Seneca girls win fourth consecutive AAA girls state championship

           Hopkins – The Philip Simmons Iron Horse boys track and field team captured its first AAA track and field state championship while the Seneca High School Lady Bobcats won their fourth consecutive AAA championship on Friday at the Stadium at Lower Richland.

          The Iron Horses won their only gold in the 4x400-meter relay but used their depth to score points in 14 of the 18 events for a total of 84 points to beat runner-up Seneca, which finished with 66. It was Seneca’s third runner-up finish in the last four years.

         Meanwhile, the Lady Bobcats were in a cat fight with their Region 1 rival, the Daniel Lady Lions. The difference was the Lady Bobcats sprinters outdueling the Lady Lions distance runners to win by a score of 91-85.

         “This is a phenomenal group; they show up, they enjoy the workouts and they look out for what’s best for the team even though track tends to be an individual sport,” said Seneca head coach Chris White. “We did what we expected, but we were excited to get points from our 4x800 relay team and some extra points in the 200 and 400. Getting those points in a close meet really helps.

         "I’m going to miss this senior class, but we say that every year. This group has won seven state championship in track and cross country; just a phenomenal group of young ladies.”

        The Lady Bobcats were led by senior Micayla Collins. She was the only triple individual gold medal winner, sweeping the sprinting events -- the 100-, 200- and 400-meter dashes. in elite performances times. She won the 100 in 12 seconds flat, the 200 in 24.99 and the 400 in 57.55. She also ran the second leg of the silver medal-winning 4x100 relay team.

       Joining Collins on the 4x100 relay team were Izara Seraneau (lead leg), Celia Gully (third) and Jaelyn Carver (anchor).

       “Honestly, I have not really processed it yet. The events are so close together and with all the races that I run, you just have a job to do and you just have to finish it. I am really glad that I was able to do what I was supposed to do for my team,” said Collins.

        “Micayla is a special athlete and young lady. Her attitude is always team first and the team follows her lead,” said White.

        Gully also had a big meet for the Lady Bobcats, winning gold in the triple jump with a hop, skip and jump of 37 feet, 3.25 inches, which set a new personal record. She won her second silver medal in the 100-meter hurdles with a time of 15.52, which was just off her PR of 15.47. She picked up two vital points in the long jump as well.

        The Lady Bobcats placed second and third in the pole vault. Elli Berry took the silver with a vault of 11-00.00 and Sadie Goodroe won bronze with a vault of 11-00.00, Berry placed higher because of fewer misses at a lower height.

        Sophomore Jenna Morris also brought home a medal as she placed third in the high jump (4-11.00) to win bronze.

        All points were important in Seneca’s win as Carver also had a sixth in the 200 and fifth in the 400, while Morris had an eighth in the long jump and Savannah Weston had a sixth in the discus.

       The 4x800 relay team of Hailey Gomez, Isabella Dever, Karmandee Hall and Ava Nimmons finished seventh.

        Daniel's Ashby Williams won gold in the 3,200-meter run (11 minutes, 37.11 seconds) and bronze in the 1,600 run (5:14.57), while teammate Lizah Williams won gold in the 1,600 (5:13.08) and finished fourth in the 3,200.

        The Lady Lions won the 4x800 relay as Ashby Williams and Lizah Williams teamed up with Hannah Brown and Lilly Tidwell for the gold (9:36.07) and Jaden Fleming, Caroline Schell, Madison Stowers and Colleen DiMaio brought home gold in the 4x400 in a time of 4:03.89 to end the running events

        In the 4x100, the Clinton Lady Red Devils took the gold in a time of 48.37. Running for Clinton were McKenzie Clark, Mylayja Thompson, Nahshia Wright and Zipporah Scurry.

        Belton-Honea Path’s Aisha Edmond won the 800 run in a time of 2:22.10. She took control of the race on the back stretch and held on to win.

        The hurdles saw Molly Page Morris of Powdersville win 100 hurdles in an elite time of 14.41 and Camden’s Caroline Cassidy win the 400 hurdles in a time of 1:04.24.

        Anaiya Houseal of Beaufort won the high jump (5-01.00) on fewer misses and Leiyana Rose of Camden won the long jump with a jump of 18-08.75.

        Ashley Roush of Philip Simmons won the pole vault with a vault of 11-11.75.

        The throwing events saw three different winners; in the discus, Ella Davidson of Powdersville won with a throw of 119-05.50, Diamond Martin of Broome won the javelin with a throw of 120-09.50 and Lower Richland’s Jhnai Sumter won the shot put with a put of 38-06.50.

        Bo Jimenez, Kolton Kellermann, Alejandro Peredia and Ethan Sullivan won Philip

Simmons' lone gold on the last running event of the meet, the 4x400 relay, in a time of 3:22.68. Their time was an elite performance time.

        Sullivan also placed fourth in the 400 in 49.63 while Peredia finished seventh in the 400 hurdles in a time of 58.55.

        On the track, the Iron Horses scored points in every event but the 110 hurdles and the 800. They were led by Corey Steed. He finished second in both the 100 and 200 and ran the

second leg on the silver medal -winning 4x100 relay team. His 10.80 in the 100 was a new PR.

       Joining Steed on the 4x100 relay team are Darriel Porcher,  Troy Stevenson and Markellis Asbury. Stevenson, a Georgia Tech signee in football, brought home two bronze medals in the long jump and high jump. He jumped 21-10.50 in the long jump and cleared 6-02.75 in the high jump.

        Pierce Walker posted a time of 9:35.10 in the 3,200 to finish second and take silver. He also scored points in the 1,600, finishing fourth. Joseph Wright also scored points in the 1,600 placing eighth in 4:37.44.

       The 4x800 relay team placed fourth in a time 8:17.53. The team consists of Wright,

Grady Castiglia, Wesley Patterson and Walker.

       In the field events, Bryce Ellington took third in the triple jump with a jump of 45-04.50, while Trey Hensley placed eighth (12-05.50) in the pole vault, and Matthew Yaun was sixth in the javelin with a toss of 153-10.50.

       The boys lone double gold medalist was Southside’s Ian Johnson. He won the 100 meters in 10.48 and posted the best time of the state championship weekend in the 200 with a time of 21.14.

       “It feels great to win two gold medals. Running the best race I could possibly run and I set a new PR in the 200. I did not run the first 100 as fast as I have so when I came off the curve I was able to kick it into another gear, “ said Johnson. “I wanted to go 10.3 in the 100 but I have summer track so I am going to get it.”

       Alex Smith of Fountain Inn High School won the 400 in 48.79, setting a new PR in the process.

       The 800, 1,600 and 3,200 were won by Todd Harris of Travelers Rest, Eli Roth of Dreher and Elijah Poore of Walhalla, respectively. Harris won the 800 in 1:58.80, Roth won the 1,600 in

4:18.58 and Poore won the 3,200 in 9:32.77.

       In the hurdles, Chapman’s Shamon Black won a very fast 110 race in a time of 13.93.

Five of the eight hurdlers ran sub-15. Jabari Dillard of Clinton posted a time of 13.99 for

second. In the 400 hurdles Beaufort’s Eric Smart dove across the line to narrowly edge Lower

Richland’s Jemarious Reaves as both finished in 55.12. Smart had the lead coming down the

home stretch until Reaves caught him with 10 meters to go before Smart launched himself across the finish line for the win.

       The Seneca quartet of Elias Mcgee, Kamari Hudson, Landon Crawford and Cooper Glass won the 4x100 relay in 41.69. Crawford was fourth in the 200, while Glass was sixth in both the 200 and 400.

       William Martin, William Howard, Wilson Rutherford and Wade Leventis of Waccamaw

won the 4x800 relay in a time of 8:06.52.

       Hanahan’s Javion Brown beat Darlington’s Markis Wells in the high jump. Both jumped 6-04.75, but Brown won on fewer misses.

       Rashawn Cunningham of Chapman won the long jump in 23-07.50, a new PR and Crescent's Rykevieus Flemming won the triple jump with a hop, skip, and jump of 45-10.50.

Wren’s Jaxon Jerabek won gold in the pole vault in a vault of 15-03.00.

       Seneca’s Avery Butler and Corbin Williamson won the discus and javelin, respectively. Butler won with a toss of 171-10.50 and Williamson won the javelin with a throw of 174-05.00. Butler also took silver in the shot put with a put of 50-08.75.

       Charles Jeffcoat of Dreher took home gold in the shot put with a put of 54-05.25.