Large School Meet
Just like with the girls meets, there are certain questions that we could ask that would sway results toward one team if things go right.
The first question is: Can Alden Chambers from North Babylon find points in the long sprints? Chambers is atop Suffolk County in the 55m Dash. He is more than a tenth of a second ahead of the second ranked person and he is sixth overall in the state. He has had more trouble in the longer sprints but can not be counted out. He had trouble at Leagues in the 300 but has already run 37.00 in it. Luckily for North Babylon, they have the top seed in the 300 even if Chambers saves himself for the relay. Shobanni Richards is four tenths ahead of the next highest seed in the 300 and those two make it difficult for North Babylon to be defeated in the 4x2 if everyone is healthy. Richards lost the League meet but will get the preferential lane and heat on February 5th.
The second question is: What is going to happen in the 600? The 600 is typically one of the most exciting events of every important meet. The top 6 boys are only separated by .55 seconds and all six of the top seeds are on teams that are going to be clawing for every point. The counties top mid-distance runner this year, Huntington's Matt Armstrong, is seeded 6th in this event but he ran that time in his league meet, after running the 3200 in a very impressive double. Armstrong seems to have taken not making states in Cross Country personally and he has been on fire all indoor season. He is one of the top ranked 1000 runners in New York State and those skills translate very well going up or down in distance. He has the ability to get Huntington valuable points before the relays start. The rest of the 600 could come down to tactics and positioning in the fourth heat. If someone from the third heat is in good shape and no one takes the fourth heat out quickly, we could have someone sneak in.
The third question is: Who is going to get the distance points? The 1600 list is very deceiving on the virtual meet because it doesn't take into account the conversion from the mile. The seeds in the 1600 are extremely close but the mile seeds tell a little bit of a different story. Northport has five of the top 12 1000 meter seeds but none in the top four. Their depth is great for the 4x8 and could lead them to spread guys around in order to try and maximize points. They have the most options out of any team above 600 meters. Bay Shore and Connetquot's strong distance runners will be affected by Northport being in all events. Jake Gogarty, Suffolk's XC Runner of the Year, is the top seed in the 3200 and the 1600. If Gogarty can grab 20 points himself before the relays, Bay Shore will be extremely difficult to beat.