Last weekend’s Al Joyner/Jackie Joyner Kersee Relays in East St. Louis brought together many of the top athletes in the metro area on both sides of the river. The boys’ competition turned into a showcase of two of the area’s top programs in East St. Louis and Cardinal Ritter College Prep, especially in the sprints.
Cardinal Ritter’s Jameson Williams finished first in the 100- and 200-meter dashes while Jaden Williams was first in the 300-meter intermediate hurdles. Willie Johnson of East St. Louis won the 400-meter dash while Andrew Johnson finished first in the 110-meter high hurdles.
The two schools also battled in the sprint relays with East St. Louis winning the 4×100-meter relay and Cardinal Ritter winning the 4×200- and 4×400-meter relays. In the field events, Rasheed Ricketts of Cardinal Ritter dominated in winning the long jump with a leap of 22 feet 3 inches and in the triple jump with an effort of 48 feet 6 inches.
On the girls’ side, East St. Louis got a first-place finish from Veronica Sherrod in the 300-meter low hurdles as well as victories from its 4×200- and 4×400-meter relays.
Robinson shines at Arcadia Invitational
Standout junior sprinter Justin Robinson of Hazelwood West turned in another sparking performance on the national stage last weekend at the Arcadia Invitational in California.
Robinson defeated a talented field in the 400-meter dash with a tremendous time of 46.22 seconds, which is currently the top time in the nation for high school athletes. Robinson also came back to finish second in the 200-meter dash in a time of 21.06 seconds. Robinson is the defending Class 5 state champion in the 200 and 400 last season.
Jemarrion Stewart heats it up at Belleville West
Collinsville High junior sprinter Jemarrion Stewart turned in a pair of sizzling times in finishing second at the Belleville West Invitational. Stewart turned in times of 10.6 seconds in the 100 and 21.24 in the 200 as he finished second to Plainfield North star Ian Moore, whose times were 10.3 in the 100 and 20.89 in the 200.
Trinity wins big meet in Memphis
The Trinity Titans ventured down South and came away with the boys’ team championship at the Battle for the Border Classic in Memphis, Tennessee. The Titans enjoyed a fine all-around performance as they showcased their depth. Sprinter Kemeric Winston finished second in the 200 and fourth in the 400. Thomas Sonntag was second in the 300-meter intermediate hurdles while the Titans finished second in the 4×100, fourth in the 4×200 and sixth in the 4×400. The Titans have a strong cast of athletes returning from last year’s Class 3 state runner-up team.
McCluer North girls shine at Timberland Invite
The McCluer North girls’ sprint crew put in some work at the Wolfpack Invite at Timberland. Sophomore Michelle Owens won the 100-meter high hurdles in 14.48 and long jump with a 17-7. Owens also finished second in the 200. Lauryn Taylor also finished first in the 100 in 11.87 and the 200 in 25.52. The Stars also finished first in the 4×100-meter relay.
On Tap This Weekend
The Henle Holmes Invitational will be held at Parkway Central on Thursday and Friday, beginning at 4 p.m. on both days. The Corey Siebert Invitational will be held at Rockwood Summit on Saturday while the Lutheran North Invitational will be held on Friday afternoon.
