With some help from their football sprinters, the Phantoms of Phoebus High overcame a hard charging Blacksburg team to win the 3A track championship with 85 points. The meet took place during the first weekend and following Wednesday of June at Harrisonburg High.
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| JoMari Becnel, who rushed for over 1,200 yards last fall as the Conference 27 Player of the Year, recently helped the Phantoms win the 3A state track title, with points in the 100, 200, long jump and 4x100 relay |
Originally, the meet was terminated with three running events remaining due to lightning over the field on Saturday. However, after VHSL became aware of the backlash being spread throughout social media because of the cancellation, and failure to crown state champions, the decision to reconvene was made, and the meet was resumed, and completed, on the following Wednesday.
The battle between the top two schools was razor-thin close, and before the meet’s final event, the 4x400 relay, Blacksburg held a half point advantage over Phoebus at 75.5-75. With the balance of the meet on the line, the Phantoms won the 4x400, as Maurice Brown, Daquan Lewis, Douglas Sessoms and Jaelen Williams won in 3:22.00, to earn 10 points, and seal the championship. Blacksburg placed fifth in the relay to earn four points and ended the competition in second with 79.5.
JoMari Becnel, star running back for Phoebus, expressed a sense of relief that the championship was able to continue.
“When I was told that the meet was cancelled, I was in shock. It felt unreal because I had never participated in a meet where it had been cancelled in the middle of events. And, because it was a state meet, it was a very big deal track meet,” said Becnel, who placed fifth in the 100-meter dash (11.19) and 200 (22.38). He also ran the leadoff leg for the Phantoms’ third place 4x100 meter squad (43.15), and placed sixth in the long jump (20-08).
“As a team we all felt sad and upset that there was no declared state winners being that we were leading in points as the meet got cancelled. Coming back to school that Monday, there was gossip going around that there was an article saying that the state meet would be resumed. I was happy and excited,” added Becnel.
Other Phoebus contributors from the gridiron included Daquan Lewis (first in 4x400 relay and third in 4x100, fourth in long jump), Jaelen Williams (won 300-meter hurdles in 37.60, triple jump in 45-3.75, second in long jump, Justin Wright (fifth in 110-meter hurdles), and Douglas Sessoms (4x400, anchor for 4x100 relay).
“It feels great to finish as a state champion as a senior,” said Becnel.
BOYD, BEATTY WIN 4A THROWS
Denbigh’s Gabriel Boyd won the 4A discus throw, as his toss of 163-08 topped his personal best by over two feet, and outdistanced Lafayette’s Tyler Jump (156-08) and Courtland’s Matthew McDougal (152-06).
Boyd, a Patriot running back and outside linebacker for Coach Marcellus Harris III, was the top seed coming into the competition and the six-foot, 205 lb. thrower did not disappoint. Boyd also placed seventh in the shot-put (48-07) to account for all 12 of Denbigh’s points.
Meanwhile, Ben Beatty of Courtland destroyed the field of 13 throwers to win the shot put by almost nine feet. Beatty, a 6-2, 240 lb. lineman for Coach J.D. Hall’s football team in the fall, scored with a throw of 61-01 that was just short of his 62-09 best, but well ahead of Caleb Bishop’s (Pulaski County) runner-up effort of 52-04.5.
Courtland placed seventh in the 4A team standings with 27 points.
A TALE OF TWO RELAYS
Appomattox (2A) and Franklin (1A) both won the 4x100 relay, largely in part to runners who spent last fall as part of their school’s respective backfields.
For Appomattox County, winning a state title is nothing new. The Raider football team went 15-0 last fall and destroyed Clarke County 42-6 to take the 2A state championship.
Three members of that team – Phillip Fleshman, Trey Walker and Delonta Kelso, were juniors who played running back. In the spring, they combined with opening relay leg Shurka Henderson to win the 4x100 meter relay in 43.36, .57 seconds ahead of Dan River. As a team, the Raiders scored 37 points and took home the state runner-up trophy, as Richmond powerhouse Maggie Walker Governor’s School won with 84.
Franklin’s winning time of 43.33 was almost identical to Appomattox County. Bronco running back Javonte Baker led off the quartet, while fellow backfield member Quayshawn Jefferson anchored the team down the final straightaway. Jefferson also placed second in the 400 meters (51.18).
As a team, Franklin placed eighth, scoring 26 points.
MIDDLESEX’S JOHNSON WINS 1A LONG JUMP
Sean Johnson, who played wide receiver and strong safety for Middlesex last fall, won the 1A long jump with a leap of 22 feet.
The 6’2”, 165 lb. Johnson also placed third in the 110-meter high hurdles (15.73), and high jump (6-3) to score 22 points for the Middlesex, who finished fourth with 45.75 points. During the fall, Johnson caught five passes for 128 yards for the Chargers, who finished the season with a 7-4 record.
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