By Wes Kerr
LowcoSports.com
Beaufort High led a strong showing from the Lowco contingent at the SCHSL Class 4A track and field meet Saturday, earning six combined top-three finishes including an individual title at Spring Valley High School in Columbia.
The Eagle boys took sixth place overall with a total of 34 points, while the girls were seventh in their meet with 35.
Beaufort’s Jayla Daise captured the lone gold medal for the Lowco, winning the shot put with a stellar mark of 38 feet, 4 inches, while May River’s McKenna Swinton placed third in the event (36-2). Beaufort’s Anaiya Houseal was second in the high jump, clearing a leap of five feet and two inches.
Beaufort’s boys excelled on the track, claiming a pair of individual medals thanks to a runner-up finish from Zion Smart in the 400m hurdles (57.51) and a bronze medal from Trae Campbell in the 800m (1:59.46). The Eagles added another silver in the 4x800m relay (8:09.96), and Alvin Wilson notched a third-place finish in the discus (155-5).
May River’s Fareed Abdullah impressed on the track, taking third in the 100m (10.65) and 200m (21.36) while the Shark 4x400m boys relay team (3:24.39) also earned a bronze medal. Macey Dowe took silver in the javelin throw for the Sharks (110-4), and Anya Arroyo earned a fifth-place finish in the 1600m (5:15.73) to go alongside a bronze in the girls 4×800 relay (9:49.32), propelling the Sharks to a ninth-place team finish (30 pts).
Colleton County’s girls 4×100 relay team shined in Columbia, claiming a silver medal with a stellar time of 48.7 seconds. Bluffton multi-sport star Jaylin Linder captured silver in the long jump with a leap of 21 feet, 11 inches, and basketball phenom Tacoya Heyward took eighth in the girls’ competition (16-4) while the Bobcats’ girls 4×800 relay team finished seventh (10:17.98).
Hilton Head High’s Franklin Holland earned a spot on the podium with a third-place finish in the pole vault (12-6), Nathaniel Rohr took fourth in the javelin (159-3), and Janile Roberson placed sixth in the 200m sprint (22.14) while Anne Ferguson led the girls squad with a sixth-place showing in the triple jump (34-8).
Greenville swept both the boys’ and girls’ titles in Class 4A, posting 94 points in the boys’ meet and 102 in the girls’ competition.
Whale Branch won the Class 1A girls title and placed ninth in the boys standings on Thursday at Lower Richland High School. Tanner McCracken led Battery Creek in the 3A meet Saturday at Lower Richland High School, taking seventh place in the discus (132-11) while teammate Anthony Phelan placed eighth (127-4). McCracken also notched a top-10 finish in the shot put in eighth place (45-6). Ridgeland-Hardeeville’s Naiyanah Jenkins took 11th in the triple jump (30-5) at the 2A meet on Friday.
