MCHS records two second-place finishes

The Morgan City Tigers recorded two runner-up finishes and recorded several personal records at the Class 4A State Track and Field Meet Saturday at LSU’s Bernie Moore Track Stadium.
The Tigers’ 4x100-meter relay team was runner-up, while Jaylen Jones also finished as runner-up in the 200-meter dash.
The Tigers’ relay of Jones, Tierell Jones, Kevon Marsh and Buddy Humphrey clocked in at 42.24 in the 4x100-meter relay. While the mark was a personal record, it wasn’t enough to top Edna Karr, who finished at 42.14.
“Sometimes it’s not about the victory, it’s about the accomplishment and what we accomplished today is monumental and I couldn’t be more proud of them,” Morgan City Track and Field coach Gary Johnson said.
Jones, in the Tigers’ last event of the day, finished second in the 200-meter run with a personal best of 21.78 seconds. Donté Jackson of Riverdale won the event in 21.42 seconds.
Johnson said Jones was hurting but showed “resilency at its best.”
Earlier in the day, in the boys’ 4x200-meter relay, the Tigers set a personal record at 1:28.32 but finished sixth in the event. Northside won the event in 1:27.41.
Humphrey said the squad talked about their 4x200 performance and put it behind them to come out in the 4x1.
“We should have come in first, but I’m good with second place,” Humphrey said.
Both coach Gary Johnson and Jones said handoffs were not the best.
“Can’t win with bad handoffs, and it only takes one to lose but all three of them were not the best,” Johnson said.
The Tigers will lose just Humphrey off the two state-qualifying relays and Jones is confident in the team’s ability next year.
“We’re going to be back next year stronger,” he said.
Other competitors for the Tigers included Jaylen Jones and Malcolm Watkins in the triple jump. Jones finished eighth with a leap of 43 feet, 4.25 inches, while Watkins, who finished third in the event a year ago, fouled on Saturday.
Johnson said both Watkins and Jones were not at 100 percent because of injuries, and he took Jones out of the event to not hurt the team’s 4x100-meter-relay’s chance at a possible state title.
Defending state champion Daquan Bellard leaped 49 feet, 6 inches, to win the event. His mark, according to the Louisiana High School Athletic Association, was the fifth longest this year in the United States.
Darryl Johnson also competed in the shot put, finishing seventh with a toss of 46 feet, 10 inches.
Taylor Fondal of Westgate won the event with a heave of 52 feet, 4.5 inches.
The Tigers finished tied with Belle Chasse for 13th in team scoring with 17 points. Opelousas won the team title with 46 points.