MVP of Each State meet (Boys and Girls)

[AT]

I thought I would talk about the MVP for each state champion (in my opinion) and other great performances this year.

1A State Meet: I'll have to go with James Whisenhunt of Caddo Hills. He placed top 5 in AT LEAST four events...and not in the typical fashion. Sometimes you'll see sprinters do the 100,200,400 and 4x1 to get those type of finishes, but Whisenhunt did it in 4 VERY different events: 400, 800, Shot Put, and Pole Vault. Not to mention, Varvee doesn't tell you who is on each relay team, so it's possible he was on the 4x4 or 4x8 (probable actually). He ran 54.86 seconds to finish 3rd in the 400, 2:14.51 to finish 5th in the 800, vaulted 10 feet to finish 2nd in the pole vault, and threw the shot put 43' 1.5" to finish 2nd.

2A State Meet: This one was tough to choose. Junction City just had a really good team and out of all their state performers, everyone stepped up. I've chosen Josh Armstrong for my MVP. He won the 110 hurdles in the incredible time of 15.37 seconds and won the 300 hurdles in another incredible time of 41.76 seconds. Armstrong would have placed at every state meet with those times. It's possible he was on some of the relay teams too.

3A State Meet: This one is easy for me. Zack McGinnis of Episcopal Collegiate. Before this meet, Prescott was a pretty big favorite to win, but McGinnis stepped up big time for his team. He pulled off the distance quadruple as I like to call it, which means he won the 800/1600/3200, and was on the winning 4x8 relay team. That is very, very impressive and his team needed each and every one of those points to edge out Paris and Prescott. His times were 2:04.51 in the 800, 4:41.62 in the 1600, and 10:22.69 in the 3200. Wow, talk about some great times.

4A State Meet: Another easy one for me, Heber Springs won comfortable and many different runners stepped up, but Ethan Bly did the most. Bly had a tough task this year. With the addition of Monticello and Crossett to 4A and Hamburg, Lakeside-LV, and Dollarway stepping up with some athletes this year, sprinting became a lot deeper in 4A. Bly handled it smoothly, though, winning the 100, 200, 400, and 4x4. Not to mention, 2nd place in the long jump with a jump of 21 feet 9.5 inches. Incredible. His times were 11.35 in the 100, 23.15 in the 200, and 51.00 in the 400.

5A State Meet: This was another tough one. Vilonia was a very well rounded team and a lot of guys just stepped up and did what they needed to do. I decided Houston Cotton of Vilonia was the choice for me. He was 2nd in the 110 hurdles, 1st in the 300 hurdles, and I believe part of the 2nd place 4x4 team. In 5A, you have to be pretty fast to place in one hurdle event, not to mention two. Cotton got all state in both. He ran the 110s in 15.21 and the 300s in a great time of 39.96.

6A State Meet: The MVP of this meet wasn't too hard to choose for the winning team (although it was hard to not give it to a particular athlete for Lake Hamilton). Providence George of Arkansas had to participate in 5 different individual events and probably two relays. He had to compete well in those events to offset Lake Hamiltons distance points and he did it. He placed 3rd in the 100 with a time of 11.07 seconds, 3rd in the 200 with a time of 22.71 seconds, 5th in the 400 with a time of 52.82 seconds, 4th in the long jump with a jump of 21' 3.5", and 1st in the triple jump with a jump of 45' 6.5". Incredible performance.

7A State Meet: Heritage was a team full of great athletes who did many different events. The athlete I think deserves MVP didn't win a single one of those events, but his points turned out to be huge in edging out Bentonville for a state championship. Alex Miles competed in 5 different field events. No offense to the other classifications, but doing that in 7A means you are a serious athlete. He placed 4th in the long jump (21' 8.75"), 4th in the triple jump (43' 10.75"), 8th in the discus throw (129' 10"), 2nd in the pole vault (13' 10"), and 4th in the high jump (6' 0"). Can someone say decathlete?

[sevenof400]

AT,

You are correct about Cotton running one of the legs on the 4 * 400 relay.  Some incredible performances you've listed there and while not all of these individuals will be in each of their events at the MOC, that event ought to be worth the price of admission to be sure. 

Big props to McGinnis for pulling off the personal distance sweep.  With respect to McGinnis, is that sort of record good enough to attract some college attention?   I hope all of these athletes get the opportunity to pursue track in college if that is their goal...

Speaking of which, I might have to start a thread on Arkansas high school college track commitments to keep up with where these athletes attend college.....

[Pick_DA_EAGLES]

AT, you going to do a girls list?

[AT]

AT, you going to do a girls list?

Yes, I'll do it tomorrow

[Pick_DA_EAGLES]

AT, you going to do a girls list?

Yes, I'll do it tomorrow

Ok, thanks!

+1

[keohog]

Curtis Rogers of England ran a 10.83 (new 2A state record) in 100m , 22.26 in 200m , also ran in 4x100 relay 43.53 , all these time would have won or placed in any state meet.

[AT]

Curtis Rogers of England ran a 10.83 (new 2A state record) in 100m , 22.26 in 200m , also ran in 4x100 relay 43.53 , all these time would have won or placed in any state meet.

Yes, he is a great sprinter, probably close to the best in the state, but I decided to only choose athletes from winning schools.

[jjjones]

I may have to argue a little on the 6A MVP but after seeing Grant Williams literally dominate all three distance and coming from behind in the 4x800 then cruise to victory. I know that we usually give things like this the championship team but I was there and it was dominating proformance.

[AT]

I may have to argue a little on the 6A MVP but after seeing Grant Williams literally dominate all three distance and coming from behind in the 4x800 then cruise to victory. I know that we usually give things like this the championship team but I was there and it was dominating proformance.

Yep, he did great and could easily be considered an MVP. He did everything he could. But like I said, I was only basing my opinion on the winning team.

[AT]

A day late, but:

Girls:

1A: This one was tough. Trinity Christian was very deep for a 1A school and had different athletes in many events, but Julie Son peeks out just barely for me. She won the 300 hurdles in a time of 50.23, 5th in the TJ (31' 2.5"), and 4th in the 200 (29.08). She probably ran a relay or two also.

2A:  The 2A State meet had one girl athlete stick out. Leigha Gills of Murfreesboro scored in 5 different events and it wasn't a distance or sprint sweep either. Gills finished 1st in the long jump (18' 4.50"), 2nd in the 400 meter dash (1:00.90), 2nd in the 100 meter hurdles (17.00), 1st in the 800 meter run (2:32.89), and 3rd in the 100 meter dash (12.95). She ran the hurdles, turned right back around and ran the 100. Then she ran the 400, waited for one event in between, and ran the 800. A great performance, and that's without me knowing what relays she ran.

3A: This one was easy. Riley Rose of Harding Academy is a great sprinter and she showed up for Harding Academy at the 3A state meet. She completed the sprint sweep by winning the 100 (12.55), 200 (26.81), and 400 (1:02.44). I'll assume she was on the winning 4 x 4 team too.

4A: Can I just go ahead and choose every Crossett athlete? Actually believe it or not, out of all the impressive Crossett girls, one does stick out. Kelsey Herman won the 100 (12.22), 200 (26.01), 100 meter hurdles (15.27), and the long jump (19' 4.5"). I'll assume she was on the winning 4x1 team and probably a good chance she was on the winning 4x4 team.

5A: In a meet where every point was needed, Jermeka Marks of Camden Fairview came through. She was 1st in the LJ (18' 1.75"), 3rd in the 200 meter dash (26.74), 4th in the 100 meter dash (12.97), and 1st in the TJ (36' 4"). Winning both horizonatal jumps and placing in the 100/200 is not easy in 5A.

6A: LR Parkview had to rely on two girls to carry them to a state title and they did. I don't want to find a cop out and give my personal MVP to both of them, but Brianna Swinton and  Jada Baylark are almost identical in what they did. In the end, I just went with who scored the most points and that was Jada Baylark (40) edging out Swinton (38). Baylark was 2nd in the 100, 2nd in the 200, 2nd in the triple jump, 3rd in the long jump, and 1st in the 400.

7A: Bentonville had a very good team with many impressive performances at the state meet, and no one really had the pressure of doing everything for their team, but Logan Morton gave her team points in 4 different events. She place 4th in the 300 meter hurdles (50.95), 3rd in the LJ (17' 2.5"), 6th in the TJ (34' 10.5"), and 4th in the 100 meter hurdles (15.91)

[Pick_DA_EAGLES]

A.T. des arc also had a girl (kirby smith) score in 4 events, won shot put, 3rd discus, 2nd 300 hurdles and 3rd 100 hurdles, and she is just a sophomore.

Never mind, i see that leigha gills scored in 5, you just have 4 typed, then 5 events listed. Im betting she probably also ran in the relays too.

[RATTLER43]

In 2A Gills was the outstanding/MVP athlete.  Brittany Chism was the most dominant. The Youcam gal from Spring Hill was awesome in jumps and hurdles.  Smith was fantastic for DA as well. Shelby Stone from Magnet Cove was impressive too.  Gills was the one though. 

[Pick_DA_EAGLES]

Rattler, what are you going by with chism being most dominant? Im not questioning your opinion, just wonder why, is it because she won the 2 events she was in? Shes from our conference too (6-2A).

[AllStarSportsFan]

You folks need to settle down.  The guy spent a lot of time to do this.  Just because the kid at your school didn't win this unofficial thing, doesn't mean your kid isn't good at track. Be an adult. 

[Pick_DA_EAGLES]

You folks need to settle down.  The guy spent a lot of time to do this.  Just because the kid at your school didn't win this unofficial thing, doesn't mean your kid isn't good at track. Be an adult. 

Uhhh, nobody is wound up. Oh never mind, you are a NEWB and dont know any better yet. So before you suggest me, or rattler  to settle down, you should figure out whats going on. I agreed with A.T. (and respect his opinion and he has way more track knowledge than i) about who he picked in 2a girls once i saw that the girl he chose scored in 5 individual events and not 4, plus her school scored in a relay event too. And i respect ratters opinion also, was only asking him to elaborate on chism.

[AllStarSportsFan]

You folks need to settle down.  The guy spent a lot of time to do this.  Just because the kid at your school didn't win this unofficial thing, doesn't mean your kid isn't good at track. Be an adult. 

Uhhh, nobody is wound up. Oh never mind, you are a NEWB and dont know any better yet. So before you suggest me, or rattler  to settle down, you should figure out whats going on. I agreed with A.T. (and respect his opinion and he has way more track knowledge than i) about who he picked in 2a girls once i saw that the girl he chose scored in 5 individual events and not 4, plus her school scored in a relay event too. And i respect ratters opinion also, was only asking him to elaborate on chism.

How can I figure out what's going on?  Do you old timers around here have a FAQ about that?  I wasn't suggesting Rattler settle down, just you.  Shoot, now I have a -1.  I'm not sure you realize how funny that is.  Kind of how important Des Arc track is in the whole scheme of things.  AT spends a tremendous amount of time going through results to post HIS opinions.  You got bent because some kid from Des Arc got left out.  Think about that.

[Pick_DA_EAGLES]

You folks need to settle down.  The guy spent a lot of time to do this.  Just because the kid at your school didn't win this unofficial thing, doesn't mean your kid isn't good at track. Be an adult. 

Uhhh, nobody is wound up. Oh never mind, you are a NEWB and dont know any better yet. So before you suggest me, or rattler  to settle down, you should figure out whats going on. I agreed with A.T. (and respect his opinion and he has way more track knowledge than i) about who he picked in 2a girls once i saw that the girl he chose scored in 5 individual events and not 4, plus her school scored in a relay event too. And i respect ratters opinion also, was only asking him to elaborate on chism.

How can I figure out what's going on?  Do you old timers around here have a FAQ about that?  I wasn't suggesting Rattler settle down, just you.  Shoot, now I have a -1.  I'm not sure you realize how funny that is.  Kind of how important Des Arc track is in the whole scheme of things.  AT spends a tremendous amount of time going through results to post HIS opinions.  You got bent because some kid from Des Arc got left out.  Think about that.

Thats just it, i didnt get bent. I was mainly pointing out that des arc also had a girl score in 4 events as just a sophomore, then i went back and read A.T.' post again and saw the girl he chose actually scored in atleast 5 events (he listed all 5, but only said she scored in 4)  plus he also said she may have ran on a scoring relay team, which would move her to 6 events scored in.

As for figuring out whats going on, you read more post before calling someone out. I respect A.T. and RATTLERS opinion especially when it comes to track and field or cross crountry.

As for how important des arc's girls are in t&f and c.c. in 2A, just look at past performances their success speaks for itself.

[RATTLER43]

Chism is the most dominant female sprinter ever in Class 2A.  Record holder and MOC champion.  Not MVP or best track athlete.  Just most dominant.  She just wins.  That is how I justify or define my statement.  I think the Hughes 8th grader may do the same for next few years.   Hope my comments did not offend or suggest that I was stirred up.  Just love my sport and shared my opinion.   

Hope to post River Valley post season accolades soon. 

Go Hogs!

[RATTLER43]

Multi-athletes and long jumpers have us off to a great start!
Distance runners qualified 1-2.  WPS

[RATTLER43]

Oops. Wrong thread.  Sorry.

[Pick_DA_EAGLES]

Rattler, as i have said before, i trust yours and a.t. evaluation of the sport, yall are usually  spot on. Hughes does normally have some serious speed. Didnt they have a boy a couple years back that was pretty dominant in the speed sports?

[Caddo]

Almatrackster, thank you for saying the nice things about James Whisenhunt from Caddo. He is one of the most amazing young men I've ever had the honor to work with. He's a yes sir, no sir guy who works amazingly hard and will do anything to help the team. He was actually on two state championship wrestling teams in Oklahoma before moving to our school two years ago(It broke his heart because he loved wrestling so much and we don't have it). Even though he is kind of big (very muscular) he also made all-state in cross country. We're going to miss him.

[AT]

Almatrackster, thank you for saying the nice things about James Whisenhunt from Caddo. He is one of the most amazing young men I've ever had the honor to work with. He's a yes sir, no sir guy who works amazingly hard and will do anything to help the team. He was actually on two state championship wrestling teams in Oklahoma before moving to our school two years ago(It broke his heart because he loved wrestling so much and we don't have it). Even though he is kind of big (very muscular) he also made all-state in cross country. We're going to miss him.

Sounds like a great kid. I didn't realize you were a coach for them? Congrats on a state championship! I bet that felt good. I wish these athletes got more recognition.

[UofA95]

Hey Almatrackster,

Thanks for the honor of 3A boys MVP! Sorry for such a late responce, but I saw this a while ago and just never got around to making an account until tonight!

Zack McGinnis

[AT]

No problem Zack! I didn't see it but a great performance it must have been. Running those 3 events in those times, let alone winning all of them is amazing. Alma had a guy win the distance triple in 2007, but the 4 x 8 got 2nd.