The track season is nearly complete and area teams learned who they will be sending to the state championships this weekend at Pearl after competing in their respective North Half championships meets on Saturday.

For Oxford and Lafayette it is about trying to find their footing in a new classification and for Water Valley it is about growing a program in Class 3A.

With the move to Class 6A Oxford did not host their North Half meet, instead having to travel to Madison where Madison Central was the host this year.

The Chargers got a good idea of who will be their competition in this Friday’s 6A state meet and if they can try for a third straight sweep their first year in the top classification.

The defending 6A champions in Clinton came away with a sweep of their own in Saturday’s meet. The boys team won with 142.5 points, Oxford finished second with 127.5 and as the only other team to score more than 99 points. The Clinton girls won with 176 points and the Lady Chargers finished fourth with 72.5

The top four finishers in each event qualify for this weekend’s state championships. Oxford had 19 athletes and relay teams advance with seven from the girls’ team and 12 from the boys.

The Lady Chargers had one first-place finish coming from Ashley Epps who won the 300 meter hurdles with a time of 45.53 seconds. Emily Hayward also qualified in the event with a second place finish and a season’s best time of 47.57. Epps also qualified in the 100 meter hurdles with a third place finish.

The 4×800 meter relay team of Ally Shinall, Katelyn Rock, McCall Mullins and Alaina Addy placed second with a time of 10 minutes, 32.07 seconds.

Rock also qualified in the 800 meter run with a fourth place finish.

Kayla Johnson placed fourth in the high jump with an attempt of four feet-10 inches to move on to Friday’s state meet. In the pole vault Elizabeth Duperier placed third with a vault of eight feet-six inches.

The boys’ team took home two first-place finishes, both coming in relay events.

The 4×100 meter team of Jaquanzi Johnson, Byron Pearson, Ladarrius Giles and Damarea Burt won with a time of 43.36 seconds. Pearson, Giles, Tyrese Ivy and Jaquon Webb won the 4×200 meter relay with a time of one minute, 27.15 seconds. Oxford also took second place in the 4×400 meter relay (3:27.48).

Ivy placed runner-up in the 400 meter dash with a time of 51.64 seconds and third in the 200 meter dash (22.02). He also placed third in the long jump with an attempt of 21 feet, 11.25 inches.

In the distance running Walt Johnson placed second in the 3200 meter run with a time of 10 minutes, 27.52 seconds for a season’s best time. John Owen Yoste placed fourth in the 1600 meter run (4:45.39, season’s best).

Clay Cromwell placed second in the 300 meter hurdles with a season’s best time of 40.75 seconds.

In the 100 meter dash Webb placed third with a time of 10.81 seconds for a season’s best.

In field events Quentin Wilfawn placed second in the discus throw (132-7) and third in shot put (45-10.5).

Lafayette
The Commodores competed in their first ever Class 5A North Half meet held at Center Hill High School on Saturday.

Lafayette had 14 athletes and relay teams qualify and advance to this Saturday’s Class 5A state meet.

The girls’ team had eight qualifiers and three first-place finishes.

Mia Dawson swept the long-distance events with wins in the 3200 (12:51.10) and 1600 meter (5:50.10) runs.

Mariah Holland won the shot put event with a throw of 33 feet, seven inches.

Xhiir Burgess qualified in the 400 meter dash with second place finish (1:00.81) and in the triple jump with a runner-up finish after an attempt of 35-3.

Breena Davis finished fourth in the 800 meter run (2:38.22). Anna Lafferty placed third in the pole vault (8-0).

The 4×800 meter relay team of Davis, Julianna Mikell, Ella Shelton and Gracie Guest placed fourth (11:19.36).

The boys team had two first place finishes among their six qualifiers for state.

Michael Mathis won the 110 meter hurdles (15.81, season’s best) and the 300 meter hurdles (42.16, season’s best).

Brandon Turnage placed third in the 400 meter dash (51.56) and Tobias Brown finished fourth in the 110 meter hurdles (16.72, season’s best).

Cole Fortner finished runner-up in the pole vault with an attempt of 10-6.

The 4×200 meter relay team of Brown, Xzavious Stokes, DeDe Miller and Jagger Stovall placed third (1:31.45).

Water Valley
The Blue Devils also competed at Center Hill in the Class 3A North Half meet and had five athletes qualify in eight events for Saturday’s state meet.

Lillian Lindsay once again fared well in the long-distances events with season’s best runs in the 1600 meter (6:15.90) and 3200 meter (13:13.59). Lindsay won the 3200 and placed second in the 1600. She also finished second in the 800 meter run with a season’s best time of 2:48.06.

Beyonce Shaw placed fourth in the long jump with a season’s best attempt of 14-3.25.

On the boys’ side Water Valley had three athletes qualify for state.

Coulter Clement finished third in both the 1600 meter (5:10.61) and the 3200 meter (11:30.48). In the 110 meter hurdles Devontrae Bailey took second with a time of 15.79 for a season’s best.

Marley Cook had a season’s best attempt in the shot put of 43-2.25 for a runner-up finish.

The MHSAA State Championship meets will take place all day on Friday and Saturday at the Woody Barnett Track & Field Complex on the campus of Pearl High School.