By Erik Boal, DyeStat Editor

The 78th NIKE Chandler Rotary Invitational is scheduled for Friday and Saturday at Chandler High and Hamilton High.

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Here are 10 storylines to keep an eye on at one of the most prestigious high school meets in the country:

This Tyson rules another ring

Desert Edge senior Tyson Jones commands the spotlight anytime he steps into the shot put ring and all eyes will be on the Virginia Tech signee Saturday when he looks to improve on his national-leading mark and Arizona state record.

Jones became the 29th prep athlete to surpass 70 feet Saturday at the Willie Williams Classic in Tucson with a fifth-round effort of 70-4.50 (21.45m).

Jones set the meet record of 66-8 (20.32m) last year and opened the outdoor season March 3 by setting the state record with a fifth-round mark of 69-7.25 (21.21m) at the Buckeye Lions Invitational.

The shot put competition last season was the best in meet history with Jones, Canyon del Oro star Turner Washington and Desert Vista standout Elijah Mason producing the top three all-time marks.

Jones won’t face the same level of competition this year, with the closest challenger more than 10 feet behind him, but he will be looking to break into the top 25 among all-time prep performers after elevating to No. 26 last week.

Other boys field event standouts include Marcos De Niza AZ senior Carlan Naisant in the javelin, Salpointe Catholic AZ senior Andrew Ference in the pole vault and Snowflake AZ senior Dylan Kay in the high jump, with Jones also favored to win the discus.

Golden State sprinters seek spotlight

With North Canyon AZ senior Tyrees Moulton not competing in the boys 400 meters, the stage should belong Saturday to several California stars in the sprints.

Long Beach Poly senior Ariyonna Augustine — the reigning California state girls champion in the 100 and 200 — is entered in the 100, along with the 4x100 and 800 sprint medley relays. The LSU signee prevailed in the 100 last year and helped the Jackrabbits capture the 800 sprint medley victory.

Bishop O’Dowd senior Tierra Robinson-Jones, a Texas A&M signee, is entered in the girls 200 and 400, along with a pair of relays for the Dragons.

The girls 100 and 200 records both belong to former Chandler star Ky Westbrook, who ran 11.47 and 23.64 in 2013, with the 400 standard of 54.69 established in 2014 by North Canyon’s Jasmine Stauffacher-Gray.

Yucaipa senior Asani Hampton, a Michigan signee, could sweep the boys 100 and 200. He is also expected to anchor the Thunderbirds in the 4x100 relay, which also features meet host and record holder Chandler.

Hampton has the potential to break the 100 meet record of 10.50 set in 2009 by Hamilton’s Ryan Milus, as well as the 200 standard of 20.91 produced in 2014 by Mountain Pointe’s Paul Lucas.

National indoor champion shifts focus to outdoor success

Anna Hall won New Balance National Indoor titles in the pentathlon and high jump March 9-10 in New York, but the Valor Christian CO junior is ready to pursue new goals outdoors, including the 300 hurdles and 4x400 relay.

Hall is also entered in the high jump, boasting an indoor personal-best 5-10.50 (1.79m), but only a clearance of 5-9 (1.75m) outdoors. The meet record is 5-10.25 (1.78m) set in 1995 by Highland AZ graduate Jenna McDowell.

Hall will also look to improve on her personal-best 43.10 in the 300 hurdles.

The comeback story begins

Chandler junior Morgan Foster, who was involved in a serious car accident in January, is scheduled to make her season debut for the Wolves in the girls 800.

Foster holds the Arizona state record at 2:07.06, but hasn’t competed in an 800 since June at the Brooks PR Invitational in Washington, where she clocked 2:07.63. Hamilton’s Melanie Loff edged Foster at last year’s meet by a 2:11.43 to 2:11.59 margin and they are scheduled to meet again Saturday.

Foster could also compete in the 4x400 relay for Chandler, which holds the state record at 3:46.14.

State bragging rights at stake in the relays

Along with the 4x100 and 4x400 relays during Saturday’s elite session, there will be several other quality relay showdowns Friday night and Saturday morning.

The highlight of Friday’s schedule involves the 800 sprint medley matchups, featuring several California powers.

Bishop O’Dowd squares off against Long Beach Poly and Long Beach Jordan in the girls sprint medley, with Poly and Jordan boasting the most formidable lineups in the boys sprint medley.

Chandler is the favorite in the girls 4x200, with the boys 4x200 featuring the Texas trio of El Paso programs Americas, Burges and Franklin matching up against California’s Murrieta Mesa, Jordan and Poly.

Desert Vista AZ, relying on the strength of a cross country lineup that placed eighth at Nike Cross Nationals, has the potential to put together a strong performance Friday in the boys 4x1,600.

The Thunder could also return with an impressive quartet Saturday morning in the 4x800, where Aztec NM should be the primary challenger.

Fountain Valley CA also has the potential to challenge for a pair of girls relay titles, beginning with the distance medley relay Friday against Chandler, followed by Saturday in the 4x800 against Pinnacle AZ.

Hoping for more hurdling heroics

Roosevelt CA senior Breanna Bernard-Joseph will be making her fourth career appearance at the Rotary meet, not only looking to defend her 300-meter hurdles title, but add a 100 hurdles championship for the first time.

Elsja Mecham of Summit Academy UT swept both hurdles titles in 2016, with Agoura CA standout Tara Davis denying Bernard-Joseph a potential sweep last season with a victory in the 100 hurdles.

Bernard-Joseph, a USC signee, could also challenge both hurdling meet records.

Davis clocked 13.50 in the 100 hurdles last season, with Mecham running 42.02 in the 300 hurdles two years ago. Bernard-Joseph, who is also scheduled to anchor the 4x400 relay for Roosevelt, has personal bests of 13.72 in the 100 hurdles and 41.87 in the 300 hurdles.

Morley back where she started

The first outdoor competition in the high school career of Bigfork MT senior Bryn Morley came at the Rotary meet in 2015, when she finished third in the Sally Meyerhoff girls mile in 4:52.86, trailing only future NCAA Division 1 champions Dani Jones of Desert Vista AZ and Katie Rainsberger of Air Academy CO.

Following two injury-plagued years, Morley is scheduled to open her final prep outdoor season at Chandler, not only looking to win the mile, but improve on her personal best from three years ago.

Morley will be challenged by Chandler senior Haley Wolf, Fairview CO junior Marlena Preigh, Chaparral AZ junior Abi Archer and the Peak to Peak CO trio of Quinn McConnell, Anna Shults and Tiana Bradfield.

Last year’s mile showdown marked one of the best races in meet history, with Brie Oakley of Grandview CO edging Allie Schadler of Rio Rico AZ by a 4:46.97 to 4:46.98 margin.

Jones still holds the meet record of 4:46.17 from 2015.

Going the distance

The boys mile and 3,200 fields are among the strongest in recent memory, with Winchester Thurston PA senior Tristan Forsythe making the trip to Arizona seeking warmer weather and tough competition.

Forsythe has run 4:16.29 in the indoor mile, in addition to 4:19.39 outdoors, but will be tested by Jericho Cleveland of Volcano Vista NM, Jacob Lewis of Boulder Creek AZ, Desert Vista’s Habtamu Cheney and the Colorado duo of Silver Creek’s James Lee and Legend’s Landon Rast.

Forsythe also ran 9:15.19 in the indoor 3,200 in February, giving him an opportunity to sweep both events.

Aaron Gilliam of El Paso Irvin ran 9:15.12 at last year’s Texas Relays, setting up a potential thrilling 3,200 showdown against Forsythe, with Kashon Harrison of Kirtland Central NM, Brock Dykema of Silver Creek CO, Drew Burns of Brophy Prep AZ and Lewis also expected to be in contention.

Showcasing all their talents

Raymond S. Kellis AZ senior Jae’Nisa Heckstall and North Canyon AZ sophomore Jadyn Mays might not be favored to win an individual event Saturday, but they will both have a significant presence at the meet, each competing in four events.

Heckstall and Mays, two of the most well-rounded athletes in the country, are both expected to run the 100 and 4x400.

Mays is also entered in the 200 and long jump, with Heckstall scheduled to race in both the 100 and 300 hurdles.

Although they must overcome impressive challengers in their individual events, don’t be surprised if Heckstall and Mays place in the top three in all of them. North Canyon could also be in contention to win the 4x400, with Mays joining fellow sophomores Jayde Charlton, Delphine Dah and Dominique Mustin.

Chandler chasing another first in the field

After not winning a girls field event at last year’s meet, host Chandler is seeking a return to glory with senior Jai Gruenwald in the long jump and senior Samantha Ponds in the discus throw.

Gruenwald leaped a lifetime-best 20-2 (6.14m) on March 9 at the Brophy Prep AMDG Invitational and looks to become only the third female athlete in meet history to surpass 20 feet after Agoura CA star Tara Davis did last year by jumping 20-10 (6.35m) to break the 2012 meet record of 20-1.50 (6.13m) set by Chandler’s Jasmine Todd.

Ponds finished second in the discus last year behind Kayleigh Conlon of Mountain Pointe AZ, who set the meet record of 150-7 (45.91m). Ponds produced a personal-best 145-8 (44.40m) at last year’s Arizona Meet of Champions and has surpassed 132 feet in all four meets so far this season.