Four Eagles win individual conference track titles

By Staff Reporter

Enterprise Staff Writer 

A quartet of Eastern Alamance track and field standouts came away from this past week’s Central Conference meet at Eastern High with individual conference titles. Sprinting star William Ratliffe prevailed in his signature event, while women’s distance star Catherine Parker continued her Central Conference dominance with a pair of league titles. Gabe Ocampo came away with more success in the pole vault competition, while another Eagle men’s standout prevailed in the long jump event. 

Ratliffe - the reigning NCHSAA 3A state champion in the 50 meter indoor sprint - won the men’s 100 meter dash, besting a field of 16 competitors with a time of 10.63 seconds. Ratliffe also placed second in the men’s 200 meter dash final, recording a time of 22.95 seconds. 

Ratliffe’s stellar sub-11 second time in the 100 meter dash final earned him one of two maxpreps.com “Elite Performances” from the meet. The other was Person County’s Trevquan Gary’s winning discus toss of 158 feet, 8 inches. 

Ratliffe also helped the Eagles win the Central Conference title in the men’s 4x100 meter relay competition, as the Eagles bested their league-wide rivals with the top time of 44.12 seconds. 

Junior Trynton Wiley came away from the conference meet as the Central Conference champion in the long jump, outlasting a field of 13 competitors with a distance of 21 feet, 6 inches. 

Parker won the Central Conference title in the women’s 800 meter run (2 minutes, 29.25 seconds) and the 1,600 meter run (5 minutes, 26.71 seconds), to highlight the performances by the Eastern Alamance women’s team at the league meet. 

Ocampo won the league championship in the men’s pole vault, tying with Person County’s Aedan Sampey with a clearance of 12 feet. Ocampo will be looking to qualify for the NCHSAA 3A State Championships for the second straight spring at the upcoming Mideast Regionals. EAHS freshman teammate Braxton Palmer placed third in the pole vault (10 feet, 6 inches), while sophomore Zephaniah Gattis tied for fourth place (9 feet). 

Junior Tajon Roberson finished in second place in the men’s 110 meter hurdle final at the conference meet, recording a time of 16.17 seconds. Roberson also finished fourth in the long jump (20 feet, 2.5 inches), while sophomore teammate Camden Forbes placed fifth (20 feet, 1 inch). Forbes also placed sixth in the long jump final (39 feet, 3 inches). 

Junior Jalen Alston brought the Eagles another top three finish in the men’s 800 meter dash final, as he placed third with a time of 2 minutes, 7.54 seconds. Senior Cedric Morgan added a fifth place finish in the men’s 400 meter dash (53.41 seconds), while junior Michael Reaves placed sixth (54.96 seconds). 

In addition to his conference championship victory in the men’s long jump, Wiley placed fourth in the men’s triple jump (40 feet, 6 inches), while freshman Douglas Kittrels placed fifth (40 feet, 3 inches). Junior Ziere Ray added another top five for the Eagles with a fifth place result in the men’s discus toss (106 feet), while also placing fourth in the shot put (38 feet, 8 inches).

Multiple Eastern Alamance women’s team members placed in the top five in various events at the Central meet, including freshman Ceaven Rone, who placed third in the long jump final (14 feet, 7.5 inches) and fourth in the 100 meter dash final (13.40 seconds). Sophomore TaNasia Ross earned a fourth place finish in the women’s high jump (4 feet), while junior Damani Williams earned a fifth place finish in the 100 meter hurdles final (19.58 seconds). Junior Makayla Thompson placed third for the Eagles in the women’s discus final (85 feet, 6 inches), as well as fifth in the women’s shot put (29 feet, 3 inches). 

Junior Braylon McCollum placed seventh in both of the men’s hurdle competitions, recording a time of 19.08 seconds in the 110 meter hurdles, and 46.46 seconds in the 300 meter hurdles. Freshman Gevaun McCalop placed ninth in the 110 meter hurdles (20.68 seconds) and 16th in the 300 meter hurdles (54.09 seconds), while freshman Trevon Wilkerson placed 10th in the 300 meter hurdles (47.37 seconds). 

In other results for the EAHS men’s team at the Central Conference meet, junior D.J. Crawford placed seventh in the discus (100 feet, 8 inches), and 16th in the shot put (28 feet, 9 inches), junior Matthew Monroe placed ninth in the men’s 100 meter dash final (11.74) and 11th in the 200 meter dash final (24.40 seconds), while junior Ziere Ray placed 11th in the men’s 100 meter dash (11.75 seconds). Junior Amarija Bynum placed 10th in the 800 meter run (2 minutes, 26.55 seconds), while sophomore Allan Smith placed 12th in the 400 meter dash final (57.32 seconds). 

Senior Benny Salvatore placed 12th in the men’s 3,200 meter run (12 minutes, 31.32 seconds) and 13th in the men’s 1,600 meter run (5 minutes, 15.39 seconds). Freshman Jonah Enoch placed 17th in the 800 meter run (2 minutes, 44.67 seconds), while fellow ninth grader Logan Grimshaw placed 18th in the 1,600 meter run (5 minutes, 41.39 seconds). 

The Eagles placed second, behind Williams, in the 4 x 200 meter relay final (1 minute, 33.27 seconds), and third in the 4 x 400 meter relay final (3 minutes, 38.60 seconds) behind Northwood and Williams. The Eagles recorded a fourth place time (9 minutes, 43.25 seconds) in the 4 x 800 meter relay final. 

In the women’s competitions, freshman Anaya Corbett cracked the top ten of the 200 meter dash final, finishing in eighth place with a time of 29.06 seconds. Sophomore teammate TaNasia Ross finished 10th (29.76 seconds), while freshman Etta Krans placed 13th (30.16 seconds). Ross also placed 14th in the women’s 100 meter dash final (14.34 seconds). Corbett also placed 12th in the women’s long jump final (11 feet, 3.5 inches). 

Damani Williams finished seventh in the 300 meter hurdles final (55.75 seconds), while sophomore Mykeka King finished eighth in the 100 meter hurdles final (20.75 seconds) and ninth in the 300 meter hurdles final (56.32 seconds).

In the women’s 400 meter dash competition, sophomore Jania Williams placed ninth (1 minute, 12.14 seconds), junior McKay Flemming placed 11th (1 minute, 14.44 seconds), and freshman Rayna Silberman placed 12th (1 minute, 15.68 seconds). Silberman also placed 15th in the 800 meter run (3 minutes, 8.68 seconds), while Flemming placed 18th (3 minutes, 20.75 seconds). Williams added a 13th place finish in the long jump final (6 feet). Freshmen Etta Krans and Elizabeth Thomas each competed in the women’s pole vault, finishing tied for sixth place (6 feet). 

Junior Tocarra Davis and sophomore Jayci White each competed in the women’s shot put and discus toss events. Davis finished 13th in the discus (59 feet, 8 inches) and 18th in the shot put (22 feet, 9 inches), while White placed 16th in the discus (54 feet, 5 inches), and 19th in the shot put (22 feet, 8.5 inches). 

In the women’s relay events at the league meet, the Eagles placed third in the 4 x 100 meter relay (53.69 seconds), third in the 4 x 200 meter relay (1 minute, 56.49 seconds), fourth in the 4 x 400 meter relay (5 minutes, 5.95 seconds), and fourth in the 4 x 800 meter relay (12 minutes, 45.61 seconds). 

The Eagles now look ahead to the NCHSAA 3A Mideast Regionals, which will take place Saturday, May 12 in Franklinton.