Lackey girls track and field wins 2nd-straight state title
Williams wins 4 state titles as Lackey girls win 2nd straight title; Westlake boys finish 2nd
BALTIMORE — Amid the bevy of exceptional performances from male and female athletes alike from the various Charles County high schools that competed on Saturday at the state outdoor track and field championships at Morgan State University, there was clearly one who shined brightest of all on a day when the sun rarely did.
Lackey High School senior Sydney Williams has been among the county, region and state’s best sprinters and hurdlers the past two seasons. On Saturday, she left little doubt about her status in those events.
Lackey’s girls easily won the Class 2A state title for a second straight year by accumulating 113 points, besting Hereford of Baltimore County by nearly 50 points, as Williams capped her prep career by winning four events.
“All season I was looking to peak at this meet,” said Williams, who is headed to Temple University this fall. “I took a break during the middle of the season, but the last month has been about getting ready for this weekend. I really wanted to win the 100 hurdles and the 300 hurdles. I was surprised at the long jump. This is the first year that I have competed in that event, so to go 19-1 is surprising.”
Williams won the 100-meter dash in 12.17 seconds, the 100 hurdles in 14.50, the 300 hurdles in 43.44 and the long jump at 19 feet 1 inch (a 2A record) to complete a grand slam of event titles on Saturday. Williams narrowly defeated junior teammate Dominique Jeffery in the 100, but Jeffery prevailed in the 200 (24.94) and 400 (56.21) to attain a double of her own.
Junior teammate Courtney Hawkins finished second in both the shot put (38-1) and the discus (117-6) behind Seasons Usual of Frederick Douglass of Prince George’s
County. Usual and Hawkins had also finished one-two in those events at the 2A South Region championships one week earlier at Westlake.
Speaking of Westlake, the Wolverines boys came painstakingly close to capturing their second straight 2A state outdoor title. Westlake collected 63 points on the day, but that was 2.5 shy of Century of Carroll County and the overall result for the team title trophy hinged on one event that mirrored the virtually immeasurable difference between the two squads.
In the boys 400 relay, the Westlake quartet of Kamari Walker, Anthony Butler, Tobias Hurley and Will Moten stopped the timer in 43.10 seconds, but they ended up roughly twotenths of a second behind their counterparts from Century. Westlake won the 800 (1:28.71) and 1,600 (3:24.20) relays, but the points differential in the 400 proved to be the difference for the team title.
“It was disappointing that we could not win the team title, but we finished out the meet with a win,” said Hurley, who anchored the 1,600 relay victory and is now headed to the University of Maryland Eastern Shore. “When Will handed me the baton for the last lap, I knew that I couldn’t let us down. It’s been a great three years with a great group of guys. When I first got here, I didn’t think I would ever be good enough to make the team.”
Westlake’s 800 quartet consisted of Butler, Thomas Alcorn, Walker and Moten, while the 1,600 was Alcorn, Anthony Johnson, Moten and Hurley. Although the team title eluded him in his final meet with the Wolverines, Alcorn gave the final relay a comfortable early lead and he had previously won the 400 (48.74) and finished third in the 200 (22.22).
“I really wanted to go 47 and break the record,” said Alcorn, who is headed to the University of Houston this fall. “I was happy that I won it, but I thought I could go faster. The relays have been really good all season. We knew Century was coming for us in the 400. That was a tough race, but the guys gave it their all out there.”
North Point High School’s Joshua Smith captured the 4A state title in the discus (1609), which accounted for the 10 points the Eagles boys scored in the 4A team standings, tying them for 28th with Bladensburg of Prince George’s County. Senior Mallorie Smith finished fourth in the 200 (25.19) and the 400 (57.34) as the Eagles girls placed 14th overall with 20 points. Northwest of Montgomery County (64.50) and C.H. Flowers of Prince George’s County (85) were the boys and girls state team champions, respectively.
Back in 2A, La Plata High School’s Alex Strong continued his superb postseason by finishing second in the high jump (6-4) and third in the 110 hurdles (15.18) and the 300 hurdles (40.35). Stone’s Hezekiah Hawkins finished third in the 100 (10.96) and Westlake’s Kyle Nottage placed third in the shot put (52-5).
Among county schools after Westlake, La Plata tied Calvert and Randallstown of Baltimore County for 13th in the 2A boys team standings with 20 points, while Thomas Stone tied Patuxent for 26th with eight and Lackey tied North East of Cecil County and Francis Scott Key of Carroll County for 29th with six. In 2A girls, Westlake tied New Town of Baltimore County and Mountain Ridge of Allegany County for 24th with eight points and Stone tied with Kent Island of Queen Anne’s County for 30th with three.
In 1A, McDonough’s Breanna Perry finished second in the long jump at 16-10, which just 1/2 inch behind state champion Aubree Boyle of Allegany. Perry also had third-place finishes in the 100 (12.70) and 200 (25.90) dashes as the Rams girls tied Northern Garrett for 11th in the team standings with 21 points. McDonough’s boys were 22nd with five points. Boonsboro of Washington County was the boys and girls state team champion with 107.50 and 126.50 points, respectively.
St. Charles competed in the 3A competition with the boys getting 31st overall with four points and the girls tying Seneca Valley of Montgomery County for 31st with two. Oxon Hill (89) and Frederick (80) were the 3A boys and girls state team champions, respectively.