Ryun Anderson shares the top 6 things that he is most excited about looking forward to in the 4A state indoor meet competition next Tuesday at PG.
The Asfaw-Walz Showdown: So far this indoor season, Rohann Asfaw and Eric Walz have been a cut above the rest of their 4A distance counterparts. Asfaw has swept the 1600/3200 at both the Montgomery County Championships and 4A West Regional Championships. Walz did the same at the Baltimore County Championships and might have at the 4A Central Championships if not for a lap-counting mixup in the 3200. So far this season, their only head-to-head race came in the fantastic Montgomery Invitational 3200 (Walz: 4th, 9:31; Asfaw: 5th, 9:35) - a race that both runners struggled a bit in the final laps. They will, however, first face off in the 1600, which Walz has historically had more success in, but Asfaw has greatly improved in over the past calendar year. Expect a close race wire-to-wire between the two, even if neither of them decide to lead the first half of the race.
Both Asfaw and Walz will be back for the 3200, in which Walz is the defending 4A state indoor champion. Walz did not run the 1600 at states last indoor year, enabling him to come in fresh for the 3200. However, as he is probably the "favorite" (by the slimmest of margins) for the 1600, the 3200 will likely be his second race. Again, no 4A runner has come close to the times that the two have clocked this season in the 3200. But strange things can happen in the second distance event at states. If Asfaw and Walz decide to sit back they could invite a runner from the second pack - like the 4A Central champion, Andrew Forsyth - to hang and possibly snag an upset victory. However, Asfaw and Walz remain the frontrunners in both races, each of which should be an exciting showdown between two of Maryland's top distance runners.