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Four PM Individuals, One Relay Team Take Titles
The Parry McCluer High School boys and girls indoor track and field teams both placed fourth at the Region 1C meet Saturday at Roanoke College’s Kerr-Cregger field house in Salem.
The Fighting Blues had four individual champions, won the boys’ 4 X 400-meter relay, and will send 10 individuals and two relay teams to the Class 1 state meet, which will take place next Wednesday and Thursday, March 5 and 6, at Liberty University.
In addition to those qualified by time or distance, the top three individuals and top three relay teams advanced to the Class 1 state meet.
For the PM boys, sophomore Kebryl Chandler won the boys’ 1000-meter run, finishing in 2:36.67. Placing second was junior teammate Josh Cooper in 2:48.61, just ahead of Eastern Montgomery’s Calvin Wilbon (third, 2:51.78). PM freshman Hinckley Lovelace followed in sixth in 2:56.85.
In the boys’ 1600-meter run, Josh Cooper took gold in 4:40.42, edging EM’s Wilbon (second, 4:40.63). PM junior Logan Wheelock placed fourth in 4:42.31, and freshman teammate Caleb Cooper came in fifth in 4:44.78. All three Blues qualified for the state meet by time.
Chandler and the Cooper brothers teamed up with Wheelock to win the boys’ 4 X 400meter run in 3:49.08, narrowly beating runner- up Auburn (3:50.37), while EM placed third in 4:02.15.
PM sophomore Henry Lovelace advanced in the boys’ 55-meter hurdles, placing second with a season-best time of 8.75 seconds. He trailed only the winner, Auburn’s Isayah Hamann (8.56), while George Wythe’s Noah Davis finished third in 9.54. Lovelace came in eighth in the 300-meter dash in 42.54 seconds.
Freshman Sebastian George led the Blues in the boys’ 3200-meter run, placing fourth in 11:33.73, while sophomore Sam Carpenter finished fifth in 11:39.29.
PM junior Caden Mason concluded his season by placing 10th in the 500-meter dash in 1:32.77.
The PM girls’ lone runner, senior Kyra Lee, won the 3200-meter run in 13:10.96, well ahead of the runner-up, Auburn’s Charlee Songer (14:46.19). In the 1600-meter run, Lee placed fourth in 6:10.42.
The Blues had five throwers competing. For the girls, senior Kamilah Richardson claimed the shot put title with a toss of 36 feet, 4.5 inches. Placing second was Auburn’s Allyson Harrison with a throw of 32-8.25. PM sophomore Phoebe Woods concluded her season by finishing seventh with a throw of 23-6.
For the boys, PM junior Griffin Harlow placed second in the shot put with a toss of 53-9.75, a personal record by more than two feet. Senior teammate Rayshan Richardson came in seventh with a throw of 43-10.25, but still qualified by distance for the state meet. PM junior Vincent Wilson finished ninth with a toss of 37-4.5.
In the team standings, the PM boys scored 78 points to finish ahead of Fort Chiswell (18 points) and Giles (17). Auburn (215) won the meet, GW (97) placed second, and EM (89) finished third.
With just three girls competing, the Blues scored 27 points to finish ahead of Giles (23) and Fort Chiswell (2). Auburn (227) won, GW (117) placed second, and EM (72) came in third.
Lee and Kamilah Richardson are the PM girls’ state qualifiers. State qualifiers for the PM boys, mostly based on times during the season, are Chandler and Josh Cooper (both in 1000, 1600 and 3200-meter runs), Caleb Cooper and Logan Wheelock (both in 1600 and 3200-meter runs), Henry Lovelace (55meter hurdles), Hinckley Lovelace (3200meter run), Harlow and Rayshan Richardson (both in shot put), and the boys’ 4 X 400 and 4 X 800-meter relay teams.
Unlike in recent years, Class 1 and Class 2 are split. At last year’s Class 1 and 2 combined state meet, the PM boys placed sixth, and Lee was the lone girl competing.
