With regional and state track and field meets approaching in the coming weeks, the Tudor’s Biscuit World ÂÒÂ×ÄÚÉä Relays come at the perfect time to polish techniques in preparation for the season’s end.
That’s how Nitro coach Chrystal Legros saw the start of the ÂÒÂ×ÄÚÉä Relays on Friday and its conclusion on Saturday at University of ÂÒÂ×ÄÚÉä Stadium at Laidley Field, and the Wildcats got off to a good start.
The Wildcats boys 4x800 relay team of Dylan Poston, Sam Augenbacher, Lance Bussee and Shadan Schoolcraft won the Class AA race.
“The boys have had a great season,†Legros said. “Now, we work on baton handoffs, getting out of the starting blocks and the little things that can make a difference at state.â€
Nitro posted a time of 9:15.45 to edge Roane County, which posted a 9:21.32 to finish second. Clay County took third, followed by Wayne, Herbert Hoover and North Marion.
Buffalo’s boys won the Class A 4x800 with a time of 8:15.87 to best Doddridge County (8:42.14) and ÂÒÂ×ÄÚÉä Catholic (8:43.83). The team of Dylan Blackshire, Jackson Mallett, Patrick Reilly and Nicholas Pitchford is the No. 1-ranked Class A team in the state.
Cabell Midland’s time of 8:07.70 by Tristan Blatt, Dylan Dial, Jacob Barthlow and Aiden Kneeland put it on top of the Class AAA 4x800 leaderboard, ahead of George Washington’s 8:13.74. Bridgeport (8:37.34), Huntington (8:40.77) and Woodrow Wilson (9:08.76) rounded out the top five. Riverside, St. Albans, Ripley, Greenbrier East and Capital rounded out the finishers.
Huntington dominated the Class AAA events for both boys and girls on Friday.
The Highlanders’ Michael Johnson set a season record in Class AAA with a long jump of 22 feet to win that event over teammate Carmello Sheffield, whose 21-foot, 10-inch span was a personal record. Cabell Midland’s Robert Shockey took third with 21-6.
Johnson’s leap of 6-4 put him in second in the finals of the boys Class AAA high jump behind Woodrow Wilson’s Ryan Muktar, who posted a height of 6-8.
Huntington’s Tamara Hamlin, Leilani Bounds, Macaria Johnson and Milleah Johnson won the Class AAA shuttle hurdle relay with a time of 1:05.09. North Marion’s 1:11.25 was top in Class AA, while Doddridge County won the Class A with a time of 1:12.92.
The Highlanders’ Mac Markun threw a distance of 109-4 to win the girls Class AAA discus over Woodrow Wilson’s Leiloni Manns and Riverside’s Cianna Groom.
Huntington’s team of Avonte Crawford, Cam Veazey, Khani Walker and Elliot Hughes (58.18) won the Class AAA boys 110-meter relay shuttle hurdles. North Marion (1:05.13) won in Class AA and Doddridge County (1:04.14) was the top team in Class A.
Audrey Flynn’s distance of 15-9 gave Huntington the Class AAA girls title in the long jump.
Other final results at the first day of the ÂÒÂ×ÄÚÉä Relays were Gabrielle Conaway of North Marion posting a height of 4-10 to win the Class AA girls high jump. Ahaziah Smith of Herbert Hoover took second.
Brandon Charles’ height of 10-0 gave the Roane County sophomore the Class AA boys pole vault win over a pair of 9-6 jumps by two competitors from North Marion.
Doddridge County’s Braden Murphy won the Class A shot put finals with a distance of 42-8, topping Buffalo’s Wyatt Lake (41-8) and Wesley Oldaker (38-1). Murphy also finished first in the Class A discus with a throw of 139-5.
The Knights team of Maya Casto, Quinn Hazelett, Reagan Conley and Adalyn Cantrell ran a 10:01.97 to win the girls Class AAA 4x800 relay. Huntington (10:22.95), Greenbrier East (10:26.86), Bridgeport (10:55.39), Woodrow Wilson (10:55.40) and St. Albans (11:21.84) rounded out the other finishers.
Wayne’s Olivia Williamson, Karlie Williamson, Bella Cyrus and Laura Queen raced a 11:27.76 to win the girls Class AA 4x800. Buffalo finished second in Class A behind Doddridge County (10:24.76).
A’Kaia Williams of Doddridge County won the girls Class A shot put with a throw of 34-6.
Maylie Bland took the girls Class AA pole vault with a height of 9-0 over Kacie Mace of Roane County at 8-0.
The final event on Friday was the 3200-meter run. In Class AAA, Cabell Midland’s Aidan Kneeland finished with a time of 9:23.86.
Nitro’s Augenbacher (10:53.26) and Poston (11:14.40) claimed the top two spots in the boys Class AA race. Poca’s Zack Miller turned in a time of 11:14.97 to finish in third.
Buffalo took the Class A race with Reilly posting a time of 9:42.55 to edge his teammate Pitchford’s 9:46.80.
In the girls races, Neena McClintic of Greenbrier East won Class AAA with a time of 11:21.86.
Hoover’s Jenna Brown won Class AA, setting a personal record with a time of 12:08.27.
Destiny Berryman (11:39.14) of Doddridge County won Class A.
The team leaders in the standings at the end of the ÂÒÂ×ÄÚÉä Relays’ first day in boys Class AAA were Huntington with 53 points, Roane County in Class AA with 32 and Doddridge County in Class A with 76.
For the girls, Class AAA belonged to Woodrow Wilson with 47 points. North Marion sat in first place in the girls Class AA standings with 52, while the Class A girls standings were led by Doddridge County’s 85.
Friday’s first day also began the time trials for some events that will be concluded on Saturday.
Veazey qualified for the final in the boys Class AAA 110-meter high hurdles with Friday’s 15.59 to win his heat. The top two finishers in each heat plus the next best four times overall qualified to run on Saturday.
“My time is going down a little,†Veazey said. “I still feel like my form can get better.â€
St. Albans’ Bethany Farry won her heat in the girls 100-meter hurdles to qualify for Saturday’s final race. Farry’s time of 16.77 was third best overall behind Huntington’s Milleah Johnson (15.85) and Macaria Johnson (16.54).
Sissonville’s MaKinley Britton posted a personal record with a time of 17.15 in the Class AA girls 110-meter hurdles and is in the top spot on the leaderboard going into Saturday’s final.
Saturday’s events are scheduled to begin at 9 a.m.
