Division I Class AA-A Boys
Martin Calls It A Career
There's running and then there's racing and Jackson Martin may go down as one of the best "racers" in recent history. When he's been in large fields like a Southern Showcase where everyone is simply there to run fast, he doesn't particularly stand out. In each of the last two seasons that he's been in a field like this, Will Douglas has also been there and both times Douglas out ran him. In 2021 at Jesse Owens, Douglas finished 3rd in 15:16 while Martin finished 10th in 15:28. This season at Southern Showcase, Douglas finished in 15:24 ahead of Martin at 15:32. The only other time the two have been on the same course with one another is at state and both times Martin has out raced Douglas. Both races are mirror images of one another. Martin simply keeps Douglas in contact until they exit the second lake loop, takes, the lead, and hangs on until the finish. His 15:37 was his second fastest time on the season and sixth time under sixteen.
This will be the last time we see Martin on the high school running circuit. Will Douglas finished in 2nd but the rest of the top five are noteworthy as well.
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Name Year School Finals Points
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1 #84 Martin, Jackson 12 Creek Wood 15:37.95
2 #35 Douglas, Will 12 Camden Central 15:41.14 1
3 #80 Coleman, San'Dariu 12 Covington 16:12.10
4 #195 King, Colton 12 Huntingdon 16:28.66
5 #71 Brown, Stewart 12 Chester County 16:29.89 2 Douglas, San'Darius Coleman, Colton King, and Stewart Brown are all from Region 7. While I don't think anyone has ever underestimated the quality in the region since the days of Evan Allen, the overall depth of talent has never been as illustrated as it was last Thursday. This picture taken by Stewart Brown's mother encapsulates the comradery among the competitors.
From Left: Colton King, Will Douglas, Ryan Coley (11th Overall), San'Darius Coleman, Stewart Brown.
This class of seniors will be hard to replicate.
Signal Sweeps
Of the finishers immediately behind those from Region 7, four of the next eight were from Signal Mountain. The Eagles' Joshua Pote, Jack Gibby, Tynan Borders, and Diangelo Cisto went 5th, 6th, 10th, and 13th respectively which was enough to lift Signal over the Tigers of Central Magnet 63 to 93 after the narrow defeat last season. Jack Gibby, the only senior for the Eagles, reflects on this championship.
With the Tigers returning five of seven as well, they will come into the season next year as projected favorites again however they'll likely have more company. Memphis East, who finished 3rd, will return their entire roster and Station Camp, who finish finished 5th in AAA will be moving down a classification into theirs next season. So while this classification has been for the last couple of season's a head to head battle essentially, will add a couple more contenders in 2023.
Congratulations to Jackson Martin and Signal Mountain.