When The Classical Academy hurdler Alex Miller clipped the first hurdle in the 110-meter race at the state meet a year ago, it all but instantaneously knocked him out of contention for his first individual state title.

Now, with the Class 4A team race shaping up to be a white-knuckle affair, and the Titans among the contenders, he can’t afford a similar misstep this weekend.

Miller, bent on a redeeming meet to close out his high school career, sees the bigger picture.

“Selfishly, I would say an individual title is important, especially after how it ended for me. But I think winning as a team is a lot more fun,” said Miller, who took ninth in the 110 hurdles and second in the 300 hurdles at the state meet 12 months ago. “That team championship is what I’m really hoping for this weekend.”

TCA, comparable to programs like Mountain View and Vista Ridge, to name a few, has closed the gap on two-time defending 4A champ Palmer Ridge.

Even the Bears, who won by a margin of 46 and 37 points the past two years, know another runaway team title is unlikely.

“This is probably the best year for 4A ever, in my opinion, throughout the history of state championships,” Palmer Ridge boys’ coach Kelly Christensen said at the Pikes Peak Athletic Conference Championships two weeks ago.

TCA will need its stars to perform well to stay in contention.

Miller, who owns the top 4A time in the 110 hurdles (14.43 seconds) and the 300 hurdles (38.17), will have a chance to grab 20 points – 10 points for each win.

Conor Bertles could add to it. He holds the top discus mark (165 feet, 3 inches) and the third-longest shot put (51-31/4) in 4A.

As could Tanner Norman, the 4A cross country champ from the fall, who will contend in the 1,600 and 3,200.

“I want to win another state title this weekend,” Norman said. “I just lost to another 4A guy (Cheyenne Mountain’s James Jones) in the 3,200 two weeks ago.

“I’ll definitely be really nervous on the start line, because every point counts. And being able to score 10 points versus eight or seven, that’s a big difference.”

TCA coach Tim Daggett, whose teams won five 3A boys’ titles in six years before moving to 4A in 2015, already has a championship pedigree. Daggett said he didn’t know how those teams stack up to this one.

“It’s hard to know, once you leave 3A your brain sort of leaves that,” Daggett said. “I guess I don’t know compared to previous seasons. But in my experience with high school athletics, especially guys, and I’ve coached football also, you win with seniors and this is a very senior-heavy team.

“We finished second last year and felt like there was a lot of excitement coming back this year.”

The state meet starts Thursday and ends Saturday at Jefferson County Stadium in Lakewood.