It was a sweet sweep for Scotlandville.
The Hornets took home the Class 5A boys and girls titles on the final day of the LHSAA track and field state meet.
Scotlandville also claimed top 5A individual honors to help close out a three-day meet on Saturday at LSU’s Bernie Moore Track Stadium.
“What I am most proud of is the Scotlandville community and these kids,” Scotlandville boys coach Allen Whitaker said. “It’s not just how they perform. … It’s how they find ways to over-perform.”
It was the third straight outdoor title for the Scotlandville girls, who scored 83 points to finish well ahead of second-place Barbe at 51.
The Hornets gave Whitaker, the former Ruston coach, his first outdoor title at the school with 76 points. With a win in the day’s final event, the 4x400-meter relay, Catholic High placed second with 53 points, making it a District 4-5A sweep of boys trophies.
“Our seniors wanted to end on a great note and that is what they did,” Scotlandville girls coach Ursula Harris said. “It’s bittersweet. … I am going to miss my babies who graduate.”
The Hornets’ Sade Gray and Broderick Davis were selected as the 5A Outstanding Performers.
Davis won the long jump in 24 feet, 8¾ inches, the top Louisiana mark. He also won the 110 hurdles in 13.78 seconds, was fourth in the 200 and was part of the Hornets’ winning 4x200-meter relay that finished in 1 minute, 26.06 seconds.
“I don’t think it could have gone too much better,” Davis said. “I was trying to do whatever my team needed.”
Gray won the 100 meters in 11.54 seconds and set a 5A and composite record in winning the 200 meters in 23.58.
“That’s what my goal was,” Gray said of the 200 meters time. “I have been trying to do it since my sophomore year. I was just running, relaxing and trusting my training.”
The meet also was the finale for Scotlandville's Makeriah Harris, who ended her career with 21 LHSAA event titles indoors and outdoor. Harris won the 100 hurdles in 13.78 seconds and 300 hurdles in 42.97.
Harris anchored the winning girls 4x400 relay to a 5A and composite record time of 3:45.53. Gray, Layden Jack and Karlise Davison also were part of the relay.
Catholic then won the 4x400 relay in 3:15.85 to edge Jesuit in the team standings.
“Great competition … hats off to Scotlandville. They did what they needed to do to take the victory,” Catholic coach Sean Brady said. “I thought we had a very good day. A 3:15 (in the 4x400 relay) at the end of this kind of meet is a really good run.”
Other superlatives
A total of 23 records were set during the three-day LHSAA meet. The Baton Rouge High duo of Natalie Venkatamaran and Lucy Thomas were part of that number.
Venkatamaran, a recent LSU signee, set a 5A mark by winning the 1,600 meters in 4:57.77 seconds, a fraction of second off the composite record. Thomas set a 5A record by winning the last individual event, the 3,200, in 10:57.85.
St. Joseph’s Academy also set a 5A mark by winning time of 9:30.97 in the 4x800 relay.