For the MileSplit Mississippi Tasty Race of the Week, we chose the toughest Division Championship in Mississippi High School Distance running history: The 2022 MHSAA 1-6A Championships.
Last season, a 9:55 won the 2021 MHSAA 6A North State Championships to qualify for the 2021 MHSAA 6A Track and Field State Championships, with the fourth-place finisher running 9:56. That race alone was already one of the deepest 3200m state qualifying races in Mississippi High School Track and Field history.
This year, however, at the 2022 MHSAA 1-6A Championships, a 9:52 3200m... got fifth place overall and failed to advance to the regional championships.
As unfortunate as this may be for 5th place, make no mistake about this race: This competition is needed for the state of Mississippi to catch up to the competitive spirit that neighboring states Alabama, Louisiana, and Tennessee all have.
This race shows that whenever we assemble the most competitive fields possible, athletes will always rise to whatever level of competition is needed.
Simply put, competition breeds competition.
Watch the most competitive and exciting Division championship in Mississippi history below: