“4” Sure Rams Keep Firm Grip on Region 7

“4” Sure

Rams Keep Firm Grip on Region 7

Jarrod E. Stephens

The Ashland Beacon

Ask any athlete or coach and they’ll tell you that winning never gets old. The members of the Raceland varsity boys track team were hungry yet for another Class 1A Region 7 title and they feasted on the competition in Menifee County. Even a few weather delays and raindrops couldn’t dampen the fire. In the end, it was raining points for the Rams.

Ram Senior Max Burton took 1st place in the 100-meter dash while Austin Meadows finished 4th. Burton wasn’t content with a 2nd place finish, so he took 1st place in the 200-meter dash with teammate Aiden Bell Picking up 4th.

Both the 110- and 300-meter hurdles have been a strong suit for the Rams in recent years. Max Burton smoked the competition in both races, taking 1st place. Freshman Zane Maddix finished 6th in the 300 hurdles.

Jake Waller and Aiden Bell competed in the 400-meter dash. Waller took 2nd and Bell finished 5th. In the 800-meter run, Cameron Hogsten crossed the finish line in 3rd place. Braden Nickell finished 8th.

In the distance races, the Rams continued to collect points. Zane Maddix finished 4th and Cameron Hogsten finished 10th in the 1,600-meter run. Maddix followed up with a 2nd place finish in the 3,200-meter run and Coleman Coldiron finished 5th.

  The relay teams fought through the elements to land 1st place in the 4x100 meter relay and 2nd in the 4x200 meter relay. In the 4x400 meter relay they finished 3rd and 4th place in the 4x800.

The Rams also made a strong showing in the field events. Titus Lykins cleared 6 feet to take 1st place in the high jump. Junior Eli Evans earned 2nd place with a jump of 5’10”. In the triple jump, Eli Branham jumped his way to a 3rd place finish and Bryson Cooper finished 6th place. Eli Evans also finished 2nd in the long jump with Scout Wilks finishing 7th.

Points were also found in the pole vault pit. Teammates Gatlin Stephens and Shepherd Smith both scored points. Stephens placed 2nd while his 8th grade teammate finished 5th. Alex Headlee finished 4th in the discus and Sean Short finished with a 7th place toss. Headlee and Short both competed in the Shot Put with Headlee finishing 2nd and Short placing 8th.

In the adaptive events, 9th grader Nevaeh Thomas had several 1st place finishes to her name. She finished 1st in the long jump and shot put. Then, she finished 1st in the 2x50 meter relay and 2x200 meter relay.

By the end of the meet, Raceland senior Max Burton had stuffed his pockets full of points. Max placed 2nd in the 100-meter dash, 1st in the 200 meter dash, and 1st place in both the 110 and 300 hurdles. He was the High Point Male for the meet.

  The girls also got in the action in the 800-meter run. Mia Adkins crossed the finish line in 5th place and Bailee Rowsey in 7th. Adkins followed that performance with a 4th place finish in the 1,600-meter run and a 3rd place finish in the 3,200 meter run. Rowsey also placed 7th in the 1,600-meter run.

Although she has only been vaulting for a few months, Mia Adkins placed 1st in the girls pole vault. In the throwing events, Baleigh Holman finished in 3rd place in discus and 9th in the shot put.

The boys’ team won their fourth region title in a row with a total of 158.5 points. Their nearest competitor was the Pikeville team that had 101.5 points.

Each of the first and second place finishers along with several at-large athletes earned a spot in the Class A State Track Meet in Lexington where they were greeted with a dose of weather deja vu. Rain fell all day as the athletes proved their grit to represent the Ram Nation.

Nevaeh Thomas finished 6th in the Mixed 2x200 meter relay and 8th in the Mixed Long Jump.

Although points are tougher to come by at the State Meet, some Rams found a way to the podium.

Senior Max Burton didn’t disappoint his team as he placed 3rd in the 110-meter hurdles. He capped off his track and field campaign with one of the grittiest runs of his life. As if the pouring rain was not enough, his competition was tight. Max fought to the end and crossed the finish line in 1st place.

Junior Eli Evans placed 5th in the long jump. Gatlin Stephens placed 8th in the state in the pole vault. Overall, the Rams were able to score 21 points in the meet. 

Coach Randy Helton was pleased with his teams’ performances since they had not been running at full strength all season. Some of the athletes had been hindered by injury or illness which had limited their opportunities for participation throughout the season. When asked what he was most pleased with, Helton replied, “I was pleased with how a lot of our kids progressed during the year.” He continued, “Our newcomers did so well, and of course Max was dominant.”

  Track is a sport where centimeters and milliseconds can define a winner and a loser. The Rams track teams have again proven that they may represent a small school, but it takes more than rain to dampen their Ram pride.