PG, L-E well-represented at Region 2 track meet

Schools sending 22 Texarkana athletes to event next weekend

DENTON, Texas — Pleasant Grove and Liberty-eylau will send a combined 22 athletes to the Class 4A Region 2 track meet at the University of North Texas Friday and Saturday.

Host Lindale walked away with the boys’ and girls’ Area crowns Thursday, but nine PG boys and one girl earned a shot at earning a berth in the State Track and Field Championships at Mike A. Myers Stadium in Austin May 2-4. No Liberty-eylau boys made it to the regionals, but 11 girls did.

A top-four finish at Area earns a slot at Region. A first or second-place finish this week means a trip to Austin, a place often friendly to athletes from northeast Texas.

“If you make it out of our region in the top two, typically you will end up on the podium in Austin,” said L-E girls coach Alex Harris, whose young squad includes only two seniors, Fallon Parker and Makenzie Kvarda.

“All you can hope for at region is to have a chance to advance, and I truly believe these girls have a chance to make it to state,” Harris said.

“The future is bright, we have almost everybody back,” he added. “The girls have an incredible future. If they stay together, they will have a chance to win a state championship.”

Pleasant Grove’s boys finished second in the 13-team Area meet on the strength of their runners. The Hawks won five of 11 Area running events and will compete in nine in Denton.

“Advancing all three relay teams was a big goal of ours. It gives us another week to work with these guys,” said PG coach Jonathan Darby.

“Our 4x100 and 4x200 groups have run times that are up there with some of the top times in our region,” Darby said. “Our kids will have to be mistake-free to give themselves a chance to go to state.”

The Hawks will be led by Keighston King, who led all athletes in scoring at the Area meet. He has now done that four times this year.

King will be in more than half of PG’S events after winning the 110m hurdles and 300m hurdles, placing third in the long jump and running a leg on a second place 4x400 relay.

“He’s been so consistent every week, and he’s going to have a shot in the hurdles to go to state,” Darby said.

Nicholas Bells, X’zavion Johnson, Kaden Mcfadden, and Jamarion Richardson won the 4x100 relay while Palmer Gibbs joined Johnson, Mcfadden, and Richardson to capture the 4x200. Palmer was joined by King, Jaidun Scales and Hayden Wormington on the 4x400.

Richardson also won the 100m dash. It was only the second time he ran it and has won both times.

Caleb Hackleman took the shot-put competition. Wormington finished fourth

in the 800m run, posting his best time of the year in a talented field.

Shalom Ezihe finished third in the triple jump to punch her ticket to Denton.

Liberty-eylau finished fifth in the girls’ competition. The Lady Leopards’ highest finish was in the 4x100m relay, where the team of Kimora Norman, Kaydence Stephens, Jada Stovall, and Kaydence Strong finished second. Strong and Stovall were joined by Zyren Banks and Lanijah Welch to take third in the 4x200m relay. Banks and Welch were accompanied by Kvarda and Parker in a third-place finish in the 4x400 relay.

Stovall also claimed second in the 200m dash. Strong finished fourth in the 100m dash, Fallon finished fourth in the 100m hurdles. Ja’kia Ray took fourth in the discus, while Chloe Ward was among four high jumpers who finished at 5 feet 2 inches.