Trailing by a point going into the final event, Jamestown High won the Class 4 boys track and field state championship Saturday at Liberty University by winning the 4×400-meter relay to overtake and edge runner-up Atlee 63-59.
With their team behind 54-53, the Eagles’ quartet of Jeffrey Linton, Patrick O’Leary, Diego Fuentes and Josiah Walston took control at 400 meters and never again trailed. Their time of 3 minutes, 19.39 seconds edged Phoebus, second in 3:20.69, as Atlee finished fourth and was outscored 10-5 by the Eagles in the decisive event.
Linton, a senior, and freshman sensation Jonathan Grimm were the stars for the Eagles. In addition to his leg on the 4×400, Linton won the 800 meters (1:54.26) and ran a leg on the winning 4×800 team that included Grimm, Lucas Henderson and Elliot Bruhl.
Grimm finished second in the 1,600 (4:18.07) but rebounded to win the 3,200 in an impressive 9:11.60. On a day when every point counted, Walston and O’Leary provided key nine points by finishing third and sixth, respectively, in the 400, while Bruhl notched six points with third in the 800.
“We took it race by race and each race worked out, because everyone came through,” Eagles coach Mark Tompkins said. “Jonathan Grimm has been a huge asset, and he’s so competitive his goals are bigger than ours.
“Jeffrey Linton has been great the past three years.”
Phoebus’ Jamar Osifo was the area’s other state champion. He won the 300 hurdles in 38.43.
Manor’s girls were third in the girls Class 4 meet, won handily by Blacksburg. The Mustangs’ individual titlists were Adrianna Mapp in the 400 (55.87) and Yowome Ayim in the triple jump (40-3), while teammate Leah Williams was second in the shot put and discus.
Warhill’s Erianna Mendieta won the girls pole vault (11-2).
Class 3
Fauquier won the boys Class 3 meet with 63 points as Grafton (34 points) and Lafayette (32), fourth and sixth, respectively, posted the best finishes from the area. The area’s only Class 3 boys titlist, Lafayette’s Tristin Harris, won the triple jump by more than five feet with a mark of 51-4 3/4 that shattered the meet record.
No Hampton Roads girls team finished in the top 10, but Lakeland senior Kamryn Monroe shined in the sprints. She won the 200 in a meet-record 24.38 and finished second in the 100 after setting a meet record in the preliminaries with an 11.75.
Class 2
Bruton scored 66 points in the boys meet, good enough to finish second to Floyd County, which won with 76. The Panthers’ Quinn Marcinek was first in the 110 hurdles (14.64) and fifth in the 300 hurdles.
Jayden Curry won the 1,600 (4:22.9), was second in the high jump and fourth in the 800. Curry also ran a leg on the winning 4×400 quartet that clocked 3:27.60 and included Judah Aghaji, Jalen Griffin and Josiah Gallegos.
Aghaji and Marcenik were on the 4×100 team, finishing second with the help of Anthony Henderson and Johnie Askew.
No area girls team finished in the top 15. Poquoson junior Elizabeth Trant was a double winner, capturing the 1,600 (5:00.57) and 3,200 (10:48.91).
