NWD Boys' Track and Field

WINCHESTER — The Northwestern District track & field meet might not be a postseason competition anymore, but it’s always a good thing when you accomplish something that hasn’t been done in 25 years.

For the first time since 1999, Sherando won a district boys’ track title and did so in stellar fashion, winning by 35 points in the 12-school competition on Friday at Millbrook High School.

Sherando won five of the 17 events and scored 132 points, well ahead of runner-up Kettle Run (97). Handley (95.5 points, three event wins) placed third, James Wood (75 points, two event wins) took fifth and Millbrook (30 points) finished eighth.

Light rain fell throughout much of the six-hour competition, and the Warriors kept pouring on the points until the end, punctuating their championship with a victory in the meet-concluding 4x400-meter relay.

“It’s a great accomplishment for the guys,” said Sherando senior Dylan McGraw, who ran the third leg of the 4x400 and won the 1,600. “I’m proud of everybody. Everyone showed out today. Everyone works every day in practice. There wasn’t someone that slacked off. Our coaches kept us in check, and we all just worked every single day to make sure we were in top shape for the postseason.

“Hopefully, everyone brings their ‘A’ game again at regionals, we bring some more people to states, and just have a great postseason.”

The five Class 4 schools and seven Class 3 schools which competed on Friday will have plenty of time to rest up and be fresh for the postseason. The Region 4D meet is not until May 21 at George Washington High School in Danville, and the Region 3B meet takes place May 25 at Maggie Walker in Richmond.

Sherando junior Micah Carlson didn’t spend any time running on the track, but all the time he spent jogging to various field venues was worthwhile. Carlson didn’t have great expectations for himself because of the weather, but he earned a bronze medal or better in all four of his events.

“I adjusted, and I just did my thing,” Carlson said.

As usual, the two-time All-State discus thrower captured his signature event, recording a top mark of 150-7 to win by 4-7. Carlson also won the long jump by equaling his season-best of 20-3 (3.5 inches better than Handley senior runner-up Breylon Miller’s 19.5); tied for the top mark (5-10) in the high jump but took second to junior teammate Noah Harris due to Harris needing fewer attempts to clear the bar; and placed third in the triple jump (41-5.25).

Carlson’s top mark this year in the discus is 154-11, but he feels like he’s definitely capable of more.

“I get to practice, and I’m throwing consistently 160s,” Carlson said. “But I get [to meets], and I just can’t seem to get it.”

Carlson was glad he could help his team out with his performance. Sherando coach Brad Symons hopes what Carlson and the rest of the Warriors did Friday bodes well for the Region 4D meet.

“We wanted to come out and perform and set up what we probably need to do in the regional meet, and we had a lot of people perform well,” Symons said.

McGraw was certainly one of those people. One week after McGraw recorded a 1,600-meter split of 4:16.33 to help Sherando win the distance medley relay at the Dogwood Track Classic in Charlottesville, McGraw quickly surged to the lead in the 1,600 on Friday and never let it go.

McGraw came through the first lap in 63 seconds and 800 in 2:08 with a seven-meter lead. McGraw said he didn’t push as hard over the remainder of the race because of that sizeable advantage and wanting to conserve himself for the open 800 later, but he still had a 20-meter lead after three laps. He wound up winning by 1.48 seconds in an open personal record time of 4:22.24 over Kettle Run’s Owen Mullins (4:23.72).

Handley senior Will Pardue — who was All-State in the 1,600 last year — came in as the top seed but finished third in 4:27.78, eight seconds off his best time this season. McGraw believes it’s the first time he’s beaten Pardue in the 1,600.

“[Dogwood] gave me confidence coming into this week,” McGraw said. “My goal this week was to get a fast time for states so we can get in the fast heat and a good position, so I can have a chance at being up with the top guys.”

McGraw was up at the front through the first lap of the 800 but ultimately settled for fourth in 1:59.65.

“The main reason of doing that double today is because it’s what I’m planning on doing at states,” McGraw said. “It was kind of a, ‘This is how it’s going to hurt. You better learn to hurt.’ It’s just mental preparation for states.”

A distance medley relay (legs of 1,200, 400, 800 and 1,600) is a specialty event that isn’t run at standard track meets, but McGraw feels the Dogwood meet will benefit him, Brock Smith, Jed Bell and Harris.

“We all had the best days we’ve had in a while,” McGraw said. “Having the feeling of a success like that with your teammates is like none other. It was a great experience.”

James Bryant, Smith and Harris joined McGraw on the 4x400 team that won in 3:36.04, 0.49 ahead of the runner-up James Wood team of Trenton Manili, Ivan Andrews, Will Andrews and Ethan Pratt-Perez (3:36.53).

Sherando was also led by senior Ethan Gonzalez (second in shot put, 49-0, behind Handley junior indoor state champion Jaishaun Offutt’s 53-0); Smith (third in 800, season-best 1:58.81); Quincy Walker (fourth in discus, 131-4, fourth in shot put, 46-10); Sunil Dutt (fourth in 300 hurdles, 43.64); Jack Ogle (fourth in triple jump, 38-8); Hatcher Smith (fifth in 1,600, 4:48.73); Niko Walker (fifth in high jump, 5-8); and the 4x100 team (fifth in 45.02).

Handley was led by champions Offutt, sophomore Rylan Stribling in the 100, and the 4x100 team.

Stribling flew to a time of 10.97 seconds to win the 100 by 0.25 (Lusca was second in 11.22) and set a personal record by two-tenths of a second. Lusca also had a season-best time.

“I always joke with the sprinters that you’re not really fast until you run under 11 [seconds],” Handley coach Mike McKiernan said. “[Stribling] did a really nice job.”

Friday was the second time that Christian Metzger, Lusca, Savion Thomas and Stribling ran together as a group in the 4x100, and they had a state-qualifying time of 43.19 to beat Brentsville by 0.93. McKiernan said assistant coach Lloyd Phillips told him that the Judges should now have one of the better times in Class 4 after improving by more than a second.

Overall, McKiernan said the Judges were looking for good performances, but they didn’t want to push their athletes too hard, especially in conditions that weren’t ideal. For example, McKiernan said Stribling’s quad felt tight, so he was pulled out of the 200. Handley also took Miller out of the long jump and Isaiah Baxter out of the triple jump.

Sophomore Will Thomas had one of Handley’s better efforts, earning a state-qualifying time of 9:41.72 to take second in the 3,200 behind Kettle Run’s Mullins (9:35.11). He also helped the team of Halston Wright, Avery Miller and Pardue place second in the 4x800 in 8:24.03. Peter Kim (third) and Gavin Williams (fourth) each cleared 11-0 in the pole vault; Lusca had a season-best 23.34 to take fourth in the 200; and Brendan Campbell (43.72) placed fifth in the 300 hurdles.

Handley junior and All-State high jumper Hassan Akanbi did not compete in the meet. McKiernan said Akanbi has not jumped at all since the Handley Invitational due to an injury that crops up when he jumps, so his status for the rest of the season is uncertain.

James Wood’s Pratt-Perez lowered his time again in winning the 800. Meridian’s Joseph Ziayee made a hard push to pass Pratt-Perez on the final straightaway, but just like at the Apple Blossom Invitational two weeks ago against Woodgrove’s Prescott Noll, Pratt-Perez had a stellar finishing kick. Pratt-Perez recorded a time of 1:56.47 while Ziayee was second in 1:56.61.

“People started screaming, and I knew that something was going on, and then I heard the steps behind me,” Pratt-Perez said. “I was really worried, but I was able to finish strong and keep myself together. I didn’t want to let [him passing me] happen.”

Pratt-Perez was a part of three top-three finishes on Friday, running with Will Andrews, Ivan Andrews and Zach Harrington on the 4x800 team that placed third in 8:32.52 to open the meet.

James Wood had two individuals record two top-three finishes in Jorel Baltimore (first in the 110 hurdles in a season-best 16.09 and third in the 300 hurdles in 42.98) and Manili (second in the 200 in 23.27 and third in the 100 in a season-best 11.31). Duncan Stanton placed second in the 110 hurdles (season-best 16.56), Ivan Andrews placed fourth in the 400 (season-best 53.74) and Trey Guynn took fifth in the discus (126-6).

“Duncan Stanton PR’ed by a half a second,” James Wood coach Craig Woshner said. “He’s been chopping big chunks of time all season. To get 18 points out of [the 110 hurdles] was huge for us. That was a good surprise.”

Millbrook was led by Aiden Ockerman (third in 400, season-best 53.73); Mason Savage (fourth in high jump, 5-8); Tyson Mallory (fifth in 100, season-best 11.35); Elijah McGee (fifth in 800, season-best 2:00.20); Cole Purdy (fifth in shot put, 45-7.5); and the 4x800 team (fifth in 8:46.65).

“[Ockerman] is one of those guys who has been consistent, and every week he’s kind of made some progress,” Pioneers coach Jamie McCarty said. “One of the things about us here the last few years is the middle distances have proved to be pretty strong for us. He’s kind of hopped right in there. We’ve got another week or so to get him ready [for regionals], and I think we can squeeze out a little more there.

“Elijah almost broke that 2-flat barrier in the 800, so that’s good. Tyson in the 100 ran a season’s best by a mile. He’s been banged up and has had problems with his hamstring and calf. We knew he could run well, but we didn’t see an 11.3 coming all the sudden. His calf wasn’t right when we went to run the 4x100 later, so it’s been tough putting everything together. [As a team], we’re making improvements at the right time of year.”

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