Ben Saarel (left) and Talem Franco (right) could have another epic 800m battle like this one from the BYU Invitational two weeks ago- Photo by Kyle Perry
The 3A state meet poses some very interesting match-ups. While the longer races have a clear cut favorite, the sprints and field events look to come down to the wire. If everyone runs to seed Desert Hills look to be the favorite in the boys race. They look strong across the board; look for them to grab points in a wide variety of events
In the boys distance, nationally ranked and University of Colorado bound Ben Saarel of Park City will be looking not only for victory, but also for state record times in both the mile and two mile. He also has a state leading time in the 800m and will try for the coveted distance triple. Saarel has dominated the distance races all year. Look for him to go out from the front, and run his own, fast, race while trying to chase history. In the 800m Talem Franco likes to take it out hard as well and will challenge Ben every step of the way, the same way he did at the BYU invite. Jordan Cross has had a great season that deserves a lot of credit. He has run 4:10 in the 1600m and 9:11 in the 3200m this season. He has his hands full with Saarel but he has run some very solid times this season and could make it exciting.
Brad Wulfenstein of Desert Hills holds the top ranking in both the 110m and 300m Hurdles- Photo by Kyle Perry
The boy's sprinting will be highlighted by Brad Wulfenstein's hurdling. In both the 110H and 300H he is looking to not only win, but to take down state records in the process. The open sprints look to be tight and highly contested races. The boy's 100 is the only one with a clear favorite going in, though Dallon Didericksen will certainly have little room for error. Dixie will look to pick up several points in the shorter events in order to earn a podium position for the team competition
If you get excited about closely contested races, look no further than the boys field events. They should be filled with tight match-ups. Ty Fejerang, Logan Smith, and Chandler Swaney look to make an exciting finish to the boy’s high jump as the three tie for the top seed. Blake Kvarfordt and Ben Hicks also come to the shot put with the same seed distance.
Learn how to create your own mock meet here, so you can make your own predictions. Remember to check back on Friday and Saturday for results and analysis of the days competition.
Here is a list of the top 3 competitors to watch in every event:
Boy's 100 meter 3A
Dallon Didericksen Jr STAN 10.98
Adam Thompson Sr HURR 11.10
Jose Lemus Sr OGDN 11.13
Boy's 200 meter 3A
Ben Seekins Sr GVIL 22.56
Scott Callister Sr CNYV 22.61
Adam Thompson Sr HURR 22.73
Boy's 400 meter 3A
Scott Callister Sr CNYV 49.62
Bren Durfee Sr GVIL 49.83
Kyle Fletcher Sr TOEL 50.57
Boy's 110 MH 3A
Brad Wulfenstein Sr DESH 14.33
Lukas Hildebrandt Jr DIXI 15.02
Jon Durrant Jr WASC 15.24
Boy's 300 MH 3A
Brad Wulfenstein Sr DESH 38.72
Lukas Hildebrandt Jr DIXI 39.74
Jon Durrant Jr WASC 40.24
Boy's 800 meter 3A
Ben Saarel Sr PRKC 1:51.91
Talem Franco Sr WASC 1:52.96
Brigham Whitney Sr DESH 1:53.11
Boy's 1600 meter 3A
Ben Saarel Sr PRKC 4:16.73
Talem Franco Sr WASC 4:20.62
Jordon Cross Sr OGDN 4:20.99
Boy's 3200 meter 3A
Ben Saarel Sr PRKC 8:49.08
Jordon Cross Sr OGDN 9:10.97
Dakota Lange So PAYS 9:25.19
Boy's High Jump 3A
Ty Fejerang Sr BENL 6-05.00
Logan Smith Jr DELT 6-05.00
Chandler Swaney So DESH 6-05.00
Boy's Shot Put 3A
Blake Kvarfordt Jr DESH 50-00.00
Ben Hicks Sr JDGO 50-00.00
Branson Fonnesbeck Jr BRRV 48-02.00
Boy's Discus 3A
Blake Kvarfordt Jr DESH 151-05
Kazden Jolley Jr HURR 146-11
Jacob Nielson Sr HURR 146-10.50
Boy's Javelin 3A
Jeff Rowley Jr JUAB 190-01
David Alexander Sr JDGO 168-06
Caden Henderson So UINT 167-11.50
Boy's 4x100 3A
Stansbury HS A 43.40
Hudson Conrad (So), Tyler Jensen (Jr), Zayne Anderson (So),
Dallon Didericksen (Jr), Chase Christiansen (Jr), Jackson Clausing (Sr)
Dixie HS A 43.51
Lukas Hildebrandt (Jr), Blake Barney (Sr), Brayden Riding (Jr),
Chris Whetten (Sr), Jayden Harrison (Fr), Tre Miller (Fr)
Desert Hills HS A 43.95
Abe Bedard (Sr), Chandler Swaney (So), Justin Brinkerhoff (Sr),
Brad Wulfenstein (Sr), Zak Fuchs (Fr), Bridger Cowdin (So)
Boy's 4x400 3A
Tooele HS A 3:27.80
Alex Toone (So), Kyle Fletcher (Sr), Chris Bonner (Jr),
Logan Pectol (Sr), Thomas Wright (So), Tayler Boswell (Sr)
Dixie HS A 3:28.58
Jacob Beers (Jr), Blake Barney (Sr), Brayden Riding (Jr),
Jason Quinn (Sr), James Otto (Jr), Kyler Smith (Sr)
Wasatch HS A 3:29.72
Jon Durrant (Jr), Preston Willey (So), Nate Lee (Sr),
Talem Franco (Sr), Taylor Rowley (Sr), Tim Price (Jr)
Boy's Medley Relay 3A
Cedar HS A 3:37.73
Cody Parkenson (Sr), Colton Warren (Sr), Dallin Trotter (Jr),
Kayden Starley (Sr), Bodry Allred (Fr), Chris Bettencourt (Sr)
Desert Hills HS A 3:38.03
Zak Fuchs (Fr), Nathan Sharp (So), Justin Brinkerhoff (Sr),
Tanner Prax (Sr), Jaren Ashby (Sr), Brigham Whitney (Sr)
Dixie HS A 3:38.67
Tre Miller (Fr), Jayden Harrison (Fr), Jacob Beers (Jr),
Hunter Chamberlain (Sr), Ike Urquhart (Fr), James Otto (Jr)