After winning two state titles at the indoor meet, would Tamrat Snyder have been considered the favorite in the 1600 at this year's 3A outdoor meet? (Photo by John Roemer)
Meet Records in Jeopardy
100 Meter Dash
Huntingtown's Anthony Smith already took home two state meet records this year during the indoor season. The 3A outdoor state meet record in the 100 (10.42) is probably slightly more attainable than the record in the 200 (21.11), especially if the wind is blowing the right direction. When Westlake's Devon Smith set the 100 meter record in 2008, he had run 6.39 at the indoor state meet in the 55 meters, while Smith ran 6.36 at this year's indoor state meet. It would have been cool for him to make a run at the 200 meter record, as well, given that it has stood since 1976.
4x800 Meter Relay
The Chopticon boys came within just under a second of beating the 3A state meet record in the event last year, as they fielded arguably the state's best 4x800 relay throughout the entire season. Without 2019 graduate Tyler Modrzejewski, the Chopticon boys weren't quite as dominant throughout the indoor season as they had been last year, but they still easily won the 3A title for the second straight year. With a return to last year's outdoor season form from Dylan McMahan (when he won the 800 individual state title) and more consistency from their fourth leg, the Braves would have at least had a chance to run in the low 7:50s.
High Jump
Two boys in the state of Maryland stood head and shoulders above the rest of the field in the high jump this indoor season: Anthony Smith and South Hagerstown's Charlie Hoston. Smith cleared a personal-best 6'8 in the event back in early December, holding the state lead until Hoston did him one inch better, jumping 6'9 at the 3A West regional meet. No other boy in Maryland jumped better than 6'4 this past winter. With the 3A outdoor state meet record sitting at "only" 6'10, both boys would have been within reasonable striking distance of the record come next weekend.
Pole Vault
After just missing the indoor state meet record in the pole vault, Linganore's Carter Holsinger would have likely had another shot at the outdoor state meet record this spring. After clearing 15'2 at the regional meet (two inches better than the indoor record), Holsinger finished at 14'6 at states. The 3A outdoor state meet record is even higher at 15'3 - the overall state meet record as well, set back in 2011 by Decatur's Bradley Hollowell - but given his multiple 15-foot performances during the winter, Holsinger definitely would have one of the best shots on this entire list.
Long Jump
If you're picking up on a theme of the 3A classification housing some of the state's top jumpers and vaulters this winter, you're not alone. Reservoir's Jalen Jasmin was, by far, the best long jumper in Maryland this winter: he leapt 23'7 at the Howard County Championships, while no other Maryland boy even reached 22 feet. Jasmin's mark was only five and a half inches off the 3A outdoor state meet record set just a few years ago by Poly's William Henderson, and definitely one he could have reached this spring.
The Best Matchups
1600 Meter Run
This indoor season's 3A 1600 meter race was exciting enough, as Chopticon's Zachary Wedding beat out Centennial freshman Antonio Camacho-Bucks and Long Reach's Cameron Hindle by under a second. Given his 4:20 full mile performance earlier in the winter and the fact that he had just come off a leg on the 4x800 only a short time earlier, Wedding would likely have been the favorite of the field to repeat in the spring. But what about Damascus' Tamrat Snyder? Over the past couple years he has shown the range in everything from the 500 (1:05.41) to 3200 (9:37.48), and his sub-4:20 performance as a junior suggests he could have been right in the mix during the spring if he ran the event at states. And don't count out River Hill's Anish Nanjappa, who also skipped the 1600 in lieu of the 3200 at states this winter but ran a 4:23 full mile of his own.
Shot Put
The 3A boys shot put was one of the closest events of the indoor state meet week this year. Bookended by two Towson seniors in the top two spots and another in fifth, the top five scorers all finished within just about a foot of each other. With three boys checking in at over 50 feet in the shot put, the Generals had one of the best event-specific scoring groups in the state - is it possible that they could have scored 24 points at the state meet? The three boys (Damone Moore, Cory Gray and Jamiel Carlton) were also the second, third and fourth-highest returners from last year's outdoor state meet.
Who Missed Out?
Which boys missed opportunities to win state titles before graduation?
Loick Amouzou, Hammond
A state meet scorer in each of the past three years at Hammond, Amouzou had finished second in the short hurdles at both the indoor and outdoor state meets last year as a junior. This season, Amouzou looked like the state meet favorite throughout the season, breezing through a number of invitationals and then the Howard County and 3A East regionals. After running the fastest time in the prelims, he was edged in the finals by Dundalk's Taishaun Craddock by one hundredth of a second, despite tying his best performance of the season at the Sportsplex.
DeVion Bryant, North Point
Just last season, Bryant and Damascus' Tamrat Snyder didn't even compete on the same day at the indoor state meet, as Damascus was in 2A and North Point in 4A. The two teams met in the middle as a result of last summer's reclassifications, putting perhaps the only faster 800 meter runner (outside of Kyle Lund) in the state alongside Bryant. His 1:57.12 performance in the 800 at the indoor state meet - in his third event of the day - was the seventh-fastest time at the Maryland indoor state meet of the entire decade, yet it wasn't enough to beat out Snyder. Could things have played out differently in the spring, when Bryant could have won his first individual state title?