The high school track and field fans who attended last weekend’s Missouri Class 2 state championships were treated to an awesome display of speed and excellence, thanks to the Maplewood boys team and Crystal City girls star Precious Selmon.
Maplewood concluded a spectacular year of dominance in athletics by winning the Class 2 state championship in going-away fashion. The Blue Devils scored 85 points, easily outdistancing runner-up Principia by 36 points. The Blue Devils won seven events, swept all of the sprints and set three new Class 2 state records in the process.
Maplewood advanced to the state semifinals in football in the fall with a school-record 13 victories, then repeated as Class 3 state champions in basketball during the winter. The track and field championship puts the cherry on the top of what has been a great year of sports in Richmond Heights.
Crystal City’s Selmon concluded a spectacular career by winning all four of her events and setting three new Class 2 state records in the process. She won the 100-meter dash in 12.15 seconds, the 100-meter high hurdles in a record 13.9 seconds, the 300-meter low hurdles in a record 43.82 seconds. On Friday, Selmon won the long jump with a record leap of 19 feet 3 ¼ inches. Selmon accomplished the record mark on her first jump of the competition. Her 40 points were enough to earn Crystal City a third-place finish in the overall team standings and a team trophy. The young star from Jefferson County will now take her considerable talents to New Mexico University.
On the boys side, Maplewood simply had too much speed for the rest of the field to handle. Senior Fred Taylor was the ringleader as he swept the state titles in the 100, 200 and 400. He won the 100 in 10.85, the 200 in 22.1 and the 400 in 49.08. Taylor set a new Class 2 record in the 200 during Friday’s prelims with a time of 21.7. Taylor added a fourth gold medal as he anchored the 4×100-meter relay team to a state title. He was joined on the relay team by Derrick Johnson, Bryant Allen and Nick Coulter.
Allen, a three-sport prep star, closed out his high school career in style by winning the 300-meter intermediate hurdles in a Class 2 state record time of 38.95. Allen added two more gold medals as a part of the Blue Devils’ first-place 4×200 and 4×400 relay teams.
The team of Allen, Johnson, Eric Liska and Jerome Wooten won the 4×200 while the crew of Allen, Liska, Tim Hicks and Coulter finished the state meet with a victory in the 4×400. Liska finished third in the 400, Coulter was sixth in the high jump, Devin Lindsey was second in the discus and the 4×800 team finished in eighth place.
Principia took home two second-place trophies in the boys and girls’ state competition. Tim Gilman won the boys pole vault while Anneke Reed won the girls’ 1,600. The Prin girls’ 4×800 relay team also won a state title.
Metro’s girls took home fifth place, just missing a trophy in the Class 2 meet by five points. The Panthers’ quartet of Ericka Boney, Ashley Brown, Brooklyn Baston and Kareema Tabron won the 4×100 while the team of Boney, Ashley Brown, Lauren Brown and Tabron finished second in the 4×200. Lauren Brown also finished eighth in the 400 while Bria Jones was second in the triple jump.
Whitfield’s Michael Thompson finished fifth in the 100 and anchored the Warriors’ 4×100 relay team to an eighth-place finish. Teammate Martel Hulsey finished second in the long jump while Wellston’s Carlton Terry was fourth in the long jump. Neta Johnson of Whitfield took third in the girls long jump and sixth in the 100-meter high hurdles. Sophomore Spice Brown of Barat Academy finished third in the 100.
East Side
On the Illinois side, the Belleville West girls made history by winning its first state championship in girls track. Senior Yolanda Suggs won four events to lead the Maroons to the IHSA Class 3A state title. Suggs concluded her stellar career by winning the 100, 200, 400. She also ran the third leg on the state-champion 4×100-meter relay. Senior teammate Chelsea Ewing anchored the relay to a state title. Ewing also finished fifth in the 100.
In the Class 2A state meet, Cahokia brought home its first team trophy in girls track with a third-place finish. Senior Laquitsha Bejoile led the Comanches by winning state titles in the 100-meter high hurdles and 300-meter low hurdles.
