Top Male Sprinters

1/2/2012

Coach Cash

Cornelius Strickland       12         Thea Bowman Academy

            He stands about 6'3 and puts his long levers to good use. He is also a solid 400 runner. I have not seen him play football, but I think he is track guy that happens to play football, not the other way around. He is surprisingly quick out of the blocks.

Quinntyn Qualls             12         Pike

            He actually looks like a beardless Tyson Gay, and is definitely not as serious and intense as he appears. Really good sense of humor, and extremely dedicated to getting better. The 400 may be his best event, but I doubt if he will run it in the tournament.

Quinton Jones               12         Leo

            He started out as one of those sprinters that avoided the 200, and viewed it as a longer distance. Over the last year or so, he started to buy in to running an aggressive 200, and it has definitely helped him gain strength for the 100, his specialty race. He has transferred to Leo due to the closing of Harding HS.

Anthony Shelman          12         Lawrence Central

            He is a similar runner to Jones, but without the size and power. He brings a lot of energy and intensity into his races. Extremely explosive, and loves to talk smack. Very entertaining.

Danny Anthrop              12         Lafayette Central Catholic

            He is obviously a football first guy, and is still trying to figure out what he can do on the track. Not sure if he will ever be able to handle the turns on the 200, but he is lights out on the straights.

Brelen McGee               12         Wallace

            I think he will benefit from the NWI sprinter resurgence, as his competition over the last two years should set him up for something special.

Jeron Blake                   11         Portage

            This should be a great year after he had a rather rocky start to his sophomore season. He is an extremely efficient sprinter with a relatively quick start.

John Roby                    12         Cathedral

            A talented kick returner in football, Roby managed to fly under the radar for most of last season before exploding at the regional meet.

Lucas Wallace               11         Lafayette Jeff

            When the former Hamilton Heights standout arrived on campus last year, I'm not sure if anyone predicted what he would do during the season. He was definitely consistent all season, and should be even better this year.

Todd Frickey                 12         Garrett

            He might have had his coming out party a tad too soon in the season, but he rallied to a strong finish. It will be interesting to see how he performs with a target on his back this year. Expect big things.

Deontre Gray                11         Lawrence Central

            I may have ranked him ahead of guys that ran faster than he did last year, but I think he gets better due to one thing: EXPECTATIONS. His team will be in the title hunt, and they expect him to be a consistent sub 11 runner. And he may study his competition better than anyone else in the state.

Cameron Turner             12         Southport

            He does not have the prettiest running form in the world, but he gets the job done. look for him to drop the long jump for good, and just focus on sprinting.

Ryan Davis                   11         Hamilton Southeastern

            Amazingly talented multi sport athlete. I think he understands and appreciates the fact that track makes him a better football player. If he wants to be a great football player, he will run the 400 every now and then.

Payton McCoy              12         Laporte

            Big strong runner that attacks the turn and runs with a lot of power. He is a solid football player and brings his toughness to the track.

Kyle Bramble                12         Floyd Central

            I'm unsure what kind of season he will have without Brock Slavens as his running mate, but he should be very motivated to make a return trip to the state meet. In football, he had 13 touchdowns in a span of two games.

Marcus Marble              12         Marion

            He has quietly waited in the wings while faster teammates have grabbed the headlines. This season, he is the leader of the team, and he should run like a #1 sprinter.

Terrell Brown                 12         Pike

            It is easy to overlook Brown, because of his teammates such as Qualls and Beverly. He is a really good sprinter that would be the main attraction on just about any other team. He will have a great season. Do not overlook him.

Carl McQuay                 11         Lafayette Jeff

            I don't think he took full advantage of Wallace's presence last year. It seems as if he regressed a bit as Wallace was exploding. Or it could have been the common "sophomore slump". Good thing for him, he was able to shake his midseason funk and finish strong.

Jerobaum Wilson          12         Ben Davis

            If it was just about talent, I would have him ranked a lot higher than this. But due to basketball, he was riddled with injuries as a sophomore and missed the entire 2011 season with a severe knee injury. It would be awesome to see what he could do with a clean bill of health.

Brian Murr                     12         Franklin Community

            He should have a really good season. His sprint/training crew is solid, and his wrestling season should be over in time for him to prep for the indoor season.

Marcellian Gardner         12         Lawrence Central

            He is really good. And he has been for a long time. He has pretty much been used as supporting actor, but he has star potential.

Logan Cunningham        12         Hamilton Heights

            May be rated a bit high, but he has a lot of tough competition in his area. I'd expect him to be a better 400 runner this year.

Daimon Leader              12         Elkhart Central

            He may be the most underrated sprinter on my list, but I am not sure if he has anyone in his region that can really push him throughout the season.

Caleb Epley                  12         South Spencer

            Came on towards the middle of last season as he battled with Jess Tribby, who was at North Daviess at the time. He is going to have to find some good competition this season if he expects to make some noise.

Justin Garrett                12         Ben Davis

            A torn ACL during the football season caused him to miss last season. His speed returned in time for the football season, and he should ready to prove himself in the spring.

Isaiah Duggan               11         Lake Central

            Actually has a twin brother, Isaac, on the team. He ran 21.96 at the DAC meet

Ed Benson                    12         North Side

            He has incredible range. Not a very explosive starter, but his top end speed is excellent.

Jarrell Holman               11         Northrop

            Struggled with injuries last year, but should be fresh for 2012. His coaches have a lot of confidence in him.

Austin Lazaro                11         Tri West

            Would not surprise me at all to see him move up to the 400 this year. Very competitive runner.

Jaynard Keys                11         Howe

            I don't know much about Keys. Haven't seen him run live, but based on the few video clips, he looks like he has a decent upside and a good build. I would guess that last year was his first running track and field.

Tyler Sandy                   12         Vincennes Lincoln

            He does really well, despite not living close to any sprinting hotbeds. As it appears to be a down year in Evansville, will he make a few trips to Indy this year.

Thomas Grant               11         Penn

            He was not on my radar at all last year, but the departure of Wilson Wambugu gave him the perfect opportunity to step in and do big things. Penn is a much younger team this year, so it will be interesting to see how he handles that.

Malik Miles                    10         Hammond

            Ran cross country this past season to stay in shape. I wouldn't be surprised if he evolved into more of a 400/800 runner in a couple of years.

Josh Ebikwo                 10         Carmel

            Incredibly strong as a freshman, should be even stronger this year, and he has a talented crew to train with this year.

Reid Rohrbacher           11         Leo

            I think he will benfit the most from the addition of Quinton Jones to the team. I think he will continue to train like a #1 sprinter, and view himself as such. He may be one of the biggest surprises this year.

Brett Baumgartner         11         Fairfield

            Training partner Tanner Foust is gone, but I don't think that will hurt him as much. Fairfield does a pretty good job of finding tough competition for their athletes.

Sean Owens                  10         Columbus East

            I think he may have the best potential that any Columbus East sprinter has had in the last eight years. He was extremely skinny last year. Let's hope he found the weight room.

Jalen Edwards              11         Avon

            Very talented kid. Was actually at Ben Davis for a few months in the fall of 2010, and we were pretty excited about the possibility of working with him during the track season. The team at Avon is still relatively young, so look for him to emerge as a leader.

Connor Stouder             11         Whitko

            He is leaps and bounds ahead of where his older brother, Chase, was at this point in his career. Finding consistent competition will be a challenge.

Ty Lockhart                   10         Eastside

            The good thing is that he will be challenged early and often this season, and will have a few shots at Todd Frickey, and others.

Isaiah Thomas               11         Morgan Township

            He will make a lot of noise this season. Last year was his first in track and field, and he also splits time with baseball. Has a very compelling personal story, which provides him with a remarkable perspective towards the sport.

James Compton                        11         Ben Davis

            He is actually more talented than this ranking indicates, but he has a reputation of not doing a lot during the offseason. I'm not sure if he actually views himself as a varsity sprinter.

Luke Hampton               12         Columbus East

            I think his success is directly tied to the success of Owens. If they both try to be the #1 sprinter, they will push each other to another level.

Cory Pierce                   12         Martinsville

            Already hard at work, Corey has always been an extremely hard worker. And Martinsville has quietly built a solid sprint crew over the last few years.     

Christian Black              12         Ben Davis

            Excellent out of the blocks, but usually fades after 70 meters. Didn't fully buy into track and field until last June. Excited to see what he does this season with a more serious approach.