Here’s what you need to know for the 2024 high school boys outdoor track and field season in the Baltimore area.
Storylines to watch
Will winter disappointment drive spring success?
Track and field is a unique sport in that an athlete doesn’t have to wait an entire year for redemption. While in most sports, if your postseason ends in disappointment you have to wait until the next year to try again, but in track and field, where there is a winter and spring season, the turnaround is only a few months. So if an athlete like Mervo’s Justin DeVaughn – a state high jump champion — was disappointed by not doubling up with a gold in the hurdles in winter indoor season, he goes right back to work and has a chance to fix that in the spring. It’s always interesting to see what athletes get driven to greatness after suffering heartbreak just months earlier.
Who will be Calvert Hall’s next crop of stars?
The Cardinals have built one of the area’s most dominant track programs over the past few years. They won last year’s Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association A Conference outdoor championship by 111 points. As is the case with any high school, graduation hits and stars leave. But Calvert Hall simply reloads. The loss of Ricardo Cooper and Da’Shawn Keller only opens up opportunities for athletes such as Antoine McNair, Caleb Mincey and Cameron Hayes.
Is the City championship up for grabs?
One common theme in recent Baltimore City championships is that the title race has always been a battle. Last spring, Digital Harbor beat Mervo by 13 points. In the winter indoor season, Poly edged the Rams by 12 points. Expect another tough competition this season. Digital Harbor, coming off a Class 3A indoor state championship, might be the favorite but Mervo, Poly and Dunbar all have teams capable of taking the title.
Who will prevail in a wide-open Class 2A?
It’s safe to say it was given for the past two years that competing in Class 2A meant you were battling for second place. Oakland Mills was far ahead of everyone else. But with the Scorpions now in 3A, the race for the title is wide-open. Hereford won the indoor title and Ben Wheeler and Jadon Gaines will have the Bulls in contention again. Century and Harford Tech also have deep rosters and will make a run at the top prize.
Is this the year the Scorpions lose their grip on Howard County?
Speaking of Oakland Mills, the Scorpions won three straight Howard County championships, each by 50 points or more. But graduation has taken a toll and that winning streak precariously remains. Howard, led by distance specialist Joey Ensor, beat Oakland Mills for the county indoor championship in the winter, and the Lions will be a formidable challenger to the Scorpions again in the spring.
Athletes to watch
Cameron Davis, Calvert Hall, senior, distance
Davis has been the king of MIAA distance running for two years now, collecting a slew of cross country, indoor track and outdoor track titles. He is the favorite again this year in the 1,600 and 3,200.
Justin DeVaughn, Mervo, junior, jumps-hurdles
DeVaughn won last year’s Class 4A state long jump championship and this winter’s indoor 4A state high jump title. Also a top hurdler, DeVaughn is aiming for more gold this season.
Chase Dorsey, Calvert Hall, junior, throws
Dorsey will be one of, if not the top thrower in the area. He has never lost an MIAA A Conference shot put championship and was second in the league in the discus last spring.
Brandon Finney, McDonogh, junior, sprinter
Finney was the A Conference champion in the 110 hurdles last year. This winter, he won a fiercely contested race in the 55-meter dash, one in which the top three places were separated by one-hundredth of a second.
Jadon Gaines, Hereford, senior, jumps
Gaines already has a pair of state championships on his resume, winning last year’s Class 2A state high jump title and backing it up with another state crown in the winter indoor season.
Ryan Hartranft, Century, junior, distance
Hartranft won last spring’s Class 2A state championship in the 1,600 and further cemented his status among Carroll County’s top distance runners by winning the county cross country title.
LaMont Johnson, Digital Harbor, junior, sprints
Johnson was a key piece of the Rams’ indoor state title team, winning the 300, placing second in the 500 and running on two state championship relay teams. He’ll have the Rams in contention again.
Lukas Michael, Westminster, senior, pole vault
Michael has won the Class 3A state pole vault championship at the past two indoor state meets. He finished second a year ago to teammate Cameron Rucker, who has since graduated.
Marlin Newsome, Centennial, senior, sprinter
Newsome picked up two top-five finishes at last spring’s state championships — in the 100 and 200 — and won his first state title in the winter, claiming the Class 2A 55-meter dash crown.
Kian Williams, Severna Park, senior, jumps
Williams is one of the area’s top public school jumpers. He’s the reigning Anne Arundel County champion in the high and triple jumps. He finished second at the Class 4A state championships last spring in the triple jump and won the high jump at the 3A indoor meet less this winter.
Preseason Top 15 teams
1. Calvert Hall
Coach: Scott Baker
Postseason: MIAA A Conference champion, No. 2 ranking
Outlook: The Cardinals have a new crop of sprinters and middle-distance runners who will be factors to pair with reliable point scorers in Cameron Davis and Chase Dorsey.
2. Gilman
Coach: Matt Tulley
Postseason: Third in MIAA A Conference, No. 6
Outlook: The Greyhounds had a strong spring last year and became Calvert Hall’s top local challenger during the winter indoor season.
3. Hereford
Coach: Adam Hittner
Postseason: Tied for fifth in Class 2A, not ranked
Outlook: A young Bulls team finished in the top five at states last spring and reached their potential in the winter, winning the Class 2A state title. Jadon Gaines, Ben Wheeler and Jake Weakland are all threats to win state titles in multiple events.
4. Digital Harbor
Coach: Lutalo Bakari
Postseason: Third in Class 3A, No. 7
Outlook: The Rams had two individuals and two relays win gold at the indoor state championships and Tristan Gray finished second in the shot put. There’s no reason to believe they can’t do it all again, if not more, in the spring.
5. Howard
Coach: Erik Jenks
Postseason: Tied for seventh in Class 3A, No. 8
Outlook: The Lions finally overtook Oakland Mills in Howard County in the winter and have a strong core intact to not only do it again but challenge for bigger postseason titles.
6. Oakland Mills
Coach: Chris Brewington
Postseason: Class 2A state champion, No. 1
Outlook : The Scorpions are moving up to Class 3A this year after two straight 2A state titles. They also need to replace a good portion of last year’s top performers, but they have reloaded.
7. Loyola Blakefield
Coach: Jose Albornoz
Postseason: Fourth in MIAA A Conference, not ranked
Outlook: Loyola is coming off a third-place finish in the MIAA winter indoor championships. Khary Adamns (300) and Jack Watcher (pole vault) were conference champions and will lead the team again this spring.
8. Harford Tech
Coach: Darrell Diamond
Postseason: Tied for ninth in Class 2A, not ranked
Outlook: The Cobras were the Class 1A runner-up at the indoor championships but are still 2A in outdoor. They should still be competitive at the state level and the favorite in the UCBAC with strength across the lineup.
9. Liberty
Coach: Trent Rose
Postseason: Third in Class 2A, No. 14
Outlook: The Lions dropped to Class 1A this cycle and have been thriving. After winning the cross country state championship, they tied for second at the indoor state meet. Their distance prowess will have them in contention again in the spring.
10. Mervo
Coach: Vaughn DeVaughn
Postseason: Sixth in Class 4A, No. 10
Outlook : Justin DeVaughn is capable of scoring 25 or 30 points by himself in any meet he competes in. He’ll lead a group that will challenge Digital Harbor for the Baltimore City title and go after a Class 4A state title.
11. Old Mill
Coach: Justin Murdock
Postseason: 11th in Class 4A, not ranked
Outlook: The Patriots broke through and won the county indoor championship with a versatile group. Chancellor DeRosier continued a family legacy by winning the 55 hurdles state title in indoor and will be a threat for dual gold this spring.
12. Severna Park
Coach: Josh Alcombright
Postseason: Third in Class 4A, No. 4
Outlook: The Falcons are now in Class 3A, but outside of Kian Williams, much of their firepower from last season graduated. Still, Alcombright has a long history of reloading and winning state titles and there’s little chance the Falcons fade away.
13. Dundalk
Coach: Justin Tran
Postseason: Fifth in Class 4A, No. 5
Outlook: The Owls lost last season’s All-Metro Athlete of the Year, thrower Chimdy Onoh, but return a strong core and add Challenger Valentine, who was a big part of Mervo’s team a year ago.
14. Centennial
Coach: Corey Eudell
Postseason: Fourth in Class 3A, No. 15
Outlook: Last year, the Eagles built a strong team behind several distance specialists. Now, their strength shifts with Newsome as one of the area’s top sprinters and David Herzberger as an accomplished middle-distance runner.
15. Crofton
Coach: Stacy Severtson
Postseason: 25th in Class 3A, not ranked
Outlook: The Cardinals were highly ranked all winter but slipped a bit in the postseason. They were only three points behind Old Mill for the Anne Arundel County indoor championship and have a strong, balanced lineup.
Others considered: Broadneck, Century, Mount Saint Joseph, Parkville, Poly
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