (7.52), and No. 3 in the 500 (1:30.98) … Nartey should, of course, get some competition from teammate Annabelle Schaberl, who is the defending county champion in the 55 (7.52) who owns a season-best time of 7.73 in the event … Anna Chamberlin is the county’s defending champion in the high jump and is once again the No. 1 seed this season with a height of 5-1. Chamberlin also ranks No. 2 among her county peers in the 55 hurdles (9.75) … North’s 4×200 is seeded No. 2 with a time of 1:53.38, while Dayanah Brunson is No. 3 in the 55 hurdles (10.41) … Following a graduation that hit hard, the Hub boys will have a hard time repeating last year’s success as the county’s team runner-up … Distance ace Walker Mason will carry the torch for North. Mason is favored to win the 3,200 after posting a county-best time of 9:41.75 earlier this season, and also carries the No. 3 seed in the 1,600 (4:34.65) … Isaiah Seering ranks No. 2 in the 55 (6.75), while Garrett Forrest carries the same rank in the shot put (43-1.5) … Thomas Owusu posted the county’s third-best time in the 55 hurdles this winter (8.63) and should content for a medal on Friday … North Hagerstown’s final team placement could very well come down to its relays. The Hubs are seeded No. 2 in the 4×200 (1:38.30) and 4×800 (8:50.05), and No. 3 in the 4×400 (3:47.53).
Meet the Rebels: South Hagerstown is loaded with speed on both the boys and girls sides and should contend for some medals this weekend … Torin Sitter has been the crown jewel for the Rebel boys this winter, with the junior recently clocking a time of 35.81 in the 300. The time not only broke an indoor school record, it also makes him the runner to beat at the county meet … Sitter is the anchor for South’s 4×200 relay squad, which owns a county-best time of 1:35.36 and will be aiming to defend its WCPS title. Other members of the relay team include Kareem Walton, Clinton Otinkorang, and Jamier Simms … Expect nearly all the same runners to man the Rebels’ 4×400, a squad that won a WCPS title last winter, but is seeded No. 2 this time around … Individually, look for two South athletes who have posted the county’s second-best marks in their respective events — Otinkorang (500) and Walton (high jump) — to go for the gold on Friday … If you blink, you just might miss the speedy Rebel girls, who are spearheaded by the incendiary talents of Trinity Savage, who is Washington County’s top sprinter in the 55 (7.37) and ranks No. 2 in the 300 (45.18) … Wynter Cephus, ranked second in the county behind Savage in the 55, gives South plenty of firepower in the 4×200. The relay, which posted the county’s top time of 1:49.73 this season, also includes Savage, Chloe Gietka, and Ajayah Alexander … With these speedy athletes leading the way, South Hagerstown is aiming to improve upon last year’s effort, which saw the Rebel boys take fifth and the girls place fourth.
Meet the contenders: After placing third in both the boys and girls meets last winter, Clear Spring is ready to move up the ladder … The Blazer boys will be favored to win four events and are seeded No. 2 in two others … Look for Daniel Apiou, Washington County’s top performer in the 55 hurdles (7.82) and high jump (6-3), to lead the way for the Clear Spring … The Blazers also boast the area’s top sprinter in Jay McConnaughey (55, 6.63) and the top thrower in Brooks Myers (shot put, 44-3.5) … The Blazers also bring to the table the No. 2-ranked competitor in the 55 hurdles — Nate McDonald — as well as the second-seeded 4×200 relay squad … Clear Spring also looks to be a player on the girls side with two top seeds and three others ranked at No. 2 … The Blazers’ Brielle Morales, who has Washington County’s best time in the 55 hurdles (9.20), will be aiming for victory, while Juliet Hodge will be favored to capture victory in the 500 after posting a 1:23.38 this season … Clear Spring has three other girls who could contend for championships: Katelyn Moffitt (shot put), Hadley Elwood (high jump), and Audrey Roberts (pole vault) … Boonsboro’s girls, who took fifth in the team standings with 56 points last winter, will also be looking to make a splash … The Warriors will be led by Abigayle Fluharty, who owns Washington County’s No. 2 time in the 500 (1:27.71) and No. 3 time in the 300 (45.44) … Boonsboro’s girls will be looking to improve upon their No. 2 seeds in both the 4×400 (4:46.65) and 4×800 (11:47.03), while the 4×200 (1:53.57) will be gunning to improve upon its No. 3 county rank … No. 3 seeds for the Warriors include Emily Franko (800), Sarah Mohler (shot put), and Evelyn Briggs (pole vault) … Madison Booth, of Hancock, is seeded No. 2 in the girls high jump … Williamsport’s Byron Snyder (55) and Jordan Wigfall (300) will be looking to improve upon their respective season PRs, both third-best in Washington County. The same can be said for Boonsboro’s Harley Paugh (pole vault) and the Warriors’ 4×800 team.
