4A Boys
Photo by Craig Amoss
Last year's 4A state runner-up Adam Nakasaka entered his senior season as the state meet favorite, and finishing as the top Maryland runner at Oatlands did little to dispel the notion. His only loss to a Maryland runner this season came at DCXC when he finished five seconds behind the reigning 3A state champion Ryan Lockett.
But the list of challengers has also gotten much longer and stronger over the first two months of the season. The Richard Montgomery duo of Mark Unger and Garrett Suhr have raced well in every race this season, and Unger finished just a second behind Nakasaka at Oatlands. The list of potential challengers from just inside Montgomery County doesn't stop there, with five more boys already having run under 16:10 this year.
Photo by John Roemer
Outside of the county, both Dulaney and Severna Park feature their usual strong teams with runners capable of a breakout on any day. For Severna Park that was Garrison Clark back at the Barnhart Invitational where he finished third with a personal best time of 15:50. The added stakes of the team battle between the two squads could lead to some big individual performances at the state meet as well.