Boys
Jumpers
Ethan Heitman, Tyl Woelber, and Reid Pierzinski. Rarely has Class A been able to appreciate having three jumping talents like this all at the same time. But don't let the success of those three athletes fool you into thinking that jumping events in Class A aren't incredibly deep. In fact, none of those three athletes are the defending Class A long jump champion. That honor goes to Corleone Powell-Smith of Minneapolis North. Powell-Smith's winning jump of 22-2.75 last year as a junior was a slight improvement over his 21-7.75 he achieved in his 5th-place finish as a sophomore. Perhaps it is a little easier for us to forget about Powell-Smith because our database doesn't have many results from him, but a jumping talent like his should not be ignored. Powell-Smith winning jump was just an inch and a half further than Heitman, but in fact, it is Heitman that comes into the year with not just the best jump in Class A, but also in the whole state at an even 23 feet. Woelber and Concordia Academy's Casey Hackett also own some of Class A's top jumps, but Woelber is unlikely to do the long jump by the end of the year due to his commitments in relays and other events. Perham's Martin Lafond is probably the top name from the next tier of jumpers, all of whom have PRs hovering around 21 and a half feet. But while LaFond just missed the podium at State by finishing 10th last year, Logan Josephson of Redwood Valley and Alex Dumoulin of Southwest Christian (along with Hackett) did make the podium last year and have an excellent chance of doing so again in 2018 (especially considering last year was only Dumoulin's first year of high school track). Cromwell's Nick Johnson and Mayer Lutheran's Cole Hagen will also be podium threats in 2018, along with the best jumper not to qualify for state last year, Mora's Cal Wright.
There aren't many events that the caliber of talent in Class A is uniformly and vastly superior to Class AA, but this year's triple jump appears to be that rare case. Six of the top 9 best triple jumpers in the state are Class A, including five of the six jumpers who have already cleared 45 feet. First on that list is Reid Pierzinski, who actually touches 46 feet with his PR, and broke 45 feet in competition on more occasions last year than any other jumper in the state (in addition to being the premier hurdler in Class A). But Pierzinski only took 4th in the event behind two of his closest competitors, Tyl Woelber (who took 2nd a year after also finishing 5th), and the junior from the International School of Minnesota Preston Dahlen. Dahlen, the younger brother of former Class A hurdle champion Ethan Dahlen, has enjoyed a string or remarkable success in the triple jump (he also cleared 44 feet as a freshman and won all but three competitions he was in last year, with two of them being State and the Hamline Elite Meet). But perhaps with an even more exciting potential is St. Croix Lutheran's Jake Marzinske. Entering his sophomore year with a best jump of under 39 feet, Marzinske improved all the way up to 45-2.5 at Sections before settling into 6th place at State. There is a bit of a drop-off after Cackett and Lafond, to the next tier, and it would be hard to imagine a state champion coming from somewhere other than those six athletes, but crazier things have happened. If Marzinske can improve by six feet in one year, then Avery Hunt, Brett Jansen, and the aforementioned Nick Johnson will certainly have a shot to do something special too. Of course, we mustn't forget Beth-el's younger brother Matthias Algarin, who missed all of last season with an injury, but leaped 43 feet and qualified for State as an 8th grader in 2016. He's back and as good as ever if recent indoor competitions are to be believed.
The Class A high jump has both depth and heavyweights at the top, rivaling (and arguably surpassing) the talent in Class AA. The road to a State title goes through defending champion Tyl Woelber of Pipestone, whose monster leap of 6-7 separated him from the field a year ago. Not to be outdone, after placing 3rd at State, Ethan Heitman went on to best Woelber's mark by an inch at the USATF Minnesota JO Championships. That height places Heitman atop all of Minnesotan returners, with Woelber sitting in 3rd. And with a PR of 6-4, Dalton Cook of Bigfork will come back to improve on his 4th place showing in 2017. After these three, the depth in high jump is phenomenal. Six athletes have jumped 6-3, those being Lucas Simpson of Fairmont, Isaac Davidson of St. Charles, Jackson Johnsrud of Minnewaska, Adam Ripplinger of Holdingford, Steel Senske of Park Christian, and Saje Scheeler of Christs Household of Faith. Scheeler and Senske both scored points at State last year, taking 6th and 8th. 21 other athletes have jumped 6 feet or better, making this one of the toughest events to advance to State in. Even a slight off day can open the door to a handful of other top jumpers, and with only two spots per section, just qualifying is a monumental achievement. Johnsrud, Hayden Berhow of Fairmont, Hunter Westman of Mankato Loyola/Cleveland, Yahya Mader of Mounds Park Academy, and Hayden Gagnon of Eden Valley-Watkins are the athletes that will look to return to the State meet, but with such depth, it seems impossible to predict anything other than the top two spots, which Heitman and Woelber have appeared to have locked down on paper.
Throwers
In 2017, the Class A throw competitions featured a faceoff of superstars, as Samuel Moore of Bertha-Hewitt/Verndale took down the defending champion in both events, Mitchell Weber of St. Clair. Both are back this season in what should be one of the most compelling competitions this spring, especially with a fully healthy Weber. At the beginning of last season, Weber had an injured shoulder, and was forced to throw with his off hand for much of the early stages of the campaign. They currently stand as the two best throwers in all of Minnesota on paper. In the discus, there is almost zero chance that one of these two do not emerge victorious. While each of them had a throw that exceeded 188 feet last year, no other returning Class A thrower had a mark within 44 feet of either of their PRs. Moore earned the State title in a throw of 180'6", about 8 feet short of his 188'4" personal best. Weber's State performance was far from his best day, as earlier in the season he threw a massive 196-10, the 3rd best mark ever in Minnesota. It should be a thrilling ride to watch these two fight for the State title, while chasing the state record of 201'7" over the duration of the season. The rest of the field remains a mystery, because other than Moore, Weber, and Jacob Lindemann of Roseau, every other State competitor graduated last spring. Looking to fill the gaps will be James Strese of Ashby and Thomas O'Malley of Montevideo, who each have thrown marks of 144 feet. After them, 17 athletes have personal bests that fall in the 130s, making for an unpredictable logjam for the next few spots at State. With an almost brand new field at State, there will surely be surprises for top five and ten finishes.
Unlike in the discus, Moore and Weber will have some company at the top. At last year's State meet, sandwiched between the two stars was Steven Orzolek of Litchfield, whose 54'11.25" mark ranks 4th in the entire state of Minnesota. Moore and Weber rank 1st and 2nd, with throws of 59'11.75" and 57'7.75", respectively. With three of the top four returning throwers, it appears that Class A holds much greater firepower than Class AA atop the field. While Weber appears to favor the discus, Moore seems to have the advantage in the shot put. If not for the historic strength at the top of this event, Orzolek would be favored to win in many years. Only a few feet behind the pair on paper, an excellent day for the Litchfield stud (or off performances for the other two) could easily result in an upset. And flying under the radar is David Roddy of Breck. He threw over 50 feet as a sophomore, yet has not received enough attention as his performances deserve. After taking 7th at State in 2017, he appears to be the favorite in the fight for fourth. Also returning from last year's State meet is Myles Zeug of Wabasso, whose throw of 49'8.5" ranks 5th among returners. James Strese fouled all his attempts at State last season, but owns the 6th best throw of 49'8". If he lands a throw cleanly this year, he instantly enters contention for a top five position. Kal Jackman of Litchfield, Connor Kantack of Glencoe-Silver Lake, Gabe Webster of LeSeuer-Henderson, and Adam Fiebing of East Central are also each knocking on the door of 50 feet, with PRs in the 48s. But like discus, many athletes are clustered, with 16 sitting between 45 and 48, so expect some surprises as competitors emerge from that group.
Vaulters
In 2016, Plainview-Elgin-Millville's Jacob Munsch had a huge performance to take 4th at the State meet. A year later and a foot higher, Munsch's undefeated 2017 regular season culminated in him taking 2nd at State and vaulting 15'0". If there's such a thing as a lock, Munsch might be the closest to one to capture his first State title. He is one of only two athletes in all of Minnesota that has jumped 15'0" or better, and 9" better than anyone else in Class A. Max Giza of Staples-Motley is no slouch himself, sitting at 14'3", the third best jump among returners across both divisions. He was also 3rd at State last season. These two provide major star power to this event. Watch out for them to represent Class A in a big way at the Hamline Elite Meet in April. Tate Olson of Esko seems to be the best of the rest, as he is the 3rd returner to this event by both State place of 7th, and PR of 13'6". Josh Lynch of New London-Spicer, Hawkin Petron of Rockford, and Jackson Nesmoe of Tri-City United own identical 13'3" PBs, but Lynch was unable to qualify out of the tough Section 5A, and Nesmoe only jumped 11'6" at State. On their best day, each stands as a contender for a top three finisher. Wyatt Amdahl of International Falls tied with Petron for 9th a year ago, while Luke Barth of Byron edged them by a place with an identical 13'0" leap but less misses. Addisoune Harrington of Pequot Lakes has also hit 13'0" after an impressive sections performance. No other pole vaulter has come closer than half a foot of 13 feet, so this event looks fairly top heavy on paper. Barring any major improvements or injuries, Munsch and Giza should lead the way, with a cluster of athletes in the mid 13s fighting for 3rd.