A contingent of 38 Bossier Parish athletes will be competing in the Allstate Sugar Bowl/LHSAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships on Thursday, Friday and Saturday at LSU.
The Class B, C and wheelchair meets are Thursday. The Class 1A, 2A and ambulatory para-ambulatory meets are Friday. The Class 3A, 4A and 5A meets are Saturday.
Haughton finished tied third in the Class 5A boys meet last season, just four points behind runner-up Archbishop Rummel.
The Bucs have a chance to finish high again. Haughton qualified athletes in only five events, but the Bucs are a threat to win four of them.
Haughton senior Josh Lister, the Division I 60-meter indoor champion, does not have the best qualifying time in the 100, but he is the favorite.
Lister had the best qualifying time last season but cost himself a chance at the title with a false start. He and Terroll Jolla of St. Augustine have the second-best qualifying times of 10.81, a mere .01 slower than top qualifier Sethan Hollier of Catholic.
Lister is also a threat in the 200, but he ranks seventh among qualifiers with a 22.32. Hollier is the top qualifier with a 21.46.
Of course, the regional meets, which serve as state meet qualifiers, were held last week in different parts of the state and weather conditions varied.
Lister, Kynan Hayes and Lavonta Gipson return from the Bucs’ state champion 4X100 relay team. Emile Cola is the new addition.
Those four should contend for the title in both the 4X100 and 4X200. They have the second-best qualifying time in the 4X100 (42.00) and fourth-best in the 4X200 (1:27.95).
At 6-6, Haughton’s Montoya Bonapart has the top qualifying 5A high jump height by two inches.
Region I-4A girls champion Benton qualified in eight field events.
Keke West is a threat to get on the awards stand in both the triple and long jumps. She is the top seed in the triple jump with a qualifying distance of 37-6.5. West has the fourth-best qualifying distance in the long jump with a 17-8.
Taylor Davis has a chance to win the high jump and do well in the triple jump. She has the third-best qualifying height in the high jump at 5-2 but is capable of going higher. She has the third-best qualifying distance in the triple jump with a 36-0.
Rheagan White also has a good chance to get on the awards stand in the discus. She has the third best qualifying throw at 129-4, a school record.
Peyton Reeder has the fourth-best qualifying time in the 100 hurdles at 16.09.
Only four parish athletes qualified for the Class 5A girls meet.
Parkway’s Adrianna Wilder qualified in the 1,600 and 3,200. She won the 3,200 in the state indoor meet and has the fourth-best time in that event. She has the third-best time in the 1,600 (5:12.77), only about 3 seconds slower than Region I-5A champion Sydney Minor of Lafayette.
Haughton’s Savannah O’Neal was the Class 5A runner-up in the javelin last season. She threw a personal-best 124-9 in winning the Region I-5A meet and will be the top seed Saturday.
Airline’s Brittany Roberson has the seventh-best qualifying time in the 400 but it’s only .19 slower than the fourth seed.
The distance events in Class 5A are traditionally tough. Airline’s Seth Papineau and Will Dart finished 1-2 in the regional in both the 1,600 and 3,200. Dart, just a freshman, is making his first appearance at the state meet.
Both will have to lower their times to make the awards stand.
Papineau and Dart are seeded fourth and fifth in the 3,200 with qualifying times of 9:56.62 and 9:57.20, respectively. Catholic’s Thomas Laville has the third-best time of 9:46.39.
Papineau and Dart are seeded seventh and eighth in the 1,600 with qualifying times of 4:28.59 and 4:30.55, respectively. The third seed, Fontainebleau’s Adam Wise, qualified with a 4:25.04.
Airline’s Malik Britt qualified in both the 110 and 300 hurdles. He has the fourth-best qualifying time in the 110 at 14.98 and 300 at 39.27.
Airline’s Taejon Morris and Parkway’s Andrew Robinson have the third- and fourth-best qualifying times in the 5A 800 at 1:58.35 and 1:58.41, respectively.
In Class 4A boys, regional runners-up John Westmoreland of Benton and Xavier Venious of Bossier will be looking for high finishes in the 110 and 300 hurdles, respectively.
Westmoreland has the third-best qualifying time in the 110 at 14.80. Venious has the sixth-best time in the 300.
Bossier qualified in the 4X100 and 4X200 relays. The Bearkats have the third-best qualifying times in the 4X100 at 42.80 and the 4X200 at 1:29.43.
Plain Dealing’s Teunna Perry is the defending Class 1A state champion in the high jump, long jump and triple jump.
She won the long and triple jumps and finished second in the high jump in the Region I-4A meet.
She has the second-best qualifying jump in the triple jump (34-8) and long jump (16-8). Here high jump of 4-8 is two inches lower than the best qualifying jumps.
— Russell Hedges, rhedges@bossierpress.com
Forgot to mention Airline’s Taejon Morris and Parkway’s Andrew Robinson who are seeded 3rd and 4th respectively in the 800m. Believe that puts them in podium position.
Comments are closed.