Here’s what you need to know for the 2025 high school boys outdoor track and field season in the Baltimore area:

Storylines to watch

Get ready for Oakland Mills vs. Digital Harbor III

The Class 3A indoor track and field state meet came down to a battle between the Scorpions and the defending champion Rams, and the back-and-forth day was decided in the final event. Even though Digital Harbor won the race, the Scorpions’ second-place finish gave them enough points to hold on to the team title, 64.25-62. There’s no reason to believe we can’t be in store from a similar show Memorial Day weekend in Landover with LaMont Johnson leading Digital Harbor and Gabriel Murray leading Oakland Mills. This comes after Digital Harbor bested Oakland Mills by 10 points for last spring’s outdoor state title. What makes their battle so interesting is that each team’s strength lie in the same areas. The 4×400 relay was one of three events at the indoor state meet in which the schools had the top two finishers. The 55 hurdles and the 300 were the others. A potential rematch will be fun to watch.

Can Harford Tech do it again, now in 2A?

Harford Tech has proven its prowess so far this school year, winning Class 1A state championships in cross country and indoor track. The Cobras’ quest for a triple crown, though, will look a little different. In outdoor track and field, Harford Tech is classified as a 2A program, so the competition will be stiffer. Indoor challengers Liberty and Largo will be replaced by Westlake, Middletown and Hereford. Before anyone writes off the potential for a third state title this school year, Harford Tech did finish second at 2A states last spring and returns several strong pieces from that team including Alexander Wockenfuss and Khory Reevey.

Will Calvert Hall’s dynasty continue or can MSJ chase down the Cardinals?The Cardinals are in the midst of quite a run of success at the MIAA A Conference championships. They’ve won the past three outdoor conference championship meets and the past two indoor championships. However, during that stretch no one has come closer to Calvert Hall than Mount Saint Joseph did a little over a month ago at this year’s indoor championships. While Calvert Hall scored a 19-point win over the Gaels based on sprint championships, MSJ used dominance in the field events to stay close. If MSJ can pick up some extra points in the running events while maintaining its field strength, it can present a challenge Calvert Hall hasn’t faced in years.

Is Crofton building the premier program of Anne Arundel County?

It took a few years for the new program to mature, but now that it has, it might be the force to be reckoned with in Anne Arundel County. Crofton won last year’s outdoor county championship by just 7.5 points over Arundel. By this year’s indoor season, no one finished within 90 points of the Cardinals. They’re also starting to make noise on a statewide stage, finishing third at the indoor state championships. Brian Schaeffer is a veteran leader and a threat at mid-distance, and Christian Doss was runner-up last spring at the county meet in both hurdle races as a freshman. Now a sophomore, Doss has the potential to be a star in the making, just as the Cardinals have the potential to become an elite program.

Balanced Baltimore County is anyone’s race

Eastern Tech might have the best pure sprinter in Ameer Mowad, Hereford has the best mid-distance runner with Ben Wheeler, Dundalk’s Jerycho Sheppard is probably the best jumper, Western Tech’s Ojigwe Olua might be the best hurdler, and Towson houses the best distance corps. In other words, Baltimore County is up for grabs. The county title won’t be won by one school cleaning up the majority of events. Rather, the school that truly fields the best team, the one that can spread out its talent near the top in a variety of areas, will likely be the one that is crowned county champion in a couple of months. Last spring, it was Hereford beating out Western Tech, but Towson got the best of the Bulls in the winter indoor season with Franklin close behind. And then there are schools such Milford Mill that have explosive athletes who can come on and turn heads. Again, it’s anyone’s race.

Athletes to watch

Will Coyne, Loyola Blakefield, senior

Coyne won the pole vault at every in-state meet he competed in over the winter, including the MIAA championships. He was third at Nike Indoor Nationals. Only two athletes in Maryland topped his jump of 14 feet, 7 inches, this winter.

Justin DeVaughn, Mervo, senior

DeVaughn, a Maryland football recruit, is an electric hurdler, winning last spring’s 4A state titles in the 110 and 300 hurdles, and won the 55 hurdles this past indoor season. He also has a personal-best 6-foot-8 high jump.

Tristan Gray, Digital Harbor, senior

Only three athletes in Maryland threw the shot put further than Gray did throughout the winter indoor season. The 3A state runner-up has a top throw of 53-10.75.

Ryan Hartranft, Century, senior

Hartranft has been one of the premier distance runners in the metro area during his career and has several Carroll County titles to his credit. He is a two-time Class 2A outdoor state champion in the 1,600.

Tsedeke Jakovics, Old Mill, senior

Jakovics, who’s proved to be the area’s top distance runner this year, added two more gold medals to his total in the winter, winning 3A state titles in the 800 and 1,600.

Gabe Levrone, Calvert Hall, senior

Levrone won MIAA indoor championships in the 55 and 300 and ran on the Cardinals’ winning 4×400 relay. He won last year’s MIAA outdoor title in the 100.

Gabriel Murray, Oakland Mills, senior

Murray was instrumental in the Scorpions’ indoor state championship, winning an individual title in the 55 hurdles, running on the winning 4×200 relay and taking second in the 300.

Jared Okechukwu, Mount Saint Joseph, senior

The Gaels senior is a jumps specialist. In the winter, he won MIAA titles in the high jump and triple jump and was runner-up in the long jump and 55 hurdles.

Ben Wheeler, Hereford, junior

The junior is coming off a phenomenal indoor season in which he didn’t lose a race in either the 300 or 500 meters, which include 2A state championships in both races.

Alexander Wockenfuss, Harford Tech, senior

Wockenfuss was undefeated in the 500 during the indoor season, including winning the 1A state title. He also took gold in the 800 and ran on the Cobras’ championship 4×800 relay.

Preseason Top 15 poll

1. Calvert Hall

Coach: Scott Baker

Last season: IAAM A Conference champions, ranked No. 1

Outlook: The Cardinals have been the premier team in the area and in the MIAA in recent years, winning three straight A Conference titles. They’ve reloaded once again and will be favorites to make it four in a row.

2. Oakland Mills

Coach: Chris Brewington

Last season: Class 3A runner-up, No. 3

Outlook: The Scorpions were defeated by Digital Harbor for the state title last spring but got their revenge this winter when they won the indoor state championship. Strong sprinters and field events key their championship chase.

3. Crofton

Coach: Stacy Severtson

Last season: Tied for 17th in 4A, No. 8

Outlook: Crofton has been building its team over the past few years since the school’s opening and has reached the point in which it is the team to beat in Anne Arundel County and a state contender.

4. Mervo

Coach: Vaughn DeVaughn

Last season: Sixth in 4A, No. 13

Outlook: Justin DeVaughn is the headliner that will provide the Mustangs with a lot of points, but he’s far from the only top-tier athlete. Donavon Winslow, Jaidyn Adams and Zyon Wright are also strong point producers.

5. Digital Harbor

Coach: Lutalo Bakari

Last season: Class 3A state champions, No. 2

Outlook: LaMont Johnson returns after earning Baltimore Sun All-Metro Athlete of the Year honors last spring. Gray might be the area’s top thrower and Jevonte Williams was a state champion in the hurdles last spring.

6. Harford Tech

Coach: Darrell Diamond

Last season: Class 2A runner-up, No. 6.

Outlook: The Cobras proved to be the cream of the 1A crop through cross country and indoor track season, but jumping to 2A shouldn’t be much of a problem for a team as strong as Tech.

7. Mount Saint Joseph

Coach: Kyle Reagan

Last season: Third place MIAA A Conference, No. 12

Outlook: The Gaels gave Calvert Hall a challenge for the conference indoor championship and will likely be a top challenger again in the spring.

8. Hereford

Coach: Adam Hittner

Last season: Third in 2A, No. 7

Outlook: Wheeler is developing into a mid-distance superstar and it will be a surprise if he doesn’t earn more gold this spring. The Bulls also surround him with enough strength in other events to make them a top county and state contender.

9. Gilman

Coach: Matt Tully

Last season: Second in MIAA A Conference, No. 4

Outlook: The Greyhounds also have the potential to mount a challenge for Calvert Hall’s conference supremacy with distance specialist Jemmel Green leading the way. But they’ll need to develop more in other areas.

10. Towson

Coach: Gil Stange

Last season: 26th in 3A

Outlook: The Generals have one of the area’s top distance programs led by Theodore Brown, the indoor 3A 3,200 state champ. They’ll contend in Baltimore County and could make a strong state showing.

11. Liberty

Coach: Ryan Rose

Last season: Fourth in 1A

Outlook: The Lions were 1A state runners-up indoors, and with Harford Tech bumping up for outdoor season, the door could be open for a state title. Distance runner Greg Schellberg and pole vaulter Alaric Blattau were indoor individual state champions.

12. Western Tech

Coach: Clarissa Higgins

Last season: Third in 1A, No. 9

Outlook: The Wolverines will be led by Ojigwe Olua, last year’s 110 hurdles state champion in 1A, and Elijah Smith, a state champion thrower.

13. Manchester Valley

Coach: Jim MacDonald

Last season: 17th in 3A

Outlook: The Mavericks prevailed in a tight race for the Carroll County indoor title and they’ll be favorites to do it again in the spring. Wyatt Zeigenfuse is a top sprinter that is looking to make noise at the state level.

14. Old Mill

Coach: Justin Murdock

Last season: Third in 4A, No. 11

Outlook: Jakovics will provide a boatload of points for any meet he runs in, and the Patriots have other strong athletes, such as Colin Prato, who can also produce high finishes.

15. Howard

Coach: Eric Jenks

Last season: Third in 3A, No. 5

Outlook: Despite losing multi-time state champion Joey Ensor, the Lions have another strong group that finished second in the county behind Oakland Mills.

Others considered: Century, Dunbar, Dundalk, McDonogh, Severna Park

Have a news tip? Contact Anthony Maluso at amaluso@baltsun.com, 567-230-6024, x.com/TonySunSports and instagram.com/TonySunSports.