B South Preview

Here's the real B South preview, no April Fools attached. Even as I attempt to watch every baseball game being played today, I remain confident that there will be no baseball references in the following paragraphs. Here it goes...

Central and Monsignor Donovan will be the class of the division again. When it comes to the dual meet season, both teams go much deeper on talent than the other five B South teams. Both teams have their losses to cope with every year, and this year is no different, but both also reload every year (and once again, this year is no different).

Central coach Michael Jordan admits that while his team should contend for B South once again, they will have to do it much differently.

"We're going to have to rely more on our sprinters, whereas last year we relied on the weights,'' he said. "Most of our key returners are sprinters or jumpers so they'll have to go get us some points. We'll do fairly well in the other events, but we'll need some of the newcomers to step up.''
Dennis Lucey will sprint, hurdle, and jump, serving as Central's most versatile weapon. Terrance Hardy (sprints), Tim Straut (hurdles), and Steve Casagrand (hurdles/pole vault) will also be fixtures in the Golden Eagle lineup.

Donovan returns a good mix of athletes, headed by sprinters Eric Bruno and Jayce Maxwell. A.J. Coulson and P.J. Coulson (who on this blog, will be referred to as "The Initials") will highlight the weight events, while Nick Chiarella (jumps, mid-distance) and George Johnson (distance) round out a balanced lineup at the top of each event.

The two favorites will decide the division Wednesday when they meet at Central High. Once that meet is in the books, all eyes will shift to Lakewood's Emanuel Mayers, who is B South's best athlete. Mayers returns as the defending MOC champion in the 400 hurdles, but failed to qualify for the final heat of the 110 hurdles at the same meet. Mayers second-place finish in the 55 hurdles at the Indoor MOC, an impressive accomplishment considering his finish in the 100 last year, but perhaps a uneasy finish considering the high expectations for the fall season. Mayers is the best hurdler in the Shore, but his status as the state's best is still not cemented and that title give the senior something the shoot for this spring.

Manchester looked to assert itself as the third best team in the division with a win over Pinelands Monday. Lakewood may have a chance, but numbers are always an issue with the Piners. According to coach Skip Edwards, Lakewood freshman sprinter Ashton Alexander is the next Mayers and will be an immediate factor. With a two atheletes like that, Lakewood is not a team to be taken lightly.

On the lighter side, here are a few of my favorite names in B South, a category that only B North tops it in: Michael Jordan, Justin Iverson (Both from Central. That's right. Iverson and Jordan on the same team. Look out B South), Stehpon Bond (Manchester), Michael "Santa" Claus (Manchester), and Kyle Schwartz (Point Boro. South Park reference. See the picture).

This Kyle Schwartz has nothing on Point Boro's.

Potential Group/State Champions: Mayers (Lakewood) - hurdles; Raymond Coles (Donovan) - 3200.