by Lisa Hinton-Valdrighi
A few weeks ago Draper Washington etched his name into the record books at Lancaster High School as the first coach to win three state championships.
Washington, an LHS alum and former three-sport athlete, led the Lancaster boys track and field team to its third Class 1 state crown since 2019. The Red Devils have won three of the last five state meets—there wasn’t one in 2020 courtesy of the pandemic—and they’ve finished in the top 10 the other two years. Since Washington took the helm of the boys team in 2004, the Devils have had 15 ‘top 15’ finishes, 12 ‘top 10’ finishes and nine ‘top 5’ finishes. LHS claimed the state titles in 2019, 2023 and 2024.
Washington approaches all those accomplishments and his historical three state championships with humility. It’s not about him but about the kids and his coaching staff. While in actuality, it has a lot to do with him and the work ethic he instills in his athletes.
“I wouldn’t be sitting here as a three-time state champion coach if it wasn’t for the kids,” said Washington. “They are loyal, work really hard and they’re goal-driven. They want it as much as I do.”
Lancaster scored 87.5 points to win the 2024 Virginia High School League Class 1 championship on June 2. For those who don’t know how difficult it is to score that many points or win a state meet, in layman’s terms, it’s pretty darn hard. Only the top eight in each event score with the individual winner scoring 10 points, runner-up eight, third place six and from there on five, four, three, two and one.
“A top five finish in this sport, in track, is a big deal,” said Washington. “Top three you’re one of the elites.”
Although track is about competing individually, to score as a team every athlete needs to do his or her part.
Washington and his assistant coaches James Timm, Markus Ferguson and Tyrell Henderson had competitors in 15 of the 17 events at the state meet and all scored, which basically….
