.jpg)
With its highest finish in program history, the Parry McCluer High School boys outdoor track and field team placed second of 30 teams at the Class 1 state meet on Friday and Saturday at the James Madison University Track and Field Complex in Harrisonburg. The PM boys, who had eight individuals competing, won state titles in three individual races and the 4 X 800-meter relay. With just three individuals competing, the PM girls placed 24th of 38 teams.
The PM boys tallied 67 points, only trailing team Lancaster, which defended its state title with 87.5 points, while Brunswick placed third with 56 points. Rounding out the top five were Auburn (49) and Northumberland (43.5).
In the girls’ meet, the Fighting Blues tallied eight points to tie Castlewood. Brunswick (84) won the girls’ meet, Northampton (57) placed second, and Auburn (54) finished third. Completing the top five were Westmoreland (38) and Galileo (37.5).
On Friday afternoon, the PM boys won the 4 X 800-meter relay in 8:16.38, setting a Class 1 state meet record and breaking their own school record, set on May 11 at the Dogwood Track Classic at University of Virginia, by more than seven seconds. The previous record was 8:23.52. Finishing a distant second to the Blues on Friday was Mathews, clocking 8:27.17, while Lancaster came in third in 8:30.14. PM team members were senior Kovyk Chandler, sophomores Josh Cooper and Logan Wheelock and freshman Kebryl Chandler. Wheelock ran the first leg, followed by Cooper and Kebryl Chandler, and Kovyk Chandler ran the anchor leg.
Also racing on Friday was senior Evan Cook, placing 13th in the preliminaries of the boys’ 200-meter dash in 23.47 seconds, a personal record (PR).
Saturday’s action started with the 3200-meter run in the morning. In the boys’ race, Kebryl Chandler won his first individual state title, taking the lead in the first half and maintaining it for the rest of the race to finish in 10:03.54, holding off a surge by Grundy’s Keyston Hartford in the final 200 meters. Hartford placed second in 10:03.8. Also earning all-state honors for the Blues by placing in the top eight were Wheelock (third, 10:07.12) and Cooper (fourth, 10:08.53). Competing in his first state track and field meet, PM freshman Sam Carpenter placed 18th in 11:27.99, a PR by about eight seconds.
In the girls’ 3200-meter run, sophomore Kyra Lee earned all-state honors by placing sixth in 12:53.37, while senior teammate Jasmine De Souza concluded her high school career by finishing 10th in 13:14.8.
Early Saturday afternoon, Kovyk Chandler won the 1600-meter run in 4:23.17, taking the lead in the first half and keeping it for most of the race. In the final lap, Lancaster’s Matthew Kane caught Chandler, but Chandler, who had finished second in the race last year, had a strong final kick to beat Kane by more than two seconds. Kane finished in 4:25.48, and Altavista’s Shane Stevens came in third in 4:29.37. In his four years of cross country and indoor and outdoor track, it was Chandler’s ninth individual state title, and he left with school records in the 1600 and 3200-meter runs.
Also competing for PM in the boys’ 1600-meter run was Wheelock, staying close to the front group to place fourth in 4:43.87, a PR by about a second.
Cook then ran his final high school race, placing 10th in the 400-meter dash in 52.91 seconds, a PR.
The Blues’ final race of the day was the boys’ 800-meter run. Kebryl Chandler took the lead early and held it for most of the race. Kane passed him in the second lap, but Kebryl pulled ahead in the final 100 meters to win in 2:00.16, setting a new school record, while Kane finished in 2:00.92. Galileo’s Daniel Roman finished third in 2:02.8, and, facing a bit of contact toward the end, Kovyk Chandler finished fourth in 2:02.94. Also earning all-state honors by placing seventh was Cooper, finishing in 2:05.51.
Leading the PM throwers was junior Kamilah Richardson. She earned all-state honors in the girls’ shot put on Saturday by placing fourth with a toss of 36 feet, 1 inches. On Friday, she finished 13th in the discus with a PR heave of 86-9. Last year, Richardson competed at the shot put at the state meet, where she placed 10th.
For the PM boys, sophomore Griffin Harlow was all-state in the shot put, placing fifth with a toss of 47-8, and he finished 12th in the discus with a throw of 127-3. Junior teammate Rayshan Richardson came in 16th in the discus with a throw of 113-6. It was the first state meet for both throwers.
The Blues will miss their three seniors: Cook, De Souza and Kovyk Chandler.
For the full story and photos from the state meet, with final team scores and comments from the PM coaches and athletes, please see our June 5 newspaper.
