Templeton looks to take next step in the South
By Doug Binder, DyeStat Editor
2012 RESULTS
There was a very good reason why Aaron Templeton was one of the 10 invitees to the Nike Elite Camp over the summer even though he didn't have the best of track seasons.
Templeton, of Hardin Valley Academy in Tennessee, is the top returner from the 2012 Foot Locker championships, finishing seventh.
Now, he is focused on something even better. A week ago, he ran 8:54.29 for the fastest prep 3,200 on Tennesee soil, mostly by himself.
Templeton is the clear favorite in the Foot Locker South, where he was third last year. He ran the identical time that he did a year ago -- 14:54 -- on the way to winning the Wendy's Invitational on the McAlpine Park course in October.
On this historically fast course, it could take something under 15 minutes just to qualify for Foot Locker. Templeton could have company up front with runners from a variety of states. Louis Colson of Edison, Va. ran 29th here last year but was dominant at the Virginia state meet, where he clocked 15:06.
North Carolina could have a big impact on this race. Like Templeton, Ian Milder of Mount Tabor (N.C.) and Ben Huffman of Providence Day (N.C.) both recently broke nine minutes on the track. They should both be in the hunt for Foot Locker qualification as well, along with Wyatt Maxey, who was 22nd here last year, Philip Hall of Terry Stanford, Patrick Sheehan of Lake Norman, and Tanis Baldwin of East Henderson.
Florida's top runner, Sukhi Khosla of Leon, is undefeated and will test the waters outside his home state for the first time. But he's a talent who should be in the mix.
West Virginia state champ Matthew Brafford from George Washington has put himself in the mix for a top spot as well.
Texans Jacob Pickle (Southlake Carroll) and Frank Lara (Strake Jesuit) come into the meet fresh out of last week's NXN South meet. Pickle already has a trip booked to Portland with his team.
NXN South champion Jacob Shiohira of Bentonville, Ark. is entered, along with the guy who beat him for the Arkansas 7A title, Brendan Taylor of Little Rock Catholic.
Kevin Mills of Peachtree Ridge (Ga.), Mac Macoy of Vestavia (Ala.), Zack Langston of Lexington (S.C.) -- all of them state champions -- could finish in the top 10. (Brent Demarest of Porter-Gaud School in S.C. is listed on the entries for both Foot Locker South and NXN Southeast, so it's anybody's guess where he's going).
US#9 Carolina Alcorta of West Springfield, Va. broke the state meet course record in Virginia and is the clear favorite to win the regional title. Last year she was eighth but the seven girls in front of her were all seniors.
Amelia Paladino of University (W.V.) was 10th in this race last year and 30th in San Diego. She may be one of the only athletes in the meet capable of challenging Alcorta. Allie Klimkiewicz of Oakton, who led her team to the 6A Virginia title, qualified for Foot Locker last year and placed 33rd in the national meet.
One of the most interesting athletes in the meet, profiled on DyeStat, is North Carolina 4A champion Kayla Montgomery from Mount Tabor. Montgomery has progressed her running to an elite level over the last three years despite a diagnosis of multiple sclerosis. Her story will be amplified even more if she qualifies for San Diego. She was 15th in this race last year.
A couple of the top Texans -- Natalie Rathjen of Highland Park and Julia Heymach of Pearland -- should be factors. Rathjen was 16th in the race last year.
Sophomore Kathryn Foreman from Landmark Christian will get a chance to test herself after dominating competition in Georgia. She is undefeated this season and won her state's private school championship.
Hannah Christen from Lake Braddock (Va.), the runner-up to Alcorta, is another likely candidate for the top 10. Last year she qualified as an individual to NXN.
Gabriella Karas of Collins (Ky.), a freshman who has won her state title three years in a row (yes, beginning as a seventh grader), could also be in the mix.
From Florida, Alexa Cruz of Fort Lauderdale and Emily Edwards of Fort Myers, were the fastest finishers at the FLHSAA meet.
