A Photo Finish in the 4x200?: Similar to the situation in the distance races, the girls 4x200 features a bunch of teams with nearly identical seed times. In fact, the six teams in the fast heat of the 4x200 are all seeded between 1:48.17 and 1:49.22. The Tuscarora girls posted the fastest time across the regional meets, besting their time from the banked track at Virginia Tech. However, the performance was only good enough for third in the 3A girls rankings this season. The second-place team on the list, Urbana, has gone back-and-forth with Tuscarora all season. Here's a quick rundown:
Terry Baker: Urbana 1st, Tuscarora 2nd; Warrior: Tuscarora 1st, Urbana 15th; Dwight Scott: Tuscarora 1st, Urbana 2nd; Sportsplex: Urbana 1st, Tuscarora 3rd; Warrior Knight: Tuscarora 1st, Urbana 3rd; Frederick Co.: Urbana 1st, Tuscarora 2nd; 3A West: Tuscarora 1st, Urbana 3rd.
It's borderline unbelievable how often these teams have gone back-and-forth. A state championship race between just these two teams would be good alone. But then throw in Watkins Mill, who finished second (beating Urbana at the 3A West Regional Championships), and throw in Oxon Hill and City College, both of which have run sub 1:48.70 this season. That's five teams who, on the season, have been half a second apart. And that doesn't even include this seasons leader in the event, Reservoir, whose 4x200 ran 1:47.64 at the New York Armory in January. They'll be racing out of the slower heat and could potentially steal a state title from there. Along with the 4A boys 800 this may be the closest finish we'll see Tuesday at the Sportsplex.