They came and they waited.
After roughly five hours of weather delays Catholic High, Scotlandville and West Feliciana conquered in their own ways on the final day of the LHSAA state outdoor track and field meet at LSU’s Bernie Moore Track.
“This was a long, long day,” Zachary field specialist Jaydan Jackson said she watched the final event, the 4×400-meter relay with teammate Ambria Langley after 11 p.m. Saturday. “Just glad we could do what we needed for the team.”
Jackson finished first and Langley was second in the discus in the final minutes of the meet to vault the Broncos into a one-point lead that then became first-place tie for the Class 5A girls title with District 4-5A rival Scotlandville. Catholic High won the 5A boys title and West Feliciana was the 4A girls runner-up as the three-day meet ended.
The final tally
Both the Scotlandville and Zachary girls ended the meet with 70 points, ahead of Barbe (58) and St. Joseph’s Academy (54). The stories within this story were decisive with two competitors for each team combining to score most of the points.
Catholic won its second straight 5A boys title and first under coach Sean Brady with 68 points, ahead of Karr at 57 and John Curtis.
The West Feliciana girls scored 52 points in their Class 4A debut to finish behind traditional power Shreveport-Huntington with 87. New Iberia-based Westgate won the 4A boys title 68 points.
Class 5A girls
“My times were better at other meets,” Scotlandville’s Sade Gray said. “Because of the weather this was long and hard. I’m proud of the way we got through it and scored the points we needed.”
Extended delays prompted LHSAA officials to move some field events indoors to Carl Maddox Field House. After weathering long delays, local competitors unleashed a storm of record marks once running events began at 7:45 p.m.
Scotlandville’s 4×200-meter relay team broke a 21-year-old record with a time of 1 minute, 36.80 seconds. Runner-up Zachary (1:37.57) also bettered the record. The teams went at it again in a record-setting 4×100 with Zachary winning in 46.03 to 46.50 for Scotlandville.
Scotlandville’s Makeriah Harris ran the anchor leg on the 4×200 and then set class and composite records while winning the 100 hurdles (13.49 seconds) and 300 hurdles (41.49 seconds). Gray won the 100 and 200.
Harris and Gray combined for 40 individual points. Zachary’s Jackson and Langley tallied 35 points in the field.
Jackson won the shot put and discus, setting a 5A mark of 146 feet, 8 inches.
Zachary coach Chris Carrier won his 10th title. As Carrier noted, it’s the little things that make a difference. The Broncos’ Talar Johnson was an alternate who was added to 100 meters when another competitor dropped out. Johnson placed second to Gray, scoring eight pivotal points.
“It’s crazy because you never know how things like that (adding an alternate) will work out,” Carrier said. “We said all week first one to 70 … well we both get there amd won it.”
Dutchtown’s Rachel Fereday set a meet record in the 800 with a 2:11.75.
Class 5A boys
The Bears won the first field event decided outdoors on Paul Cattalanato’s winning javelin throw of 201-9. They also won first relay, the 4×800 and 4×100.
In between, there were performances like the one turned in by Winston Decuir, who battle through an injury place second in the 400 and 800.
“I had to be out here one last time with these guys,” Decuir said. “When I was warming up I kept thinking about this being the last time with them and that hurts. I would not want it (to end) any other way.”
The Bears’ Brady added, “This was a helluva day. It speaks to the strength of these young men go through this day the way they did. They handled it and we expected them to.”
Class 4A girls
The Saints, a 4A newcomer, proved they belonged with Tristen Harris and Lauren Cazabat leading the way.
Harris won the long jump held indoors 18-1/4. The sophomore was voted the Outstanding Girls Performer in 4A after also winning the 200 (24.75) and placing second in the 100.
Cazabat placed in four events, including a third-place finishes in events she added this season — the pole vault and triple.
“The way we started the day … with the delays and uncertainty … it was completely unpredictable,” WFHS coach Hatem Bachar said. “And they came through.”
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