Gazette.Net: Roaring start for Lions at state track meet
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Click here to view the results and schedule for the Maryland Outdoor Track and Field Championships.

The Largo High School girls track and field team is well on its way to another victory-laden state championship meet.

Not more than 20 minutes into the opening day of the Maryland Outdoor Championships on Thursday at Morgan State University the Lions had successfully defended their indoor 2A state title in the 3,200-meter relay with a seven-second victory against Middletown. The Lions’ time of 9 minutes, 39.65 seconds beat their best this season by more than 10 seconds.

Three hours later sophomore anchor DeVonni Farrar was closing in on another first-place finish in the 800 relay, and it appeared that she had sealed up a second state title. However Harford Technical had recorded a time more than two seconds faster despite running in the first of the 800 relay’s two heats, which typically includes the slower teams. That pushed the Lions back to second place.

“We want to win this whole thing,” said freshman Cayla Coleman, who ran on both relays.

The Lions will be back on the track on Saturday for their favorite event, the 1,600 relay, in which they are also defending indoor state champs.

Far from the fray on the track was discus thrower Emani Williams. The junior tossed her way to her first career state title with her throw of 115 feet, 6 inches.

“It feels great being No. 1,” she said after hugging Largo throwing coach, Thomas Butler. “I finally accomplished my goals and I still have 12th grade left.”

Through the first five events, the Lions lead the 2A girls team standings with 32 points. Harford Technical is in second place with 17 points.

Elsewhere on the oval

Gwynn Park’s Jasper Savoy will be the man to beat on Saturday when the finals of the Class 2A sprint events are held. The senior led both the 100- and 200-meter preliminary rounds and nearly brought the Yellow Jackets back in the 800 relay after a sloppy second exchange. Gwynn Park took third in the 800 relay behind Queen Anne’s and Long Reach.

Senior Melody Woody will look to make the 200 a Yellow Jacket sweep on Saturday after she picked up the No. 2 seed with her time of 25.81 seconds in the preliminaries. She will have to chase down Northeast’s Dnique Phillip, who flew for a 24.94.

Woody also anchored Gwynn Park’s third-place 800 relay team.

Frederick Douglass senior Quincey Sutton threw the Eagles close to the top of the 2A boys standings with a state championship in the shot put. His toss of 55 feet was 2 feet better than Queen Anne’s Ralph Vanveen.

Douglass senior Kyle Smith tied for fourth place in the high jump — a result he called “disappointing” — but Smith earned the No. 1 seed for Saturday’s finals in the 110-meter hurdles. Teammate Marcus Anderson will be in the No. 3 slot in the finals on Saturday.

Douglass junior Modesty Lorick picked up a No. 1 seed for the girls 100-meter hurdles final, running a 14.92-second preliminary. On Saturday in the finals, she will have to hold off Oakdale’s Adell Remsberg, the No. 2 seed. Remsberg is the Frederick County and 2A West Region champion in the event.

The state meet continues on Friday at Morgan State University in Baltimore with Class 4A and 3A teams in action for finals in several field events, the 800 and 3,200 and the 800 relay and 3,200 relay. The state meet concludes with finals on Saturday in all four classifications.

tmewhirter@gazette.net