Athletes and coaches from the Northern High School girls indoor track and field team stand with the ceremonial trophy after the squad captured the 3A Girls State Indoor Track title in February at the Fifth Regiment Armory in Baltimore.
Members of the Huntingtown High School boys indoor track and field team gather around the ceremonial trophy after the Hurricanes captured the 3A State indoor title at the Baltimore Armory last month.
Athletes and coaches from the Northern High School girls indoor track and field team stand with the ceremonial trophy after the squad captured the 3A Girls State Indoor Track title in February at the Fifth Regiment Armory in Baltimore.
Submitted photoS
Members of the Huntingtown High School boys indoor track and field team gather around the ceremonial trophy after the Hurricanes captured the 3A State indoor title at the Baltimore Armory last month.
While they were unable to compete in a single home meet at their designated host site of the Prince George’s Sports & Learning Complex throughout the winter, both the Huntingtown High School boys and Northern High School girls captured their respective 3A State titles last month at the Fifth Regiment Armory in Baltimore.
Huntingtown’s boys emerged with the 3A State trophy by accumulating 48.5 points, clear of co-runner-ups Mervo (37) and Poly (37), with Northern High (32.5) in sixth. Huntingtown’s Adam Szatanek (58-03.25) and Aidan Walker (49-10.00) finished one-two in the shot put and the Hurricanes’ Domenion Jacobs (8.07) and Xavier Dailey (8.34) were fourth and fifth, respectively, in the 55 hurdles.
Southern Maryland Athletic Conference runners dominated the boys’ 3,200-meter run as the Chopticon quartet of Mason Hoover, Weston Carr, John Owens and Dominic Longobardi (8:36.32) narrowly prevailed in that event over Huntingtown’s Brandon Stein, Thomas Gorman, Ian Hays and Thomas Foulkes (8:36.72), with Northern’s Cameron King, Gavin Stevens, Alexander Morse and Jordan Tuck (8:37.82) another second back in third.
“It was very exciting to win the state indoor title,” Foulkes said. “We didn’t know what to expect when we got there because we had not been able to compete in the same number of indoor meets that we had in years past. But we all did our best that night. Our relay was very good and our shot put guys really put us over the top. They scored nearly half of our points.”
Northern edged Howard for the girls’ team title although the Patriots did not boast a single state champion. Bolstered by runner-up efforts from senior Leah Powell and freshman Ella Meccia, the Northern girls benefited from their depth and accumulated enough bridesmaid points to nip the Lions by two points for the team title 67-65.
Northern senior Leah Powell finished second in the 300 (43.39) and third in the 55 (7.41), while freshman Ella Meccia took second in both the 1,600 (5:19.50) and the 3,200 (11:30.24). The Patriots’ quartet of Kacie Hoyle, Destiny Lewis, Noelle Blackman and Gayle Henderson took second in the girls’ 1,600 relay (4:17.98).
Of course, athletes from Huntingtown, Northern and Chopticon were not the only ones to shine at the state meets as runners from across SMAC made their presence known at the 4A and 2A state meets as well.
North Point senior Kevin Collins captured the 4A State title in the boys 55 (6.63) and junior Corinne Ball prevailed in the girls 55 hurdles (8.67). Eagles’ senior Jorrell Lawson finished second in the boys’ 55 hurdles (8.57) and the North Point placed fourth overall with 30 points.
Leonardtown’s girls finished tied for fifth with 34 points as senior Dylan Countiss captured the 4A State title in the high jump (5-02.00). La Plata’s Emma Vanden Berg took second in the 2A girls’ shot put (35-01.00) and Lackey’s Edwin Hall placed second in both the 2A boys’ 500 (1:08.78) and 800 (2:08.08).
Great Mills KaVon Turner took third in the 3A boys 55 (6.65), Patuxent’s Taisiya Reid finished third in the 2A girls’ 55 (7.61) and Calvert’s Aidan Lundberg grabbed the show spot in the 2A boys’ 800 (2:09.03).
