On a rainy Saturday at LSU, three athletes from parish schools won championships in the LHSAA Outdoor Track and Field State Meet.
Parkway junior Brennan Robin won the Class 5A boys 3,200 and finished second in the 1,600. Benton senior Jordan Johnson won the 5A boys high jump. Bossier’s Quinton Hodge won the Class 4A boys 800 and finished third in the 1,600.
The start of the meet was delayed because of thunderstorms that moved through the Baton Rouge area. Running events got underway at 5 p.m., two-and-a-half hours after the scheduled start. All field events except the javelin and discus were moved into the field house adjacent to Bernie Moore Stadium.
The track was wet the entire meet. The rain kept coming down after the running events started but let up at times.
Robin, who won the Division I 1,600 and 3,200 in the state indoor meet, stayed in third place for most of the 3,200, running just behind the leaders. With about 100 meters left on the penultimate seventh lap, he made his move.
Robin sprinted past leader David Quintana. He continued to extend his lead on the final lap and won going away in 9 minutes, 7.40 seconds. Quintana was second in 9:10.51.
Johnson cleared 6 feet, 7.5 inches on his first attempt. Central’s Keithon Womack cleared it on his second. Neither could make it over the bar set at 6-9.5. Since Johnson cleared 6-7.5 on his first attempt, he was the winner.
Haughton junior Kyron Turner finished third. He cleared 6-3.5 on his second attempt as did Salmen’s Jordan Kitchens. Both cleared 6-1.5 on their first attempts. The tiebreaker was 5-11.5. Turner made it on his first attempt and Kitchens on his second.
While the rain may have let up some for the earlier races, heavy rain poured down during the 4A 800. Hodge took the lead early and held it down the stretch. He ran a 1:58.37. South Lafourche’s Joshua Guidry was second in 1.58.78,
Hodge ran a 4:27.02 in the 1,600. Guidry won in 4:20.14.
The 5A and 4A 1,600 races were run simultaneously.
Robin took the lead early with Jesuit’s Connor Fanberg running close behind. They were far in front of the rest of the runners when Fanberg passed him before the midway point of the final lap. Robin stayed close but came up just short.
Fanberg ran a 4:04.90. Robin ran a 4:05.84. They both shattered the composite (all classes) record of 4:12.00 set in 1982.
Usually, a top-3 finish means getting on the awards stand. Because of the weather and delay, there were no medal ceremonies. Medals were handed out at the finish line.
Five other parish athletes posted top-3 finishes.
Benton junior Ryder Dodson and Bossier junior Zamarion Carter finished second in their respective events.
Dodson’s best throw in the 5A boys discus went 161 feet, 7 inches. It came on his fourth attempt. Alexandria’s Joseph Carter Rivet won with a 182-1.
Carter ran a 15.43 in the 4A girls 100 hurdles. Academy of Our Lady’s Keia’ly Thompson won in 14.73.
Airline senior Jayden Williams was third in the 5A boys 800 in 1:53.43. Catholic’s William Decuir won in 1:52.26.
Airline junior Shelby Ledet, the lone competitor from a parish school in the Class 5A girls meet, finished third in the high jump. She cleared 5-5.75. St. Joseph Academy’s Kennedy Papillion won with a 5-7.75.
Benton junior Malachi Zeigler took third in the 5A boys javelin with a throw of 183-7. West Monroe’s Jaxon Talley won with a 213-9.
Benton sophomore Caden Austin was fifth in the 5A boys pole vault. He cleared 13-5.25. Catholic’s John Overton won with a 14-11.
The Parkway foursome of Javaria Flournoy, Aiden O’Nishea, Ben Ruliffson and Braxton Thomas finished fifth in the 4X800 relay in 8:02.43. Catholic of Baton Rouge won in 7:55.19.
Ruliffson, a senior, finished fifth in the 3,200 in 9:25.06.
The Airline foursome of Jordan Williams, Jayden Singleton, Jayden Williams and Lathan Woodland finished fifth in the boys 4X400 relay in 3:21.24. Byrd won in 3:17.25.
Woodland, a junior, was seventh in the 5A boys 400 in 48.79. Archbishop Rummel’s Nasir Ceazer won in 47.50.
Carter finished seventh in the 4A girls long jump with a 16-3. North DeSoto’s Lyric Spencer, who also won the 200, won with an 18-7.75.
Benton senior Brody Hutchison was seventh in the 5A boys 1,600 in 4:25.37.
Benton finished sixth in Class 5A boys with 26 points. Catholic won with 90. Bossier finished in a tie for 14th in Class 4A boys with 14 points. South Lafourche won with 57.