By DOUG IRELAND, Journal Sports
NATCHITOCHES — John Brown hadn’t been there before, which made him all the more determined.
Haughton’s senior sprint star was denied a chance to compete at last year’s Region 1-5A track and field meet when he injured a hamstring at the District 1-5A championships a week earlier.
Twelve months later on a windy Wednesday at Northwestern State’s Walter P. Ledet Track Complex, Brown duplicated his double at last week’s 1-5A meet, sweeping the 400 and 200 meter dashes, rewarded with a long-anticipated trip to Baton Rouge next weekend for the LHSAA state championships.
Brown’s performance was one of the individual highlights from local competitors, who won 11 events and had 28 competitors and four relay teams record top three finishes to earn entry into the state meet.
Nine of the wins came in the boys competition, including another anticipated double by Parkway’s Brennan Robin in the 1600 (4:23.60) and 3200 (9:21.44), with teammate Ben Ruliffson second in both races
Airline won two events: Jayden Williams took the 800 (1:51.77) and Zion Smith ran a blistering 13.84 in the 110 meter hurdles. Huntington’s Landon Gibbs took the high jump (6-6) and was third in the long jump (23-3).
Defending state discus champ Devon Oliver of Parkway was third in that event but won the shot put (55-9 ¼).
Benton pole vaulter Miller Malley, a week after his 16-0 clearance, navigated the winds for a winning 14-0 clearance.
In the girls competition, Byrd’s Anna Lake Watts dominated the 3200 (11:58.07) and Benton’s Kyla Daux captured the 100 meter hurdles (14.47), then was third in the 300 hurdles.
Parkway’s boys couldn’t defend their regional team title from last spring, but finished second in the standings with 64 points, 20 behind Ruston. Airline was fifth with 42 points, just ahead of Haughton (36, sixth) and Huntington (32, seventh).
Captain Shreve’s young girls team notched the highest local finish, sixth with 32 points, in that division, ahead of Airline (30, seventh) and Benton (27, eighth).
Brown rallied in the final 80 meters of the 400 to outduel Airline’s Nathan Woodland, winning in 47.60 to the 47.99 by the Vikings standout. They ran into a strong wind on the home stretch.
“I felt that wind, but hearing everybody cheering made me forget about it and just push through,” said Brown, who acknowledged he was fueled by archived frustration.
“A year ago all I could do was support my teammates. I was determined to work hard to be better than I was before.”
He dominated the 200, rolling across comfortably in 21.09. But the sprint double was taxing, he admitted.
“It was pretty hard, I’m not gonna lie,” said Brown. “It felt smooth, calm during the whole race, and I finished strong. That’s all that matters.”
Getting it done was all that mattered to Malley, who got over 14-0 on his first attempt but couldn’t clear the next bar as the wind vexed the field.
“Those winds were really bad, tough. It messes up your approach, makes you run a little faster, so you have to move back a couple feet. That wind was howling,” he said. “I didn’t perform badly. All we wanted to do was qualify. Save a good day for next week.”
He is the defending champ after winning in his second appearance at the state meet in LSU’s Bernie Moore Track Stadium.
“It’ll be fun, a great atmosphere. Great guys to jump with,” he said.
Contact Doug at sbjdoug@gmail.com