The Decathlon is the premier event when it comes to Track
and Field. It's also one of the most
difficult of Track and Field events to be a spectator. It takes time for athletes to get through ten
events. A lot of time. The D2-AA State Decathlon this year was held
at the Brentwood Academy track. Not sure
why the Decathlon wasn't held at the MTSU track complex, but maybe splitting
the D2 classes into two had an impact in that decision. Whatever the reason, Brentwood Academy was
the host and they did a splendid job of running the meet on a perfect schedule
and keeping the storms at bay for the duration.
There were thirteen competitors that came out for the event this year, so it wasn't really much different than the number of athletes normally competing. Coming into this event, there was a lot of discussion about a potential total exceeding the 7K mark. That discussion centered around McCallie Senior decathlete Hakim McMorris. Hakim comes into this as the defending champion where last hear he was so close to that number when he tallied 6,892 points. So, he lines up on the starting line and he hits a 10.87 in the 100M dash to start the day with a boom and 890 points that ended up being his largest point total for an event. That's a heck of a way to start the day.
But then the pole vault was up and it's an event that allowed a few of the other guys to make their own marks of the day. Knox Perry took this event by getting 13-5.74 and got a two event total of 1249 points that brought him close to Hakim's 1344 total for two. Jude Maloy of Ensworth ended up with 1272 points for two events and had people looking at this athlete's potential. McClain Portis of Montgomery Bell vaulted 12-6 and brought his 2nd event total to 1336 that was even closer to the early leader.
But it's difficult to keep up with a guy that's going to jump 45' in the triple and toss the discus 142' and then come back and run a sub 50 for the 400 (49.56). So... it was looking like the potential for a 7K mark this year was well within grasp as Hakim tallied 3563 points. Halfway there.
On day two, the hurdles provided for some really tight competition with three of the guys going under 16 seconds. Hakim, of course, won in a nice 15.10 that tacked on another 837 points. Adams Robinson, Hakim's teammate was second in 15.56 and yet another McCallie athlete took third when Joshua Smith ran a 15.91 and received 743 points for his effort. Shane Farrow was the next non-McCallie athlete to cross the line and his 16.13 gave him 718 points. I'm guessing the McCallie trio could be a big factor next week at the State Championships as well.
The second day of the decathlon has a kind of surreal feel to it. There aren't any ladies competing in the Pentathlon, they are all home resting after their big day. It's just those dedicated track and field athletes that are out there on the track. A few coaches and even fewer spectators taking in what everyone in the world calls as the test to find the world's best athlete. Ok, this is D2-AA division, and we're not quite at the world's best... not yet at least. If you are a fan of Track and Field, then watching Day 2 in the Decathlon has got to be your most favorite day on the track. The atmosphere is a little less intense, spectator wise. As a competitor it's down to business day on the track. There is no playing now, every event requires all your concentration and any slip-up just puts you further back. Of course, if set yourself up to PR in an event, that can yield bonuses for you in this two-day experience.
The high jump comes up after the hurdles, or more precisely, after the twenty-minute rest between events. With two pits working, it's no time before we end up with four athletes competing. The two Ensworth athletes, Jude Maloy and Sam Banks, look comfortable in their beach chairs under the umbrella's. But their rest time in the chair at the end of this event was becoming less and less for sure. Both the Ensworth guys cleared 5-11.50 to get them each 544 points. Once they were out, McLain Portis went one up on them to get the next height of 6-1.5. Then Hakim Morris went just a bit higher to clear 6-4 and take yet another win in the two-day event.
That trend didn't continue after the nice trek to the shot-put area. With a toss of 45-4.5, Hakim had to settle for second in the event when Memphis University School decathlete was able to throw a huge 45-8.0 toss to gain the win in that event. With 723 points for that toss it was Dorian Hopkins first win of the two-day event and helped him to move up the standings a bit. Although he was clearly in the lead during the long jump, it took Hakim's last jump of the day to really seal that deal in all eyes. Jumping 23-1.75 on his last jump gave him a huge 826 points and allowed him to coast through the last event of the day, the 1500M run.
But guess what, there isn't a lot of coast in this talented
athlete as Hakim McMorris ran his 1500M a couple seconds ahead of Shane Farrow
of Brentwood Academy. Hakim got just
eleven points over Shane's 582 points for the event but also gave him his
seventh win for the ten-event competition.
Adding up all the scores, the 7277 points certainly passed the 7K mark and gave Hakim a PR in the event by a good margin. That is a huge win for the athlete and certainly puts him in the mix as one of the best we've seen in a long time. Another plus for this event, several of the other athletes competing are going to be here for a while to come. Jude Maloy of Ensworth bettered his last year score by 273 points when he totaled 6298 to get him the runner up spot. Jude is just a sophomore and so this athlete is going to certainly be one to watch in the years to come. Dorian Hopkins of Memphis University School is a junior and so we look forward to seeing how this athlete approves for next year. There certainly is a lot to look forward to in what I would call one of the most exciting events in track and field.
Great going guys!
See you on the Track,
Coach Ted