1. The NCHSAA state track meet will take place Friday and Saturday at North Carolina A&T. The Division IA, 2A, 3A and 4A will be split up between the two days.
The NCISAA meet in various divisions will take place Friday and Saturday, with Division I taking place at Raleigh Ravenscroft.
Burlington (N.C.) Cummings sophomore Jonathan Paylor won the 100-meter dash (11.04 seconds), 200 (22.74) and 400 (50.29), plus the anchor leg on winning 1,600 relay to help the Cavaliers win the NCHSAA 2A Mideast Regional title Saturday at Franklinton (N.C.) High. He’ll be competing in those four events Friday at N.C. A&T.
In the 4A meet, Kernersville (N.C.) East Forsyth junior wide receiver Que’Sean Brown qualified individually in the 100 by finishing second with 10.93 at the Regional Midwest.
Bailey Southern Nash junior running back Tralon Mitchell won the NCHSAA 3A mideast regional with 11.0 seconds in the 100. He also qualified in the 200 with 22.39.
Wilkesboro (N.C.) Wilkes Central junior offensive lineman Kamen Smith tossed 45-11 in the shot put, and will be competing in the NCHSAA 2A state meet.
Waxhaw (N.C.) Cuthbertson sophomore wide receiver Keenan Jackson will be in the Division 4A meet, competing in the 400 relay and 800 relay.
The NCISAA Division I state track and field meet has several NC State football targets.
Charlotte (N.C.) Providence Day junior athlete Chris Peal had a huge meet at the CISAA Championships last Friday-Saturday at Charlotte Latin High. He won the 100 (10.78 seconds), second in the 200 (21.93), first in the long jump (21-feet, 6.25 inches) and third in the triple jump (43-0.50).
Freshman lineman David Sanders of Providence Day was second in the shot put at the CISAA Championships. He tossed 47-feet, 8.5 inches. Sanders was also third with 127-8 in the discus.
Charlotte Christian junior athlete Kyron Jones was third in the 100 (10.81) and third in the 200 (22.02). Junior teammate Grant Tucker, an outside linebacker/athlete, clocked 22.57 seconds in the 200, and is running next to Peal in their heat. Tucker is also on the 800 relay squad.
Arden (N.C.) Christ School junior defensive back Zack Myers shined at the CAA Championships on May 11 at Asheville School. He also will officially visit NC State on June 16-18, his first official visit planned.
Myers won the 300 hurdles (43.21), second in the high jump (6-0) and was part of the second-place 800 relay. He’ll compete in those three events at Ravenscroft. He has the best NCISAA mark in the state with a 6-6 high jump.
Myers’ teammate, sophomore Cayden Jones, a 6-4, 210-pound outside linebacker for Christ School, qualified in the long jump at 20-5. He is also on the 800 relay squad and 400 relay.
Of this group, NC State has offered Paylor, Smith, Peal, Sanders, Myers and Cayden Jones, so far.
2. State track meets can boost players recruitments in football, with the most creative story probably involving Caleb Farley of the Tennessee Titans.
Farley ran a 10.77-second 100-meter dash in the 2016 NCHSAA 2A State Championships for Maiden (N.C.) High. At the time, he was a quarterback in high school and recruited as an athlete by Virginia Tech. NC State quickly entered the fray after that track meet and battled the Hokies during the summer. He stayed true to Virginia Tech and overcame injuries to become a first-round pick at cornerback.
Of the players in the first section of The Run Down, two could add some new offers based on good track times, and they both go to familiar prep programs to NCSU fans.
The aforementioned Que’Sean Brown of East Forsyth measured at 5-foot-7 and 156 pounds at the Rivals Camp Series on March 25. NC State has landed Khalid Martin, Micah Crowell, Isaiah Crowell and Zyun Reeves from East Forsyth, and his prep coach Todd Willert thinks the Wolfpack should offer Brown.
If Brown was 5-10, there wouldn’t be a debate about getting an offer combined with his track times. He caught 45 passes for 1,001 yards and 10 touchdowns last year, and added 20 carries for 130 yards and four scores. He averaged 37.4 yards on 13 kickoff returns and two scores, and 22.9 yards on eight punt returns with a touchdown.
Brown has been the darling of FCS programs and Group of Five colleges, but he has one Power Five Conference offer — Duke.
The other interesting prospect, and regional colleges have been taken notice, is Tralon Mitchell of Bailey (N.C.) Southern Nash. NC State has landed Zonovan Knight, Darius Edmondson and Jackson Vick from Southern Nash in recent years.
Vick played with Mitchell this past fall, and shared running back duties. The 6-2, 185-pound Mitchell has offers from Connecticut, Old Dominion, Appalachian State, Coastal Carolina, Virginia Tech and East Carolina, all since Jan. 29. He originally played at Rocky Mount (N.C.) Nash Central prior to last year.
Mitchell rushed over 100 times for at least 1,033 yards and 17 touchdowns this fall. His playoff game stats aren’t included on his MaxPreps.com page, but I’ve heard he struggled. He rushed for over 100 yards in five games, but like Vick, it will be interesting to see where that sub-11.0 100-meter dash time could be used at other positions.
3. It isn’t track related, but Wilkesboro (N.C.) Wilkes Central junior tackle Kamen Smith will go from the NCHSAA 2A state track meet to unofficially visiting Clemson.
Smith could be the Tigers answer to losing Belmont (N.C.) South Point junior tackle Sullivan Absher to Notre Dame, and the Fighting Irish have targeted junior tackle Monroe Freeling of Mt. Pleasant (S.C.) Oceanside Collegiate Academy.
We’ll call this segment follow the leader. NC State was Smith’s first P5 offer April 25, and since then he’s been offered by Coastal Carolina, Wake Forest, Charlotte, Duke, North Carolina and Virginia Tech, plus interest from Clemson.
Months ago, I pegged Asheville (N.C.) Reynolds junior safety DaShawn Stone as a perfect blowup candidate once other teams played “follow the leader.” NC State has not jumped in, at least not yet, but he has picked up offers from Virginia Tech, Virginia, Wake Forest, Charlotte, Coastal Carolina, Liberty and Duke, which he’ll officially visit June 24-26. He also has interest from Clemson.
Another developing follow the leader scenario could included Mount Airy (N.C.) North Surry High junior athlete Jahreece Lynch. He has offers from Appalachian State, Coastal Carolina, South Florida, Charlotte and Kentucky. He also has an offer to Catawba basketball, and has scored over 1,000 points.
What is interesting about him is that Charlotte is his only offer since Aug. 1. Most of his HUDL highlights come at wide receiver, with a few at defensive back and returning kicks sprinkled in. He earned all-conference on both sides of the ball.
Just based on video, it’s a mystery why he didn’t get offered for the last eight months. What I do know, Smith and Wilkes Central will play against Lynch and North Surry this season, and there won’t be much mystery for either player among colleges.
The NCISAA meet in various divisions will take place Friday and Saturday, with Division I taking place at Raleigh Ravenscroft.
Burlington (N.C.) Cummings sophomore Jonathan Paylor won the 100-meter dash (11.04 seconds), 200 (22.74) and 400 (50.29), plus the anchor leg on winning 1,600 relay to help the Cavaliers win the NCHSAA 2A Mideast Regional title Saturday at Franklinton (N.C.) High. He’ll be competing in those four events Friday at N.C. A&T.
In the 4A meet, Kernersville (N.C.) East Forsyth junior wide receiver Que’Sean Brown qualified individually in the 100 by finishing second with 10.93 at the Regional Midwest.
Bailey Southern Nash junior running back Tralon Mitchell won the NCHSAA 3A mideast regional with 11.0 seconds in the 100. He also qualified in the 200 with 22.39.
Wilkesboro (N.C.) Wilkes Central junior offensive lineman Kamen Smith tossed 45-11 in the shot put, and will be competing in the NCHSAA 2A state meet.
Waxhaw (N.C.) Cuthbertson sophomore wide receiver Keenan Jackson will be in the Division 4A meet, competing in the 400 relay and 800 relay.
The NCISAA Division I state track and field meet has several NC State football targets.
Charlotte (N.C.) Providence Day junior athlete Chris Peal had a huge meet at the CISAA Championships last Friday-Saturday at Charlotte Latin High. He won the 100 (10.78 seconds), second in the 200 (21.93), first in the long jump (21-feet, 6.25 inches) and third in the triple jump (43-0.50).
Freshman lineman David Sanders of Providence Day was second in the shot put at the CISAA Championships. He tossed 47-feet, 8.5 inches. Sanders was also third with 127-8 in the discus.
Charlotte Christian junior athlete Kyron Jones was third in the 100 (10.81) and third in the 200 (22.02). Junior teammate Grant Tucker, an outside linebacker/athlete, clocked 22.57 seconds in the 200, and is running next to Peal in their heat. Tucker is also on the 800 relay squad.
Arden (N.C.) Christ School junior defensive back Zack Myers shined at the CAA Championships on May 11 at Asheville School. He also will officially visit NC State on June 16-18, his first official visit planned.
Myers won the 300 hurdles (43.21), second in the high jump (6-0) and was part of the second-place 800 relay. He’ll compete in those three events at Ravenscroft. He has the best NCISAA mark in the state with a 6-6 high jump.
Myers’ teammate, sophomore Cayden Jones, a 6-4, 210-pound outside linebacker for Christ School, qualified in the long jump at 20-5. He is also on the 800 relay squad and 400 relay.
Of this group, NC State has offered Paylor, Smith, Peal, Sanders, Myers and Cayden Jones, so far.
2. State track meets can boost players recruitments in football, with the most creative story probably involving Caleb Farley of the Tennessee Titans.
Farley ran a 10.77-second 100-meter dash in the 2016 NCHSAA 2A State Championships for Maiden (N.C.) High. At the time, he was a quarterback in high school and recruited as an athlete by Virginia Tech. NC State quickly entered the fray after that track meet and battled the Hokies during the summer. He stayed true to Virginia Tech and overcame injuries to become a first-round pick at cornerback.
Of the players in the first section of The Run Down, two could add some new offers based on good track times, and they both go to familiar prep programs to NCSU fans.
The aforementioned Que’Sean Brown of East Forsyth measured at 5-foot-7 and 156 pounds at the Rivals Camp Series on March 25. NC State has landed Khalid Martin, Micah Crowell, Isaiah Crowell and Zyun Reeves from East Forsyth, and his prep coach Todd Willert thinks the Wolfpack should offer Brown.
If Brown was 5-10, there wouldn’t be a debate about getting an offer combined with his track times. He caught 45 passes for 1,001 yards and 10 touchdowns last year, and added 20 carries for 130 yards and four scores. He averaged 37.4 yards on 13 kickoff returns and two scores, and 22.9 yards on eight punt returns with a touchdown.
Brown has been the darling of FCS programs and Group of Five colleges, but he has one Power Five Conference offer — Duke.
The other interesting prospect, and regional colleges have been taken notice, is Tralon Mitchell of Bailey (N.C.) Southern Nash. NC State has landed Zonovan Knight, Darius Edmondson and Jackson Vick from Southern Nash in recent years.
Vick played with Mitchell this past fall, and shared running back duties. The 6-2, 185-pound Mitchell has offers from Connecticut, Old Dominion, Appalachian State, Coastal Carolina, Virginia Tech and East Carolina, all since Jan. 29. He originally played at Rocky Mount (N.C.) Nash Central prior to last year.
Mitchell rushed over 100 times for at least 1,033 yards and 17 touchdowns this fall. His playoff game stats aren’t included on his MaxPreps.com page, but I’ve heard he struggled. He rushed for over 100 yards in five games, but like Vick, it will be interesting to see where that sub-11.0 100-meter dash time could be used at other positions.
3. It isn’t track related, but Wilkesboro (N.C.) Wilkes Central junior tackle Kamen Smith will go from the NCHSAA 2A state track meet to unofficially visiting Clemson.
Smith could be the Tigers answer to losing Belmont (N.C.) South Point junior tackle Sullivan Absher to Notre Dame, and the Fighting Irish have targeted junior tackle Monroe Freeling of Mt. Pleasant (S.C.) Oceanside Collegiate Academy.
We’ll call this segment follow the leader. NC State was Smith’s first P5 offer April 25, and since then he’s been offered by Coastal Carolina, Wake Forest, Charlotte, Duke, North Carolina and Virginia Tech, plus interest from Clemson.
Months ago, I pegged Asheville (N.C.) Reynolds junior safety DaShawn Stone as a perfect blowup candidate once other teams played “follow the leader.” NC State has not jumped in, at least not yet, but he has picked up offers from Virginia Tech, Virginia, Wake Forest, Charlotte, Coastal Carolina, Liberty and Duke, which he’ll officially visit June 24-26. He also has interest from Clemson.
Another developing follow the leader scenario could included Mount Airy (N.C.) North Surry High junior athlete Jahreece Lynch. He has offers from Appalachian State, Coastal Carolina, South Florida, Charlotte and Kentucky. He also has an offer to Catawba basketball, and has scored over 1,000 points.
What is interesting about him is that Charlotte is his only offer since Aug. 1. Most of his HUDL highlights come at wide receiver, with a few at defensive back and returning kicks sprinkled in. He earned all-conference on both sides of the ball.
Just based on video, it’s a mystery why he didn’t get offered for the last eight months. What I do know, Smith and Wilkes Central will play against Lynch and North Surry this season, and there won’t be much mystery for either player among colleges.
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