Berwick High is Division II boys state indoor track and field runner-up

The Berwick High School boys’ track and field team made history Saturday as the squad took home the school’s first-ever hardware at a state track and field meet.
The Panthers placed second in Division II (Classes 3A and below) at the Allstate Sugar Bowl/Louisiana High School Athletic Association Indoor Track and Field State Meet at LSU’s Carl Maddox Fieldhouse in Baton Rouge.
Berwick finished with 50 points, trailing only Class 2A powerhouse Episcopal, who won the event with 86 points.
“The kids were excited, they worked hard,” Berwick High Coach Paul Gilder said. "It’s early. I don’t get crazy about indoor. I like outdoor better and a lot of people do, but it’s a good start for us.”
Saturday’s finish bested the Panthers’ 2017 showing at the indoor meet, where the squad finished third before duplicating the effort at the outdoor meet.
The Panthers’ effort was led by senior standout Kenan Jones, who won the long jump, high jump and triple jump. Jones had a leap of 22 feet, 4 inches to win the long jump, while he won the high jump with a leap of 6 feet, 5 inches. He took the triple jump title with a leap of 46 feet, 3 inches.
With Saturday’s titles, Jones now has won seven overall (five indoor and two outdoor) in his high school career.
“It’s just a blessing,” he said of the feat. “Many people don’t get to do it one time, and the fact that I’ve got to do it seven times is a total blessing.”
Berwick’s Josh Carver made it a one-two sweep in the high jump as he also finished second with a leap of 6 feet, 5 inches.
“I felt like I could have done better once I got to (attempt) 6-7, because I feel like whenever I went up twice, my heels kind of clipped it (the bar), and if I would have used my technique more, I could have got over it,” he said.
Overall, though, he said it was a good meet for him.
He said he was happy to be a part of the team’s success, too.
“It was a wonderful feeling knowing that it was the first time ever done in Berwick history,” Carver said.
Berwick also reached the podium in the 4x200-meter relay as the team finished third with a time of 1:33.66. The team consisted of Alvin Jones, Barrett Hover, Kenan Jones and Josh Jones.
Berwick’s 4x400-meter relay finished fourth with a time of 3:41.87, while its 4x800-meter relay was fifth with a time of 9:08.66. The 4x400-meter relay consisted of Alvin Jones, Hector Plata, Hover and Josh Jones, while the 4x800-meter relay team was Plata, Kyle Valdez, Darby Frickey and Ian Valdez.
Central Catholic
Central Catholic had just two competitors at the state meet, but each placed in the top five in their events, including one state runner-up finish.
Central Catholic’s Sydney Williams finished runner-up in the girls’ shot put with a toss of 33 feet, 8.5 inches. Her district foe, Brie Porter of Lafayette Christian Academy, won the event with a toss of 36 feet.
Williams, like Porter, who also competes in basketball, said she didn’t have the throw she wanted at state but was still proud of her effort, while balancing basketball, too.
“I’m just going to get ready for the outdoor season,” she said.
Central Catholic Coach David Fuhrer said he thought if she could have thrown her best, Williams may have won the event.
Central Catholic finished 18th with eight points in girls’ scoring.
On the boys’ side, Central Catholic’s Tyler O’Con finished fifth in the 60-meter hurdles with a time of 9.27 seconds.
“He really had his best two races of the year at the state meet (in prelims and finals), and he’s working hard at it,” Fuhrer said.
Central Catholic finished tied for 25th with two points in boys scoring.
Patterson
The Lumberjacks and Lumberjills had a contingent of athletes who qualified to compete at the state meet.
Patterson’s effort was led by a fifth-place finish by Alero Hartman, who finished fifth in the girls shot put with a toss of 31 feet, 4.75 inches.
“I think she’s going to have a podium finish this year, and that’s what we’re looking forward to, along with making a lot of noise in the district as a whole this season,” Patterson Girls Track and Field Coach Travis Darnell said.
Patterson’s Bryanna Butler also competed on the girls’ side as she finished 11th in the high jump witha leap of 4 feet, 6 inches and 14th in the triple jump with a 27-foot, 3.25-inch effort.
Darnell said when he broke down how his competitors finished against just 3A competition, they were in the top three of each event they participated.
“So coming into this season, I think we’re going to make a lot of progress, and we’re going to make some noise in district this season,’ he said. “I’m proud of both the boys and girls for what they were able to accomplish because this is the first time in a long time we’ve a complete indoor season.”
The Lumberjills finished tied for 29th in team scoring with two points.
On the boys’ side, Patterson was led by Irvin Celestine’s seventh-place finish in the high jump with a leap of 5 feet, 8 inches. Celestine also finished 11th in the triple jump with a leap of 38 feet, 8.5 inches.
The Lumberjacks also had a trio of 10th-place finishes in individual events in Dannon Hue in the long jump with a 19-foot, 5.25-inch effort, Zachary Burke in the shot put with a toss of 37 feet, 11.25 inches and Hayden Pinho with a leap of 39 feet, 2.5 inches in the triple jump. Pinho also finished 12th in the long jump with a 19-foot, 4-inch effort.
In the relays, Patterson finished 11th in the 4x200-meter relay with a time of 1:39.40. The team consisted of Dontre’ Nicholas, Avante Robertson, Allen Langston and Telvae Phillips.
Patterson Boys Track and Field Coach Shannon Craig said his team had 13 competitors and had four or five more that just missed qualifying for the state championships. He said it was “phenomenal” to have 13 compete after having an indoor track and field season for the first time in years.
“I wasn’t satisified with Saturday,” Craig said. “I was happy we were there, but I felt we could have did better.”
Craig said he was hoping the squad can build on the indoor success into the outdoor season and bring a large contingent to the state outdoor meet this year.