Class 3 Boys Sprints/Hurdles
100 Meter Dash
Naron Rollins and Larry Smith are pretty familiar with each other. They have raced throughout the season. They are separated by a mere .02 seconds with Naron leading Class 3 in a time of 10.52. Smith will play a huge role in the success of the Grandview team. They need to score as many points as possible if they want to defend their state title and defeat Festus. Grandview is no stranger to success in this event as they finished 2-3 last year. Jaron Alexander, last years runner up, returns and has run 10.77 so far this season. In addition, Jaymes Kelly, a sophomore, is the third Grandview runner to qualify this year for in the 100m. If these three can all score points and Alexander and/or Smith finish within the top three that will go a long way to secure the top team trophy. Two other returning All-State runners are Ezekiel Elliott (8th) and Demond Champion (5th), both of whom were sectional champs in the 100m.
200 Meter Dash
It's the same story in this event just with one change for Grandview. Naron Rollins leads this event as he has run 21.15 so far this season. He is the top returner from last year, as well, as he finished third. Grandview has three runners in this event, led by Jaron Alexander. He is currently ranked second and he will have help from Larry Smith and Dapo Akinmoladun. Dapo is no stranger to winning, as he was last years 300m hurdle champ. Again, this event is a big chance for Grandview to score a lot of points and secure the team title. One other name to watch out for is Alfred Larry. Larry is the top 400m of any class, running a 47.44 this past weekend. He also runs a 21.74 for 200m, putting him in third for the Class 3 rankings.
400 Meter Dash
This event has the possibility to bring a new class record. Larry is currently only .07 seconds off the time and its known that he wants the record. Last year's second place finisher, CJ Jones, has chosen to focus on the 800m so his path to repeating is a bit easier. He will still have to beat Leon Moore and Nadum Menah, both of whom have run under 49 seconds for 400 this year.
110 Meter Hurdles
Dapo and Zeke. Does it get any better? These two are simply amazing to watch. Some of the best finishes I've witnessed have come from these two young men. It seems like every time they race, something amazing is going to happen. Last year they split the series, Ezekiel Elliott winning the 110H and Dapo Akinmoladun winning the 300 hurdles. They raced each other at the KU Relays and they flipped the order, Zeke coming out on top in the 300H and Dapo winning the 110H. Dapo has run a faster time, but it doesn't mean much with these two. For team battle sake, Grandview has two in this event. Harvey Kendall, a sophomore from Grandview, is ranked fifth headed into the weekend.
300 Meter Hurdles
Dapo vs. Zeke part 2 right? Wrong. There is another challenger in this event, Emmanuel Price of University City has shown he is someone to keep an eye on. He tied Elliott at the district meet, with the timing cameras deciding Elliott was the victor. Elliott has the fastest time by a second, with Dapo in third behind Price. However, you can never count out the defending state champ.
4x100 Meter Relay
Clayton has run the fastest time coming into the state meet but spring powerhouse Grandview could easily win this. Clayton finished 8th last year and return three runners while Grandview was second but only return one runner. However, they have three runners who qualified for state in the 100m, showing how deep they are this year.
4x200 Meter Relay
Same story with different teams to challenge Grandview. Gateway is the top seed, running 1:28.18 at sectionals. Platte County is also a team to watch out for as they have Naron Rollins, the top sprinter in Class 3. They also have Naron's brother, Jaron. Grandview finished second to them at sectionals, but again, they have three runners who qualified in the 200m.
4x400 Meter Relay
For those who enjoyed watching Alfred Larry and CJ Jones race last year in the 400m, this might be your event to watch. A mere .09 seconds separated the two teams at the Marion Freeman Invitational. Both Larry and Jones are studs and will be flying. Cardinal Ritter, led by Jones, won the battle earlier in the season with a time of 3:20.19, with Jennings, led by Larry, just a bit behind.