2005 Simplot Indoor
Games
Thursday-Saturday, February 17-19, 2005
At Pocatello, Idaho
National/California
Preview
***Boys Events***
Craddock
and Samuels headline
the male entry list for 2005!
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!
Georgia's Juston Oliver (left) and Colorado's J.T.
Scheuerman
are long-spring talents searching for fast times at altitude in Idaho!
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!
Denver's Mohamud Ige (left) and Utah's Jared Rohatinsky
(in
green singlet) are leading names in the distance fields!
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.
Nkosinza Balumbu joins Kevin Craddock in trying to
lead James Logan HS to another Californai state title!
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.
Trevor Kraychir (right) set the national
10th-grade record in the weight throw earlier this season!
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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