WINCHESTER — A year ago, the Handley High School boys’ track & field team wasn’t able to get much from Will Thomas because of his foot stress fracture issues.
The Judges are getting everything the senior can give now, and that was on display in a major way on Saturday at the 82nd Handley Invitational at James R. Wilkins Jr. Stadium.
In the boys’ invitational mile, Thomas trailed two Loudoun County runners by more than 10 meters with 200 meters remaining. After pushing himself out to lane 3 for the final 100 meters to give himself a shot at getting around them, he beat them both.
He passed junior Jack Cassidy with about 50 meters left. He never really passed Captains junior Michael Tafe, the 2024 Class 4 state cross country champion and this year’s 3,200-meter state indoor track champion. He just kept charging and charging, and used a lean at the end to win by a hundredth of a second in 4 minutes, 25.71 seconds to Tafe’s 4:25.72.
Thomas won by the slimmest of margins, and his was one of several impressive efforts by Handley to help the Judges defend their title in a team scoring competition that was also pretty close. In the 21-school meet, Handley scored 75 points to win by seven over Paul VI (68).
The Judges were without one of their best athletes in jumper Isaiah Baxter but scored points (top eight) in all but three of the events they were entered in. (Baxter was at an AAU basketball tournament.) Other individual winners were senior Rylan Stribling — he captured the 200 and took second in the 100 to earn the Jimmy Omps Track MVP award — and junior Timmy Campbell, who won the high jump.
“I know our boys’ team is really good,” Handley coach Lloyd Phillips said. “It’s talented. And now that Will’s back from his injury from last year, that gives us a lot of depth. We’ve got a lot of guys stepping up for us.”
Led by 110 hurdles champion Sunil Dutt, Sherando tied for fifth with Loudoun County with 50 points. James Wood placed eighth with 37 points and Clarke County was 20th with 5. The Eagles’ only competitor was junior Landon Horton, who placed fourth in the seven-boy invitational mile in 4:29.55 after starting the final lap in sixth place.
Thomas quickly surged to the lead, but he was pleased that Jefferson’s Jordan Baker decided to move into first place on the opening lap so Baker could absorb the wind. After three laps, Thomas was in a tight pack in which he trailed the two Loudoun County runners and Baker.
Tafe and Cassidy made a move to pull away as the final lap started, but Thomas wasn’t concerned. When the time was right, he felt could make his own move.
“I was like, ‘I feel amazing. I can actually catch them,'” Thomas said. “When I crossed 200 [meters remaining], I was like, ‘I can actually get this.'”
Thomas made it happen by not letting up until well after he crossed the finish line. Thomas’ time converts to a 4:24.17 for 1,600 meters and is faster than what any area boy ran last year in that event.
“That was so fun,” Thomas said. “I really enjoyed that.”
Thomas said he’s been working on closing his races stronger in practice.
“I’ve really learned how to kick this season,” Thomas said. “I’ve learned how to race it smart. I can sit and kick and not get too anxious and freak out. Stay calm and cool, then kick at the right time.”
Thomas said Phillips has also helped him with running like a sprinter when the situation calls for it.
“Sprinters have a different form,” Thomas said. “I was able to get tall and pick my knees up, and really focus on really pounding the ground.”
Phillips said Thomas’ win was great to see.
“It just speaks to who he is as a person,” said Phillips when asked about Thomas’ effort. “He’s always got a positive perspective, and he just works hard. He grinds. Last year was a really tough year for him. I’m really happy to see that he took that hurdle and trial, and he took it head-on. And I’m ecstatic that he won today.”
Thomas hopes there will be plenty more successful moments for him this season, and beyond. He’ll run cross country and track for NCAA Division III Roanoke College next year.
“I’m so excited,” said Thomas, who committed to the Maroons in December. “I love the coach. I love the professors I’m going to be working with, my teammates. I just want to be there tomorrow.”
Dating back to indoor track, Stribling — Class 4’s defending state champion in the 100 and 200 — said he’s had an uneven year because of hamstring issues. It wasn’t until Tuesday that Stribling and Handley felt he could compete in the Handley Invitational after being limited for 10 days.
“When I do recover and I get back to speed, I feel great,” Stribling said. “I just wish I could stay healthy right now.”
Stribling had a stellar day at last year’s Handley Invitational, when he won the 100 in 10.82 and took second in the 200 in 21.84, which were the second-best marks of his career at the time.
Stribling didn’t approach last year’s times, but he had another strong day. He took second in 11.17 in the 100 to Paul VI’s Keyon Johnson (10.98). Most of the 200 was tight, but a late push helped him finish in 22.15, 0.04 ahead of Paul VI’s Cooper Colcombe in the fast heat and 0.02 ahead of Martinsburg (West Virginia) sophomore Jhaylin Landsdowne, who ran a 22.17 in the ninth of 10 heats.
“All I thought about was getting the win [in the 200],” Stribling said. “That’s all I cared about.”
Phillips said the Judges will do what they need to attempt to help Stribling feel his best.
“He’s a hard worker,” Phillips said. “It’s early in the season, so hopefully we can get him back to full stride by the time the postseason arrives.”
Campbell won the high jump by one inch with a mark of 6-2.
“He’s taken that next step,” Phillips said. “We know when he comes to a meet, he’s going to do really well.”
Handley sophomore Brock Ashe also had an impressive day, taking second in the 300 hurdles (40.17) and fifth in the 110 hurdles (15.78).
“He has stepped up in such a good way from his freshman year last year,” Phillips said.
The Judges were also led by Everett Otto (third in 3,200, 9:51.49); Reece McAlister (third in pole vault, 11-6); ZeQuon Williams (fourth in shot put, 46-5); Gavin Williams (fifth in pole vault, 10-0); Joaquin Pearce-Gonzales (tied for sixth in high jump, 5-10); Carson Green (eighth in shot put, 43-1); and the 4×100 team (eighth, 45.9).
For Sherando, Dutt won the 110 hurdles by 0.49 over James Wood’s Duncan Stanton (14.82 to 15.31) and also took third in the 300 hurdles (40.33). Senior Jackson Ogle had top-five finishes in all three jumps (third in high jump, 6-1, and triple jump, 42-1, and fifth in long jump, 20-7.5). The 4×800 team of Quintin Priest, Chester Konisiewicz, Hatcher Smith and Thomas Miles placed third in 8:35.58. Tate Martin placed fifth in the shot put (45-11).
Jorel Baltimore had three top-four finishes to lead James Wood, placing second in the long jump (21-0), third in the 110 hurdles (15.34) and fourth in the 300 hurdles (40.93). Connor Kenney-Fitzner placed fifth in the 400 (51.33) and the 4×100 team took fifth in 44.67.
Loudoun County senior Jeremiah Davis earned Field MVP honors for taking the discus (151-9, won by 2-9) and the shot put (48-8, won by 1-8.5). Oakdale senior Jonas Parks broke the meet record in the pole vault with a mark of 14-6. Handley’s Jack Armel set the previous mark of 14-0 in 2019.
For more coverage of Saturday’s meet, see Tuesday’s edition of The Winchester Star.
— Contact Robert Niedzwiecki at rniedzwiecki@winchesterstar.com
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