WiseOldMan21

12 days to State and here's a preview: A-AA Boys - MLK finished a distant 3rd in their last Nashville meet but are a huge favorite in A-AA where there is no competition at all. Wet noodle race. There are middle school teams that could win this race. Makes TSSAA classifications look just plain sad. I guess anyone gets to be a "state champion." D-II Boys - MBA is a very strong favorite and may be the best team in the whole state. Ensworth 2nd best. Lord is obvious favorite to romp in this one. AAA Boys - Another weak year for teams in AAA. Oak Ridge looks best. Morristown 2nd best. Brentwood, Houston and a few other battling for 3rd thru 6th. Sharpe, Mansy and Rainey battling for top spot. A-AA Girls - Again, no competition. A-AA Girls are weaker than a wet noodle. Klein having racing issues. D-II Girls - Baylor clearly the top team. B.A. 2nd best. 5 other teams battling for top-3 in the race. Nobert and Jumper go head-to-head for top individual honor. AAA Girls - Oak Ridge versus Dobyn's Bennett. Pretty weak after top-2 teams. Ferowich, the clear individual favorite. Coming soon.

McKelvey, Sharpe, and Mansy all have a shot at Rainey. Jake got 2nd overall at Chile Pepper today in 15:06 on a wet course, beaten by the top runner from Missouri. Well, shows how clueless I am. Did not know Knox-Catholic was AAA. Thanks. Morristown West appears to be top boys AAA team right now but they look very vulnerable to me.

Right now, top-3 teams by class: Boys: A-AA - MLK is the ONLY team, not very strong but nobody at all in AA is strong. Ryan Graves, no one very good in this race. This classification is so weak. AAA - Oak Ridge, Morristown West and Brentwood look capable of winning. Clint McKelvey, John Sharpe, Jake Rainey, Micheal Mansy, Spencer Frantom D-II - MBA very strong. Ensworth now looking like possibly 2nd best. Brandon Lord, Michael Peters, Garrett Carmichael, Ryan Hill Girls: A-AA - Knoxville Catholic looking dominant. Megan Ferowich, Miranda Klein AAA - Oak Ridge, Dobyn's Bennett. New Science Hill girl D-II - BA, Baylor battling for top spot with St Benedict among other contenders for top-3. Kacey Nobert, Aidan Shea, Hannah Jumper, Allison Cheeseman Any additions, omissions?

CC Poll Update: This weekend showed that Oak Ridge boys and girls can dominate AAA. Houston and Morristown, while missing key people, were still not very impressive. MBA is a formidable D-II team. Does McCallie have anything to challenge them this year? Knoxville Catholic will be tough in AA girls race. The AA state boys' teams are so pathetically weak, who really cares? Eliminate the classification, it's a joke.

Go Dyersburg! Add St Benedict boys in D-II also. Boys' Early Season State Predictions: AAA-Morristown, if they don't peak early and run flat at state. D-II-McCallie and MBA tight battle. AA-MLK vs USJC

A-AA Boys - MLK heavy favorite; UJC next; Lipscomb 3rd; Wasserman top boy A-AA Girls - Lipscomb strong; UJC; Klein and Ball top girls D-II Boys - MBA favored; McCallie close; BA & Baylor strong 3rd & 4th; Lord & Peters top boys D-II Girls - BA & Baylor up for grabs; HH 3rd best; Nobert & Murray top girls AAA Boys - Oak Ridge; MW; Houston - McKelvey top dog; Mansy, Rainey & James runner-ups AAA Girls - Oak Ridge; Science Hill - Red Bank's Claire Turner will be tough Boys' Steeplechase 5k Course Record will drop again this year (currently 15:32 Bill Matthews) Look for McKelvey, Rainey and Lord to challenge it Have fun!