Shining at regionals
Published 7:46 pm Monday, February 20, 2017
Senior Rajai Walton led Prince Edward County High School’s boys indoor track and field team to a second-place finish at the Region 2A East meet last week in Richmond, while sophomore Jordan Booker led the Lady Eagles to a third-place finish.
“Overall, it was a very good day,” said James Baker, head track and field coach at Prince Edward.
Walton won the boys high jump with a 6-foot-4-inch leap, breaking the 2A East record by four inches.
He also won the long jump with a leap of 21 feet, 9 1/4 inches, and he won the triple jump with a 44-2 1/2 mark.
Baker said Walton’s long and triple jump results were his best of the season.
He will be a key athlete to watch Wednesday and Thursday during the Virginia High School League Group 2A state indoor track and field meet at Roanoke College, particularly in the high jump.
“If Rajai does what he’s capable of doing, then he should be able to win the high jump,” Baker said.
Booker placed first at regionals in the girls long jump with a 16-01 leap, and she keyed her team’s victory in the 4×200-meter relay.
“We were behind going into the fourth leg,” Baker said. “She out-ran the anchor leg for Brunswick (High School) to win first place.”
The other Lady Eagles making up the relay team included sophomore Salma Muhammad, freshman Mia Seay and freshman Makayla Morris.
Booker also placed third in the triple jump.
Eagles senior Markeem Trent won the boys shot put with what Baker said was probably his best throw of the year — 45-2 1/2.
Senior Bryan Moses placed second in the boys high jump and the 55-meter dash, while senior Brandon Scott finished fourth in the long jump.
The Prince Edward girls team showed that its future is bright, as Baker noted that all of its 72 points were generated by athletes who are not seniors, and most of them are not juniors either.
“They did a remarkable job,” he said.
Muhammad claimed second in the long jump, while junior Montiera Wynn placed third.
Wynn was also third in the 300-meter dash.
Included among the other athletes who will be representing Prince Edward at the state meet this week are seniors Cierra Allen and Quantavis Nash, juniors Michael Dupuy, Zion Lewis and Ira Walker and freshmen J’Sean Dupuy and Naomi Jones.
Prince Edward will also have alternates.
“We’ve got to go take care of some business and do what we can,” Baker said. “But regardless of how it turns out, they’ve done a tremendous job this year.”