CHARLESTON, W.Va. — For the first time since 2016, Cabell Midland can celebrate a boys Class AAA state track championship. The Knights scored 108 points and they were buoyed by three wins on Saturday.
In the 800 meter run, Tristan Blatt shattered the previous state meet record by over two seconds (1:51.12). Teammate Aidan Kneeland and University’s Drew Zundell all posted times better than the previous record.
Marshall football signee Michael Lunsford won the shot put by over ten feet with a winning toss of 65 feet, 3.75 inches. And the Knights won the 4×200 relay with future WVU linebacker Curtis Jones, Jr. running the third leg.
Hurricane finished as the state runners-up. Ty Steorts set a state meet record in the 1600 meter run at 4:07.75.
Huntington came in a point behind the Redskins in third place. The Highlanders won the 4×100 relay with Mikey Johnson running anchor leg and WVU football commit Zah Jackson on the first leg.
Jefferson finished fourth. Future Mountaineer football player Keyshawn Robinson won the 200 and 400 meter runs en route to high point honors. His future WVU teammate, Dom Collins won the 100 meter in his first year running track.
“I was going to camps in the summer and dropping insane 40 [yard dash] times,” Collins said. “Coaches were like, ‘You don’t run track?’ I said, ‘No’. They were like, ‘Go run track and you’ll be a state champion’. And they were right.”
“In my last season, I was trying to get as much as I can,” Robinson said. “I’ve been hurt a little bit during the season but I have been trying to push through and do my own thing.”
Spring Valley’s Dalton Ferguson swept the hurdle events. In other events, Gradian Graham of Spring Mills won the discus and Parkersburg South took the 4×400 relay.
For the second year in a row, the Morgantown and Jefferson girls decided the state championship in the final event. Last year, the Cougars and the Mohigans tied for the title. On Saturday, Jefferson won the 4×400 relay to win the outright championship, ten points ahead of MHS.
In addition to the final event, Jefferson won six more events on Saturday, including the 4×200 (state record time of 1:43.11) and 4×100 relays. Jazmyn Taylor won the 100 meter en route to high points honors. Hannah Phillips won the 1600 and 800 meters and Samantha Ogden won the pole vault.
Huntington finished third behind Morgantown. Mallori Dunn-Martin swept the 300 and 100 hurdle events.
Elsewhere, Preston’s Ella White won the 400 meter. Ama Ackon-Annan of Woodrow Wilson won the 200 meter and Hampshire’s Kaylie Hall claimed victory in the discus.