Prince Edward County High School’s varsity girls team led the way among the area squads over the weekend by placing third out of 36 teams to generate scores at the Virginia High School League (VHSL) Class 2 Outdoor Track and Field State Championships in Elkton.

Taking place at the same time at East Rockingham High School in Elkton was the VHSL Class 1 Outdoor Track and Field State Championships, with the Cumberland County High School varsity boys team placing 11th out of 35 score-generating teams.

On the boys side in the Class 2 state meet, Prince Edward’s team placed 16th out of 39 teams to score.

Also among the girls teams for Class 2, Buckingham County High School’s varsity squad placed 19th out of 36.

The Lady Eagles produced 46 points. Maggie L. Walker Governor’s School won with 97.50, and East Rockingham placed second with 60.

Prince Edward Head Coach James Baker drew attention to some individual highlights that contributed to the high team finish.

For Prince Edward, “Makayla Morris was the lone state champion as she was the outdoor state champion in the high (jump) for the third time,” Baker said.

Morris, a junior, won with a 5-foot-2-inch leap.

“She was also second in the long jump at 16-10 1/2 and eighth in the 100-meter hurdles at 16.81 (seconds),” Baker said.

He noted that sophomore Haniyyah Johnson finished second in the girls 100-meter dash with a personal-record (PR) time of 12.45 seconds.

“She was third in the 200 with another PR of 25.85 (seconds),” he said.

Baker also highlighted the girls 4×100- and 4×400-meter relay teams.

“The 4×100 relay team of Nia Lee, Makayla Morris, Salma Muhammad and Haniyyah Johnson finished second with a season-best time of 50.38 (seconds),” he said. “The 4×400 team of Kiera Walker, Trimaya Cash, Nia Lee and Naomi Jones finished fifth with a season-best time of 4:22.94.”

Additionally, Jones, a junior, placed eighth in the girls 400-meter dash with a time of one minute, 4.44 seconds, Baker cited.

For the Prince Edward boys, Baker began by pointing to the performance of junior Abdul Johnson in the boys 100-meter dash. He placed fourth with an 11.22-second time. He also finished eighth in the boys long jump with a 20-4 1/4 leap.

Senior Rah’Quan Payne claimed seventh in the long jump with a 20-6 1/4 leap, Baker stated.

“The boys 4×100 relay team of J’Sean Dupuy, Markel Jackson, Rah’Quan Payne and Abdul Johnson placed fourth with a time of 44.36 (seconds),” the coach said.

Baker finished his summary by highlighting sophomore Hayat Khan for placing seventh in the boys 1,600-meter run with a time of 4:49.88.

Cumberland Track and Field Coach Kenneth Jasey shared details on who contributed to the Dukes’ 21 points.

Two third-place finishers for Cumberland included seniors Jalen Foster and Devon Reed-Rivera. Foster was third in the boys triple jump with a 41-2 1/4 result. Reed-Rivera was third in the boys 300-meter hurdles, crossing the finish line in 43.65 seconds.

Senior Christian Jackson claimed fourth in the boys discus throw with a 125-10 mark.

The Dukes 4×800-meter relay team of Reed-Rivera, senior Justin Stimpson, junior Tanner Cochran and sophomore Jeremy Johnson placed fifth with a time of 8:53.52.

The leading highlights for the Buckingham Lady Knights were created by junior LaDeTra Swann. She placed fourth in the long jump with a 16-9 leap, and she produced a 34-6 leap to earn fifth in the girls triple jump, accounting for all nine of her team’s points.