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Hereford sweeps Class 2A state titles; Digital Harbor boys top 3A
LANDOVER — Hereford girls track and field once held such a firm grip on the state championship trophy, it was nearly impossible to rip it away. But it’s been two years since the Bulls last claimed a state title — a relatively short time for most programs but an eternity for one with such a proud legacy.
This year’s Hereford girls team set out on a mission to bring the Class 2A trophy back home.
And not only did the Bulls succeed Wednesday during the second day of the state indoor track and field championships, but their trophy isn’t coming back alone.
For the first time since 1980, the Hereford boys also became state champions, marking the first time the school has swept both titles.
“I think this is really cool,” Hereford sophomore Ben Wheeler said. “This is the first time that’s ever been done at Hereford. We made history.”
Hereford’s boys totaled 53.5 points, distancing themselves from La Plata (46) and Westlake (43).
“We came into this as favorites,” Wheeler said. “We have a really strong team and got a really strong team effort. We put the pieces together and we executed.”
Hereford’s girls finished with 61.5 points, beating Southern-AA (46), Century (40.5) and New Town (35).
“We all had to come and perform,” said Scarlett Seitz, a senior who finished fifth in the 500-meter run and sixth in the high jump. “Compared to previous years we had a much smaller team, but it was more quality. We each knew coming in where we could get points and we lived up to those expectations really well.”
Hereford’s girls won five indoor titles in six seasons from 2016 to 2022 and two straight outdoor titles in 2019 and 2021, with the pandemic canceling one season during each run.
“As a senior, this feels really good, being the last time,” Seitz said. “Every practice and every meet, our teamwork and enthusiasm and our drive to be great really pushed us.”
Rebekka Hillier was the catalyst for the girls. She won the 1,600 in 5 minutes, 13.58 seconds and the 3,200 in 11:38.7.
“Ecstatic for the most part,” Hillier said of her emotions after her first state title. “It feels really nice to see all your work pay off in the end.”
The final lap of the 1,600 had three different leaders at one point, with Hillier being the final one to take over.
“I wanted to help us as a team win,” she said. “I had a little bit of energy left in me so I thought, why not kick it.”
She still had enough left to come back and lead a one-two finish with teammate Sylvia Snider in the 3,200.
“I think we’re both very confident in our abilities and we use each other a lot to pace off each other and to help each other get there,” Hillier said. “There’s a lot of teamwork in there.”
“It’s so fun to run with Rebekka and it’s just having such a great team makes it all the better,” said Snider, who also finished third in the 1,600.
Meanwhile, Wheeler paced the Hereford boys, winning the 500 (1:06.08) and finishing second in the 300. The Bulls also got a big day from high jump state champion Jadon Gaines, who, well before it was a certainty, said the team hardware carried more weight.
“That is more exciting to me than a state championship,” he said of the possibility of a team title. “We were doing the breakdowns with our coaches and we were looking at the points. If we had a really good day, we could win. And that was the most exciting thing because the boys hadn’t won a championship since 1980. It’s been forever and I feel that it’s time that Hereford gets its state championship.
“It feels amazing to be able to walk away and say, not only I won, but as a team, we were the best out of 2A.”
Gaines and Wheeler were backed by, among others: Logan Crowe, who took second in the pole vault; and Jake Weakland, who was third in the 800.
Digital Harbor runs away with 3A title:
The Digital Harbor boys didn’t need to win their final race of the day, the 4×400 relay. The Rams had the 3A team championship sewn up.
But that final race just played into the theme of the day: Nobody could catch the Rams.
LaMont Johnson, Jevonte Williams and Jawon Blue got it started and anchor DeAndre Thomas closed it out — a four-second win that was the Rams’ fourth state championship of the day and the exclamation point on the team victory.
“We push each other to be better because we don’t hold our tongue with each other,” Johnson said. “When someone’s falling off, we’ll tell them they’re falling off. We’re all hungry for speed, hungry to be No. 1. We all have our goals … We all want to be fast together, we don’t want to be fast by ourselves. That’s what a team is about.”
Digital Harbor finished with 67 points, beating Northern-Garrett (42), Towson (40), Oakland Mills (37) and Howard (35).
“Our school also helps build the eighth graders coming into our school,” Williams said. “We build them early and then they really help us as freshmen and then send us off our senior year.”
Johnson won the 300 state title (35.09) and was second in the 500 (1:06.55). He again teamed with Blue, Williams and Thomas to win the 4×200
(1:31.13). Even though he was initially disappointed with some of his times, he said he was “blessed” to have the day he had.
“I talked to some people about how I felt about my races and they told me to be proud,” he said. “A lot of people don’t get this opportunity and I’m extremely blessed. I’m blessed that I got to race such fast people because iron sharpens iron.”
Williams also earned an individual state championship, winning the 55 hurdles (7.51)
“I’m happy, very happy and surprised since this is only my second year running track,” he said. “I’m not the crying type but I’m really happy.”
Triple crown: While the day had many great performances, no one stood out quite the way Southern’s Eric Penkala did.
Winning one state championship is special; two is amazing; three is rarified air. Penkala took home championships in the 2A 800, the 1,600 and the 3,200.
“I thank my coach for giving me the workouts I needed,” he said. “Gives me my speed, my kick. I run for him.”
Penkala’s first race was the 1,600, which he called “a battle” that he won by two seconds in 4:17.46, a 2A state meet record. He had an easier time in the 3,200, running 9:31.39 and winning by 16 seconds over Winter Mill’s Jackson Steinbrenner.
The comfortable race might have been a blessing, as he needed every ounce of energy he had left to power past Queen Anne’s Ben Marks down the final stretch to win in 1:58.44, a four-tenths of a second win.
“The halfway mark, I noticed he started picking up a little bit and I was just trying to hang on with everything I had,” he said. “That last 100 [meters], I gave it whatever I had left. It was my last race, I gave it all.”
Other winners: New Town’s Kaylyn Johnson had a strong day, earning a state championship in the 2A 300 (40.57) and finishing second in the 500 to Century’s Cailyn Stine, who won in 1:19.62.
“I really just tried to stay where I was,” Johnson said after her 300 win. “I was seeded first; I expected to come out first. I held on, got out fast and kept my speed up, the last 50 I just went all out.”
“I’m beyond excited about it,” Stine said after her 500 win. “I just knew I had to keep pushing. This is it for the indoor season. I just knew I have a little more to go, I had to push a little more to get to the finish line.”
In 3A, Edgewood’s Brielle Whitworth earned a state title in the 1,600, running 5:03.46. In boys field events, Westminster’s Lukas Michael won the pole vault and Severna Park’s Kian Williams won the high jump.
A couple relays also earned championships. Milford Mill’s team of Damon Ferguson Jr., Seth Minter, Elijah White and Joshua Moore won the 2A 4×400 in 3:28.36. Randallstown’s girls 2A 4×400 team of Makayla Brown, Trinity Jordan, Danielle Perez and Taylor Garrett won in 4:06.29.
Also, Arundel’s team of Noel Evans, Aiyana Gutrick, Ta’Laiya Mellerson and Grace Hickman won the 3A 4×200 in 1:46.1. Southern’s Marley Shaw, Rebecca Burgee, Maggie Schiavone and EmmaKate Derrick won the 2A 4×800 in 9:46.76.
“I tried to get out really fast to create a bigger gap and at the end I was just trying to hold on, I thought the girl was right behind me,” said Derrick, the anchor runner. “So I was just trying to keep going. I was basically scared and running off of fear.”
It turned out that the runner who pushed Derrick from behind was someone she was lapping. The Bulldogs won the race by nine seconds.