Successful start for ORHS track and field

Oak Ridge High School’s track and field season is well underway. The boys and girls teams have competed in two area meets, including one here in Oak Ridge, and are slated to compete at the Taco Bell Invitational in Columbia, S.C.

Oak Ridge opened the track and field season at the Hardin Valley Invitational on Saturday, March 28.

At Hardin Valley, Oak Ridge’s girls took 17th overall with seven points and the boys finished eighth with 39 points.

Caelyn Thompson and Lauren Smallwood ran well in the 200 and 400 sprints coach Eddie Anderson said, “putting themselves in a position to be the backbone for the sprint relays when they are set up for meets later in the season.”

Thompson took fifth in the 200 meter sprint with a time of 27.90. Smallwood found sixth in the 400 with a time of 1:02.65.

“The girls team is young in many areas and will improve as the season continues,” Anderson said after the Hardin Valley meet.

The boys team claimed two first place finishes there.

Tyler Boullie’s first place finish in the 800 meter race was heralded as one of the day’s best performances. Boullie finished with a time of 1:58.63.

Malik Hardy’s first place long jump was also a call for celebration. Hardy jumped 20-9 to take the gold and lead his team.

“The boys team veterans performed well,” Anderson said. “The young guys must begin to perform at a competitive level and improve to be ready to produce their best at the sectional May 9.”

The boys team was awarded second place in the 4x400 relay with a time of 3:31.05. That team was comprised of Jerimiah Pearson, Boullie, Hardy and Wes Robinson.

Robinson, who recently signed to continue his running career at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, ran a third place finish in the 1600 meter distance run with a time of 4:27.04.

Also at Hardin Valley, Malik Hardy found seventh place in the 100 meter sprint, running 11.61.

Jordan Hardy took eighth place in the triple jump with a 40-3 distance and DJ Greene threw the discus 115-2 for an eighth place finish.

Jacob Etheridge claimed a third eighth place finish in the 3200 meter run with a time of 10:05.72.

A team from Centerville, Ohio took first place overall in both the boys and girls competitions. There were 33 girls teams and 35 boys teams competing.

The Oak Ridge teams performed better with “home field” advantage last week, though neither the boys or girls were able to bring home first overall.

Oak Ridge’s girls claimed fourth place and the boys took third. Both teams had 80 points at the meet’s close.

Toni Sheetz, Lauren Smallwood, Caelyn Thompson and Breanne Young took second place in the 4x200 with a time of 1:46.78 and third in the 4x100 at 50.27.

Kayla Summers took fifth place in both discus and shotput, with distances of 78-3 and 30-5, respectively. Ashley Oneal took sixth in discus after throwing 74-9.

Back on the track, Chynna Wright took fifth in the 100 sprint, at 13.65 seconds. Maddie Zawisza took fifth in the 1600 at 5:54.54.

In relays, the girls took third place in the distance medley, the shuttle hurdle and the 4x1600; fourth in the 4x800 and 4x400; and fifth in the sprint medley.

“The girls team is young, but getting better quickly,” the coach said. “The team goal for the girls is to get better every week.”

For the boys, Malik Hardy took one of the day’s best again with three first places.

“Malik is clearly the most talented sprinter and jumper on the boys team,” Anderson said.

He took first in the long jump, the 100 meter sprint and the distance medley relay, with Tyler Boullie, Thomas Colburn and Wes Robinson.

Jacob Etheridge took second place in the 1600 meter distance run.

DJ Green took second in the discus and Jordan Hardy had sixth in the triple jump.

Oak Ridge placed in seven other relays on Saturday.

Cale Downard, Jordan Hardy, Tony Miller and Jonathan Carter placed fifth in both the 4x200 and 4x100. Brandon Bonds, Jared Gipson, Mark Lenoir and Christian Bivens took third in the shuttle hurdle relay.

The boys team also found third place in the 4x1600 relay, fourth in the 4x800 and eighth in the 4x400.

Trevon Romano, Brandon Bonds, Jared Gipson and Jeremiah Pearson took second place in the sprint medley relay with a time of 1:41.96.

In co-ed relays, Oak Ridge took second in the 4x40 with a time of 24.55 and fourth in the 4x100 at 53.04.

Next up, the team will travel to South Carolina for the Taco Bell Invitational. Oak Ridge will host a meet on April 21 at 6 p.m. and then again Friday, May 1, beginnning at 4:30 p.m.

Sara Wise can be contacted at (865) 220-5501.