KILN &045; Natchez High’s boys’ track squad finished second at the Region I-5A meet

Saturday, but two things were obvious.

The team has come a ways at this state since a year ago.

There’s a showdown looming with Brandon at next week’s South State or at the state meet in two weeks.

The boys’ squad finished in second place with 142 points after Brandon pulled away for the team title with 167. Third place was Meridian with just 50.

&uot;Last year Brandon beat us by 50 points, and this year they beat us by 20,&uot; NHS head coach Larry Wesley said. &uot;That tells me the boys are coming up. It pretty much came down to the relays. They beat us with the field &045; pole vault and shot put. They’ve got one of the top shot putters in the state. But South State will be different. We’ll have more people bringing the points up.&uot;

The Bulldogs’ relay teams came through big at the end to help close the gap with first-place finishes in all three. The 800-meter relay of Richard Blanton, Karlecio Richardson, Travis Washington and Darryl Bassett won it in 1:30.4, and the 400 relay team of Darius Edwards, Richardson, Kendrick Gibbons and Blanton won it in 43.20 seconds.

The mile relay of Adrian Gaylor, Richardson, Edwards and Gibbons won it in 3:27.10.

Brandon, however, was right behind at third in the 800 and second in the others.

&uot;In district they beat us in one of them,&uot; Wesley said. &uot;We really worked on that. Relays play a big part in (a meet). We just have to stay focused, pray for help and see what South State will bring us.&uot;

In other results, Gibbons won the long jump at 22-8, won the 110 hurdles in 14.10 seconds, and was second in the triple at 44-11; Richard Blanton won the 100 in 10.91 seconds and won the 200 in 22.37 seconds; Richardson was third in the 110 hurdles in 15.71 seconds and won the 300 hurdles in 39.32 seconds; Donta Brown was fourth in the 3,200 in 10:51.92; and Chris Tenner was third in the 1,600 in 4:55.4.

Also, Gaylor was second in the 400 in 53.49 seconds, Edwards was second in the 300 hurdles in 40.8 seconds and Travis Washington was second in the 200 in 22.74.

On the girls’ side, the Lady Bulldogs won it with 158 points to win easily over second-place Brandon’s 100 points. Janice Davis came away with another hat trick, while Tanieka Hill won both hurdles events and ran a leg on each of the three relay teams that also swept it with first-place finishes.

Hill is recovering from a hamstring, but Davis didn’t run on any of the relays.

&uot;Tanieka is getting back to her old form,&uot; Wesley said. &uot;I really believe the four days she had off really got her back in the thick of things. She’s better. Davis will probably come back to the relays this weekend or in state &045; depending on what happens at South State.&uot;

Davis won the 100 in 11.88 seconds, the 200 in 29.86 seconds and the 400 in 57.6 seconds. Hill won the 100 hurdles in 15.0 seconds and the 300 hurdles in 45.82.

The 400 relay team of Candace Frye, Hill, Lexi Washington and Taji Dorsey won it in 49.91, and the 800 relay team of Washington, Dorsey, Hill and Ke’Airra Jones in 1:45. The four from the 800 won the mile relay in 4:13.00.

In other results, Washington was second in the triple jump at 35-2, third in the high jump at 5-0 and second in the long jump at 16-5; Dorsey was third in the triple at 32-6, fourth in the long at 16-3 and second in the 200 at 26.20; Jones won the high jump at 5-4; and LaColony Oliver was fourth in the 3,200 at 14:21 and second in the 800 in 2:39.91.

Frye was third in the 100 hurdles at 16.51 seconds and third in the 100 in 12.80 and Jones was second in the 400 in 59.30.