27th Simplot Games
Feb 17-19, 2005 at Idaho State University, Pocatello ID

Preview - Boys

Kevin Craddock and J-Mee Samuels
are the heavy hitters on tap for 2005!

By Rich Gonzalez

It's the year One A.E. -- After Elzie.

But while the 2004 Simplot Indoor Games dash wonder from New York has since left the prep scene, a pair of international-class male teenage talents hailing from opposite ends of the country will converge in Pocatello, each seeking to aggressively stamp their respective names into the all-time American prep record books!
J-Mee Samuels, the North Carolina open dashes phenom with an explosive start, and Kevin Craddock, the sleek yet powerful hurdles technician, each arrive here with history in their grasp, seeking to eliminate those precious few hundredths of a second that currently separate them from unmatched greatness.
Additionally, long sprinter Justin Oliver and triple jumper Nkosinza Balumbu, representing the Peach State (Georgia) and the Golden State (California), respectively, arrive with national elite credentials on the boys' side. For added measure, underclass throws supertalent and new national 10th-grade record holder Trevor Kraychir is among the names to watch in the weight events!
Here's a short glimpse into some of the leading boys' names on tap this weekend:

Boys 60 Meter Dash
J-Mee Samuels is back and he truly is faster than ever! The senior from perennial East Coast power Mt. Tabor (Winston-Salem, North Carolina) has returned after a hiatus from the 2004 outdoor season, clocking 6.23 seconds for 55 meters on consecutive weekends in late January before slicing another .01 off that just last weekend to become the 4th-fastest prep over that distance in the last 10 years! Keep in mind that Samuels will be competing over 60 meters at this weekend at altitude, meaning less natural wind resistance due to the thinner air! Prediction: Samuels gets another of his patented rocket getaways from the blocks in the final and runs 6.64 in the fourth-fastest fully-auto-timed indoor prep performance in history!
Although Samuels' great start makes him ultra-tough to beat over such short indoor race distances, Colorado's Nate Yorks has been sizzling down the boarded straightaways as well, with his 6.89-second altitude-affected clocking at 60m on the Martin Luther King holiday ranking as the second-fastest performance on the yearly list. Colorado's Bryon Johnson, a 14.95 high hurdler, and Washington's Jake Hansen (the #7 returnee outdoors at 300m IH in 37.37) are others to watch here. Also keep an eye on the fine age-group Junior Olympics nationla champion Bryshon Nellum, who is now attending Southern California-based speed factory Long Beach Poly for his sophomore season. Nellum clocked 47.27 for 400m as a 9th-grader last year!

Boys 200 Meter Dash
As much an J-Mee Samuels is magnificent out of the blocks, the North Carolina sensation is equally impressive in the longer dashes (wind legal 10.49 at the 2003 Arcadia Invitational and 33.87 for 300m indoors last monh). Interestingly, Nate Yorks -- who owns a 20.89 personal best outdoors at altitude -- is not listed in the deuce entries, but Georgia speedster Justin Oliver (a 46.8 one-lapper outdoors) is! Add in Colorado's J.T. Scheuerman (21.95 indoors this winter), an excellent talent sidelined by injury much of last outdoor season, and Denver Montbello dasher Tim Greer and you've got quite a field!

Boys 400 Meter Dash
Justin Oliver is making the trip here from Georgia for obvious reasons... he knows fast times come at altitude! Elzie Coleman showed that to the natino last year, scorching the Pocatello boards into a national record 45.92 to dazzle the crowd with mind-boggling excitement levels! J.T. Scheuerman, healthy and back on the radar in Colorado, remains one of America's better-kept secrets and could enjoy quite a coming-out party here!

Distance races
It's always an air-sucking challenge for the multi-lappers here, with the effects of altitude combined with the tighter turns of a banked indoor track really providing a test of toughness and a unique measure of conditioning in separating the winners from the also-rans!
FootLocker Cross-Country Nationals qualifier Mohamud Ige (13th at the year-end meet in San Diego) headlines the distances with his entry in the mile (11 full laps on this 160-yard track) while Utah's Jared Rohatinsky (Provo HS) aims to improve upon his down-to-the-wire second-place finish (to since-graduated Steve Strickland of Mountain View, UT) of a year ago, with Californian Nathan Huerta (North Monterey County HS) owning a 9:08.49/3200m outdoor personal best to top the two-mile race entries, timewise. The 800-meter run appears as wide open as a race an get!

60-Meter Hurdles
One of the best attractions of the weekend comes in the barrier races, where Californians Kevin Craddock and Terry Prentice clash with Washington's Jake Hanson and Colorado's Darius Reed.
Craddock is America's premier hurdler in 2005, with his 13.39 high hurdles clocking last spring setting a California state record and his 35.93 performance at the 300m intermediates challenge ranking as the fastest non-senior performance in prep history! Craddock, who seeks to pace his James Logan HS teammates to a successful defense of the statewide team title in the months to come, will seek another gear in attempting the national 60m HH indoor record this weekend. he has some work to do, with his 6.93 performance here a year ago still well off the 7.62 all-time best shared by three individuals. But don't count Craddock out... he's improved dramatically over the last year!
Despite competing in Craddock's shadow down the championship stretch, Diamond Ranch High's Terry Prentice was re-writing records of his own. Prenctice's massive late-season improvements culminated in a seasonal-best 37.75 clocknig at the state meet, the nationla freshmen leader for the year and a California state 9th-grade record! Hanson, who hails from Yelm HS, has clocked 37.38 to rank among he national leaders in the 300m intermediates. Reed is out quickly in 2005, with his 8.14 effort at altitude ranking fourth nationally during the young undercover season thus far.

Boys Relays
Although Transit Tech of New York and Montbello of Colorado come in with fine credentials and solid tradition, the Speed City Track Club (Long Beach Poly, California) could end up dominating here if it flaunts its 'A' crew! Depending upon who is in the mix, here's just a samping of what poly can choose from, with outdoor lifetime bests noted in parentheses: Bryshon Nellum (47.27), Isaiah Greene (21.84), Antonio Harris (10.96), Vincent Joseph (10.98/21.76), Travon Patterson (49.92), Donn Thompson (14.50/HH) and a few others said to be in the mix!

Boys High Jump
Several excellent jumpers are on top here, with Idaho's Clinton Silcock (Butte County HS) and Utah's Trevor Heiner (Viewmont HS) sharing lifetime personal bestat at 6-10.50 outdoors to rank tied for 7th nationally among returnees.

Boys Pole Vault
The lone 15-footer in the field is Nevada's Jordan Savidge, who scaled 15-7 at altitude last year to rank ninth nationally among returnees.

 

Boys Long/Triple Jump
Two of the finer bounders in America lock up here, with top TJ returnee Nkosinza Balumbu of Northern California (rated #2, but top-listed Kenny Hall currently not enrolled in high school) having spanned a wind-aided 50-06.00 last year and Georgia's Justin Oliver stretchnig to a lifetime-best 23-10.75 during indoor LJ action last month. Both are entered in the long jump, with Balumbu favored over Washington's Moreno Zapata in the triple jump.

Boys Shot Put/Weight Throw
Eric Flores headlines the shot put field, with his 61-11 heave two weeks ago checking in as the #3 mark in the nation indoors this winter! Californian Trevor Kraychir is fresh off setting the national sophomore record in the weight throw (67-00), ranking second nationally this indoor season. Flores, with a toss of 64-09, ranks fourth in the nation.


 

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