The Westlake-Largo Sprint War: Often times, state championships are won through dominance in the sprint events. Both Westlake and Largo scored high in their respective regional championships due in large part to their success in the sprints. Westlake qualified three boys in the 55 dash, including Will Moten, whose 6.52 at the SMAC Championships ranks him third this season among 2A boys. Moten won the boys 300 at the 2A East Regional Championship and will go head-to-head with Largo's Tsarte Martin, who leads all 2A boys this season in the event. The two have not faced off yet this season in any event, so the 300 at the state championship is definitely a must-watch. As in the 55, Westlake qualified three boys for the 300, and Largo qualified two.
The Westlake boys cruised to a win in the 4x200 at the 2A East Regional Championships. Largo and Westlake have the top two times in the event, respectively, this season; however, Largo finished third at the 2A West Regional Championships, losing to Frederick Douglass and Century. If both Largo and Westlake run to their full potential the 4x200 could be the most thrilling race at the Sportsplex on Monday. Douglass and Century will certainly be in the mix as well. Both Westlake and Largo have gone sub-3:30 this season in the 4x400, a mark that no other team has even approached. Both teams comfortably won their respective regional championships, setting up quite the showdown to wrap up the 1A/2A state championships.
At their first meeting at the SMAC Classic, the Westlake boys (4th) barely edged the Largo boys (5th) by a mere tenth of a second in the 4x200. Largo would finish second in the 4x400, beating Westlake by six seconds. The Montgomery Invitational brought more of the same: this time it was the Largo boys (2nd) edging Westlake (3rd) by less than a second in the 4x200. However, Westlake would get back at Largo in the 4x400, again beating them by less than a second. These teams have gone back and forth all season long and there's no reason to expect anything but some great races between both of these teams.