by Lisa Hinton-Valdrighi
Lancaster High’s boys track and field team finished third in the Region 1A East meet at Sussex Central last week and Darius Reed brought home gold in the 300 hurdles.
Reed won the regional championship with a time of 42.57 and is one of seven Red Devils advancing in 10 events to the Group 1A state meet June 2 and 3 at East Rockingham High School in Elkton.
Lancaster finished third in team scoring with 47 points, while Cumberland County won the regional team title with 72 points. Northumberland was the runner-up with 69 points and was led by conference MVP Dequine Johnson, who will represent the Indians at the state meet in five events.
Zac Benton led Lancaster with a third-place finish in the mile, 4:50.66, and fourth-place in the 800-meter, 2:09.34. He also ran a leg on Lancaster’s fifth place 4X400-meter relay team and qualified for the state meet in the pole vault. Dominique Veney and Marcus Keeve also pre-qualified for the state meet in the pole vault.
Lancaster’s 4X800-meter relay team of Reed, Veney, Marcus Keeve and Marcus Lee placed third, 9:05.72, and the 4X400 team of Benton, Reed, Keeve and Chris Dameron placed fifth, 3:40.68.
Dameron led Lancaster’s sprinters, finishing sixth in the 100-meter in 11.67 to qualify for the state meet and Hezekiah Fauntleroy threw the shot 43’7″ to place fourth.
Jervall Kelly qualified for the Group 1A meet in the discus at the Conference #43 meet and Benjamin Lee also state-qualified in the high jump with a 5’10” jump at the conference meet.
The top six individuals in each event advance to the Group 1A meet.
Northumberland’s Johnson was the region champion in three events, winning the 100 meter, 11.37, and the 400 meter, 51.90. He went 21′ to win the long jump and was the runner-up in the triple jump with a 41’6.5″ jump. He also placed third in the 200 meter, 22.77.
Traven Rice was the region champion in the 110 hurdles (16.10) and cleared 6’0″ to place fourth in the high jump. Rice also qualified for the state meet in the 300 hurdles with a sixth place finish (44’64”).
Northumberland’s Jerquist Morris was the runner-up in the long jump, going 20’4.5″, and Broheim Jackson took fifth in the triple, 39’6″.
Girls meet
In the girls meet, Lancaster will send five girls to compete in nine events with Jasmyn Tomlin leading the Lady Devils. Tomlin was the runner-up in the triple jump, 35’0″, and placed sixth in the 300 hurdles, 54.05. She also ran a leg of Lancaster’s fifth-place 4X100-meter relay team, 52.66, along with Nealaysia Redmond, U’Niqua Baker and Tanashia Henderson. Tomlin also qualified for the state tournament in the long jump and the 100-meter hurdles in meets earlier in the season.
The Lady Devils placed fifth in team scoring with 43 points, while Riverheads was the Region 1A East champion with 60. Northumberland also finished as the runner-up in the girls meet with 58 points. West Point was third with 56 points and Middlesex was fourth with 46.
Baker placed third in the 400-meter, 1:03.71, and cleared 4’6″ for fifth place in the high jump. Henderson was the runner-up in the high jump, clearing 4’10”.
Redmond also qualified for state in the triple jump, 2’11.75″.
Diamond Taylor will compete at the state level in both throwing events after finishing as the region runner-up in the shot put, 36’6″, and placing fourth in the discus, 95’3.5″.
Northumberland produced four individual regional champions including Savannah Blake, who captured two region championships in the triple jump, 35’5″, and the 300 hurdles, 49.47, Trinity Bea in the 400 meter, 1:01.68, and Khadijah Bea in the 800 meter, 2:30.60. Blake was also the region runner-up in the long jump,16’10”.
The Lady Indians’ 4X400-meter relay team of K. Bea, T. Bea, Blake and Tiffany Taylor also brought home region gold, 4:21.47.
