KCHS boys track team takes Region 3-2A title
A one-two-three finish in the 200, 800 and 1600 led Kemper County boys to first place at the Region 3-2A track meet at St. Andrew's Episcopal School in Ridgeland last week.
The Wildcats won six events and totaled 150 points. Velma Jackson was runner-up with 108 points, followed by Newton County 88, Puckett 82, Mize 46, Pisgah 43 and Pelahatchie 30.
“This is the best team I have ever had,” said coach Keith Cole. “All my athletes stood out. Every single one of them.”
The Kemper County girls won five events and finished fourth. Puckett was the winner with 113, followed by Newton 96, Mize 84, Kemper County 70, Pisgah 65, Pelahatchie 45, Velma Jackson 22, Nanih Waiya 20 and Philadelphia 15.
Jamari Scott won the boys 200 with a time of 22.37. He was followed across the finish line by teammates Aaron Steele and Alex Roberts. In the 800, it was Sha'kenye Darden (2:12.92), his twin brother Sha'Kanye Darden and Benquez Winston. And in the 1600 it was Alfred Love (5:31.80), William Brown and Anthony Reed.
In the 1600, Love, Brown and Reed, running together, trailed Caleb Gray of Pelahatchie through three and a half laps before sprinting past him, with Reed winning a strength run by half a second for third
Kemper County's other wins were by Reed in the 3200 (12:28.34), the 800 relay team of Steele, Scott, Roberts and Ezekial Smoot and the 3200 relay team of Sha'kanye Darden, Sha'kenye Darden, Winston and Brown.
Bry'Nesha Bourrage had an outstanding meet for the Kemper County girls. She won the 200 (26.17) and the 400 (1:00.54) and ran on winning 800 and 1600 relay teams. She was joined on both relays by Kaylan Cayton, Jashunti Bourrage and Zariyah Moss.
Clayton won the 100 (12.70) and was second in the 200.
The top four in each event qualified for the South State meet Saturday at Northwest Rankin High School in Ridgeland.
Other Kemper County boys who qualified are Steele second in the 100, Smoot second in the 400, Tyler Grace third in the 100, Devin Bourrage third in the shot put, Semaji Ray fourth in the 400, the 1600 relay teams that finished second, less than half a second behind Velma Jackson, and the 400 relay team was third.
For the girls Moss was third in the 400 and Destiny Boyd third in the 800.
Kemper County boys had 30 more points than at the division meet a week earlier when the Wildcats finished only four points ahead of Velma Jackson.
The qualifiers from 3-2A will be joined at South State by qualifiers from 4-2A. Amite County boys won that meet with 189 points and Heidelberg won the girls' meet with 167.