Coleman, McKenzie qualify for 4A state championship meet

SOUTHERN PINES — A host of Richmond Senior High School student-athletes competed in the NCHSAA 4A Mideast regional track and field meet Saturday, with two Raiders qualifying for the state championship.

Held at Pinecrest High School, male and female competitors from 26 schools tried to keep their season alive.

Able to do that for Richmond were junior hurdler Aaron Coleman and senior jumper Tyrene McKenzie. Both Raiders were state qualifiers last year.

Only the top four finishers in each event qualified for the state championship competition.

McKenzie qualified in two events — the high jump and triple jump — and Coleman podiumed in the 110-meter hurdles.

Battling a nagging hamstring injury, Coleman didn’t stop that from letting him head to states for the third consecutive season.

After running a season-best time of 14.61 seconds in the preliminary heat, Coleman overcame the pain and posted a time of 14.95 seconds in the finals.

That placed him third overall behind James Coleman (Chapel Hill, 14.00) and Desmond Smith (Hillside, 14.30).

McKenzie, who was just a high jump qualifier last season, added the triple jump to his state championship resume.

The high jump didn’t have a preliminary round, making each attempt for McKenzie imperative to his overall finish.

Starting with the bar at 5 feet, 10 inches, McKenzie advanced and ultimately cleared the bar at 6 feet, 2 inches. Two inches short of his personal record, McKenzie placed fourth in the event based on his number of attempts.

In the triple jump, McKenzie was one of nine preliminary round qualifiers to move to the championship round. Bettering his overall finish from the high jump, McKenzie landed at 44 feet, 4 inches in the pit for third in the region.

Hoke County’s William Leak was the regional champion in the high jump (6 feet, 6 inches), which tied the regional record held by Richmond’s Javares Stanback (2022), and the triple jump (47 feet, 2.5 inches).

Other solo competitors for the Raiders were sophomores Jayden Hamilton (high and long jump) and Keonta Pegues (100-meter dash and long jump). Sophomores Tyrese Collins and Amer Morrison joined Hamilton and Pegues in the 4×100 and 4×200-meter relays.

Hamilton made it to the championship round in the long jump and finished ninth in the region with a mark of 20 feet, 3.75 inches. He did not clear the opening height in the long jump.

Pegues placed seventh overall in the long jump with a final distance of 20 feet, 7.75 inches. He also qualified for the championship race in the open 100-meter dash, and placed seventh in that event with a time of 11.10 seconds.

The Raiders’ 4×100 and 4×200-meter relay teams picked up a pair of seventh-place times. They were 43.10 seconds and 1:29.66, respectively.

The Lady Raider track and field team had five solo competitors in action Saturday — senior Shadea Harrison (discus), junior Anayjah Dumas (100-meter hurdles) and sophomores Jasiah Gilchrist (100-meter dash), Ella Parker (shot put) and Ka’mora Watkins (high jump).

Richmond’s girls team also ran in the 4×100-meter relay race. Unfortunately, none of the Lady Raiders qualified for the state championship meet.

In preliminary heats, Parker was 13th (28 feet, 8.50 inches), Dumas was also 13th (18.01 seconds) and Gilchrist placed 16th in the open 100 (13.62 seconds). Neither Harrison or Watkins qualified during prelims.

Running the 4×100-meter relay race for the Lady Raiders were Gilchrist, Watkins and juniors Amariah Gibson and Tenziah McNeil.

Those four runners passed the baton around the track in 50.36 seconds, good enough for an eighth-place finish in the region.

The Richmond Observer will publish a photo gallery of Saturday’s regional meet soon.