Marion County Championship

By Stephen Bain
Boys Coordinator

October 1, 2009

The biggest county in the state will have its county championship race this weekend.  As always, you can expect some fast times as teams heat up and get ready for some of the toughest tournament match ups the state has to offer.

Let’s look at a competitive team line up:

Beech Grove, Ben Davis, Brebeuf Jesuit, #18 Franklin Central, Lawrence Central, #17 Lawrence North, Lutheran, #4 North Central, Park Tudor, Perry Meridian, Pike, Roncalli, Southport, Speedway, #14 Warren Central

Question to be answered:

Will the freshman race affect the championship race?

Every year, top teams do not place as high as they could because some of the standout freshmen run in the freshman county meet instead.  This makes it hard to know what to expect going into the week.

A quick look at the top teams:

#4 North Central – There is little question that these guys should be able to run away with the meet.  They should be working on moving that fifth guy up to set themselves up for a competitive tournament run.

#14 Warren Central – After a great Culver run, the Warriors will look to continue to improve as this is the last big race they see before the semistate.

#17 Lawrence North – This team is up and down making it hard to know where they could place.  This is their last tune up as well before they get right into some tough races.

#18 Franklin Central – The Flashes are the biggest team that may be affected by the freshman race.  However, they should be looking to make a statement entering the tournament after a couple down weeks.

Ben Davis – The Giants are not a team to forget about as they have very strong front running in their front three.  However, the four and five remain a question mark.

Lawrence Central – This team has been lurking right outside the top 25.  They have a good core of guys that can get the job taken care of.  They could finish as high as third in this race.

Race team favorite:  North Central

Team that may surprise:  Ben Davis

A look at the front of the race:

Futsum Zeinasellassie (10) – North Central [C #1]

Julian Toumey (12) – North Central [C #19]

Connor Geshay (12) – North Central [C #17]

Jason Crist (10) – Franklin Central [C #5]

Jason Hoard (11) – Brebeuf Jesuit [C #12]

Traishaun Johnson (12) – Ben Davis [C #16]

Futsum will likely run just fast enough to win and focus on helping his teammates run fast this weekend.