The second annual Track Fun Day at Bogalusa High School’s Lewis V. Murray Jr. Stadium proved to be successful once again, as 142 athletes from first through sixth grade participated across three age groups in the event that took place May 19.
“We had great participation,” Bogalusa track and field coach Eddie Walker said. “We’re still working on trying to make it bigger next year. We’re looking to maybe do it a week earlier next year to try to get more schools involved. The kids had fun. They enjoyed the competition and they showed a lot of team pride.”
The top seven finishers from each individual event were rewarded, along with the top two schools.
Ben’s Ford Christian School, along with Byrd Elementary, had the most participants.
The age groups were first and second graders, third and fourth and fifth and sixth.
Jadyn Godbolt won the softball throw at 53 feet, 3 inches. Ben’s Ford Christian School’s Avery Danton was second at 50-3. Byrd Elementary occupied the third through seventh spots. Edricka Adams was third at 47-0, followed by Haiky Mims’ 45-2, Emera Rawls’ 39-5, Destiny Scott’s 26-6 and Leah Rachel’s 26-0.
Ben’s Ford’s Carrigan Hickman won the standing long jump at 4-5 by two inches over Byrd’s Shantaria Taylor. Ben’s Ford had the next four spots, as Alexis Pierce was third at 4-1, followed by Analisa Vonderburegge’s 3-2, Scott’s 3-1 and Byrd’s Rawls’ 3-0.
In the timed events, Byrd had the top two places in the 50 meters.
Kanya Fletcher won in 8.5 seconds, followed by Price’s 8-8.
Ben’s Ford Christian School’s Hickman was third at 8.9 with Byrd teammates Adams and Mims tying for fourth at 9.3, Byrd’s Godbolt sixth in 9.5 and Ben’s Ford’s Dantin ran a 10.5 for seventh.
The top seven finishers in the 200 were from Byrd.
Price won the event in 35.1 seconds.
Taylor was second at 37.5, followed by Kayland Fletcher’s 37.3, Scott’s 38.1, Adam’s 41.6 and Kayla Dillon’s 50.3.
In the boys’ first and second graders, Ben’s Ford Christian School’s Brody Applewhite won the softball throw with a distance of 82-6.
Byrd Elementary’s William Rawls was second at 77-10, followed by Byrd’s Alfred Moses’ 71-9, Byrd’s Justin Warren’s 69-8, Byrd’s Joriano Mingo’s 67-6 and Ben’s Ford Christian School’s Will Lott’s 48-9.
Byrd’s Quinterius Porter won the standing long jump with a distance of 10-0.
Byrd had the next four spots, as Rawls was runner up at 5-1, followed by Charles Nicholson’s 4-2, Warren’s 4-1, Damion Lewis 4-0, Ben’s Ford’s Christopher Kuhn’s 3-11 and Ben’s Ford’s Jacob Cotton at 3-1.
Ben’s Ford’s Boyet captured the 50 meters in 8.2 seconds in a close race, as Byrd’s Rawls was second in 8.3.
Ben’s Ford’s Kuhn finished third in 9.3, followed by Ben’s Ford’s Cotton’s 9.4, Ben’s Ford’s Jokob Hunt’s 9.6, Ben’s Ford’s Dantin’s 9.7 and Byrd’s Porter’s 9.8.
Ben’s Ford’s Dantin was the 200 winner in 37.7.
Byrd’s Jaden Waterson was second at 41.8, followed by Byrd’s Moses’ 42.1, Byrd’s Mingo’s 46.6, Ben’s Ford’s Will Cott’s 48.6 and Ben’s Ford’s Gonzales Brisson’s 11.8.
Switching to the third and fourth graders, Ben’s Ford Christian School’s Erin Knight took home the top spot for the 100 in 14.2.
Central Memorial Elementary’s Chad Ladner Jr. was second at 14.52, finishing just ahead of teammate Lance Jackson Jr. at 14.56. Central’s Christian Dunomes was fourth in 15.22 with Ben’s Ford’s Logan McCain fifth at 15.38, Central’s Dyren Brown sixth in 15.39 and Central’s Tyler Spikes took seventh in 15.82.
Central’s Tyler Spikes won the 200 in 32.27.
Ben’s Ford teammates McCain and Knight ran a 32.71 and 34.50, respectively, for second and third. Central teammates Donarich Peterson and Dunomes were fourth and fifth at 35.0 and 35.77 with Ben’s Ford’s Benjamin Barber sixth at 36.44, followed by Central’s Marley McGowan’s 37.5.
Central’s Jackson won the 800 in 3 minutes, 28 seconds.
Teammate Ladner’s 3:35 was good for second.
Ben’s Ford’s Spencer Watkins was third in 3:49, followed by Central’s Joshua Smith’s 3:59, Ben’s Ford’s Trindon Young and Dashell Houston’s 4:05 and 4:20 and Central’s Jakyren Brock’s 4:45.
Central’s Brown won the long jump at 10-5.
Teammates McGowan and Demike’s McClain were second and third at 9-5 and 7-4, followed by Ben’s Ford’s McCain and Houston’s 6-9 and 6-4, Central’s K’bron Cotton’s 6-3 and Ben’s Ford’s Nicholas’ Barber’s 6-2.
Central Memorial had the top seven spots in the shot put.
Johnny Bright won at 22-8.
McClain was second at 18-3, followed by Deantay Spikes’ 18-0, Brock’s 16-6, Cotton’s 14-0 and Tyler Spikes’ 13-6.
Switching to the female third and fourth graders, Ben’s Ford’s Tamara Miller won the 100 in 15.88.
Central Memorial had the next three spots, as Raiana Dyson, Malia Morria and Brehiyn Morris were second through fourth with times of 16.81, 17.13 and 17.91. Ben’s Ford Christian School’s Olivia Mizell was fourth at 17.95, followed by Mylasia Keys’ 18.01 and Lillian Bell’s 18.39.
Sticking with the timed events, Central had the top three spots in the 200.
Jasmyn Richard and Cassidy Brock tied for first in the 200 in 35.76 seconds with Morris finishing third in 37.65.
Ben’s Ford’s Mizell was fourth at 38.65, followed by Central’s Malon Keys’ 38.77, Ben’s Ford’s Bell’s 39.70 and Central’s Morris’ 41.63.
Ben’s Ford had the top two spots in the 800.
Isabella Woods won the event in 4:16.
Kaby Moone was second in 4:33.
Central’s Cyera Lathan was third in 4:47 and Sarrell Ford was fourth at 4:59.
Central’s Malia Morris won the long jump in 10-4, finishing just an inch ahead of Ben’s Ford’s Zoe Houston.
Central’s Lathan was third at 8-10 with Central’s Kaytltn Clark and Keys tying for fourth at 5-4, followed by Central’s Dyson’s 5-11 and Ben’s Ford’s Miller with a 4-10.
Ben’s Ford had all three places in the six-pound shot put.
Miller won at 11-7.
Houston had an 11-3 for second and Woods finished with 9-1 for third.
Moving to the fifth and sixth graders, Central’s Caitlin Holloway won the girls’ shot put at 22-2.
Ben’s Ford’s Breanna Jones was second at 18-0, followed by Bogalusa’s Amani Turner’s 17-10, Kendra Williams’ 16-9, Ben’s Ford’s Natalie Seal, Audrey Nelson and Kadyn Barber, who finished with distances of 16-3, 15-6 and 15-0 respectively.
Bogalusa’s Holloway won the long jump at 13-1.
Ben’s Ford’s Ashlyn Danton was second at 11-0, followed by Bogalusa teammates Tamirecal Peters and Chantaisa Adams at 9-4 and 9-3, Ben’s Ford’s Chastin Asfour’s 7-7, Bogalusa’s Kendra Williams’ 7-5 and Ben’s Ford Christian School’s Danielle Presson’s 7-2.
Bogalusa’s Holloway also won the 100, running a 14.8.
Teammate Peters was second at 15.2, followed by Central’s Tamiya Crumedy’s 15.8, Bogalusa teammates Ailani Speights and T’keyah Robinson at 15.9 and 16.3 and Ben’s Ford teammates Presson and Laci Branch at 16.9 and 17.31.
Ben’s Ford’s Claine Wascom won the 200 in 31.43 seconds.
Teammate Hannah Grosche was second at 33.04, followed by Central’s Crumedy’s 43.09, Bogalusa’s Presson’s 39.40 and Ben’s Ford’s Branch and Olivia Norwood’s 40.09 and 41.88.
Ben’s Ford Christian School’s Hannah Grosche won the 800 in 3:26 by five seconds over teammate Claine Wascom.
Central teammates Crumedy and Ayianna Richard were third and fourth at 4:20 and 4:21 and Ben’s Ford’s Norwood ran a 4:40 for fifth.
In the boys, Micah Wascom won the shot put with a distance of 27-4.
Bogalusa’s Tyren Jackson was second at 26-7, followed by teammates Reynis Morris’ 21-8 and Andrew Parham’s 20-7, Ben’s Ford teammates Jonah Williams’ 20-0 and Rober Olmestead’s 19-3 and Bogalusa’s Duane Hogan’s 17-10.
Bogalusa teammates Haikeem Thompson and Talik Williams were first and runner up in the long jump.
Thompson won at 16-1.
Williams was second with a distance of 13-9.
Ben’s Ford’s Wascom was third at 12-0, followed by Bogalusa’s Matthew Crain, Desmond Magee and Morris with distances of 11-9, 11-3 and 10-9 and Ben’s Ford’s Williams at 10-8.
Bogalusa’s Williams won the 100 in 12.6.
Teammate Thompson was not far behind at 12.84 for runner-up.
Central Memorial Elementary School’s Tailyn Williams was third at 12.87, followed by Bogalusa’s Darryl Douglas and Jackson’s 13.7 and 13.8, Ben’s Ford’s Wascom’s 14.8 and Bogalusa’s Kazavion McGowan’s 15.45.
Bogalusa’s Steven Miller won the 800 in 2:26.
Central’s Williams was second at 3:03 with Ben’s Ford’s Jonah Williams third in 3:39.
Devonte Carter was fourth in 4:00, followed by Ben’s Ford’s Jeremy Woods’ 4:30, David Stewart’s 4:32 and Central’s Jyren Smith’s 4:56.