JOURNAL SPORTS
Two state championship performances headline the local competitors who qualified for the 2026 LSWA All-State Track and Field Team announced Tuesday.
Byrd’s boys 4×400 relay team and Parkway distance star Brennan Robin ran to Class 5A gold medals at the LHSAA Outdoor Championships last month, and their marks got them top billing in their events.
Airline’s Jayden Williams posted the state’s third-fastest 800, clocking 1:52.79 to earn All-State honors. He was also a 5A bronze medalist at the state meet, running 1:53.43.
The all-state roster was compiled considering all marks recorded during the outdoor season around Louisiana.
The Yellow Jackets’ foursome of Bereket Raines, Wyatt Ditt, Jordan Blakes, and Markeith Niblett captured the 5A crown with a 3:17.25 mark at the state meet.
Byrd edged defending event champion Catholic of Baton Rouge by 0.01 for the victory, the first time since 2012 a Caddo Parish 4×400 relay team won the event, and the first time since 1966 that a C.E. Byrd team won.
Robin earned All-State recognition in two races. The junior was fastest winning the 3200 meters in 9:07.4, not long after he ran a blazing 4:05.84 time in the 1600 that was under a 44-year-old state all classes record – but he was overtaken in the closing lap by Jesuit’s Connor Fanburg, who posted a 4:04.09. The old record was 4:12.
“I wanted to win the mile. Last year I was third, freshman year I was second,” Robin told a Louisiana vs. All Y’all reporter in a YouTube interview at the state meet. “I ran a really good race. Even though I got second, it was fun to battle to the end.
“I went into (the 3200) and felt comfortable. With a lap to go, I felt it was time to make a move and that move won the race. Super happy with today,” he said.
No local girls made the squad.