Michael Young - Sports Editor

Jerrell Priester, at right, with Allendale-Fairfax High, speeds up during the 100-meter dash. Priester took the bronze with time of 11:19.

Michael Young - Sports Editor

Allendale-Fairfax sprinter Bashaud Breeland, center, is flanked at left by Terrence Jeter of Great Falls High SChool and James Flowers of Hemingway High School. Breeland outran them in the 400-meter relay.

Michael Young - Sports Editor

Tierra Richberg with Williston-Elko High lands in the sand pit during the triple jump at the May 16 state finals at Lower Richland High School.

Michael Young - Sports Editor

Chandra Priester with Allendale-Fairfax High readies herself for the shot put.

Michael Young - Sports Editor

Latifiah Johnson won silver in the 800-meter run.

Michael Young - Sports Editor

Landrum High's Sierra Wedde, left, and Allendale-Fairfax High's Denasia Aldrich, right, pace one another during the 800-meter relay. Allendale-Fairfax took the silver in the event.

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Area athletes looked to get the jump on the competition Saturday afternoon for the gold in the state track and field championships.

Joining the day of champions were athletes from Allendale-Fairfax High, Blackville-Hilda High and Williston-Elko High.

Lately for the Allendale-Fairfax High boys, winning state titles in track and field has become a common thing.

The last two years, the Allendale-Fairfax High boys have been the cream of the crop at the finals, winning state crowns in 2007 and 2008.

That trend continued Saturday afternoon at Lower Richland High Stadium with the Allendale-Fairfax High boys capturing their third straight championship.

However, unlike the past two years, this year, the Allendale-Fairfax boys didn't celebrate alone.

For the Lady Tigers, the top prize didn't come easy. On a hot and humid day where thunderstorms hovered in the background, the Lady Tigers battled back and forth and trailed the first place team, Landrum High School going into the last event.

However, the Lady Tigers showed its resiliency as a team down the stretch with a second place finish in the 1,600-meter relay in a time of 4:12.71. The finishing time enabled the Lady Tigers to leapfrog ahead of Landrum High for first place with 91 points. Landrum High finished runners-up with 88 points.

Since taking over the Allendale-Fairfax High program in 2005, Wayne Farmer has been arguably the best track and field instructor in the state during the four-year stretch. Farmer has elevated the Tiger program toward the top in the state class 1A.

Farmer said the Wednesday prior the meet he felt his team had a good chance to win.

"We have a good group of athletes on the girls and boys team. We performed really well at Lower State and if we continue at that pace, we had a good shot of winning another title,"said Farmer.

The A-F boys place first with 84 points followed by runners-up, St. Johns High School of Charleston with 68 points.

One of the Tiger's top performers on the day was junior Bashuad Breeland. Breeland won three gold medals and a bronze.

Breeland ran the anchor leg for the 100-meter relay team that took first place with a time of 43.74. Others on the team included Jerrell Priester, Emmanuel Ochotukpo and Sam Inman.

After winning the relay, a smiling Breeland said he had a lot to prove after falling in the 110 hurdles last season.

"I definitely didn't want to trip and fall again," said Breeland, who was a little winded after the race said. "This was a tough race. I just ran as hard as I could and leaned in at the finishing line."

Others individual highlights for the A-F boys include Priester finishing third in the 100-meter dash in a time of 11.19. Ochotukpo placed seventh with a time of 13.14. Freshman Ronald Geohaghan placed fifth in the triple jump and and sixth in the long jump.

Geohaghan is rated as the top long jump freshman in the state said he can't wait to get another shot next season.

"I was a little off on my steps today. I didn't hit the board like I should have. The good thing is I'm only in the ninth grade, so I have chance to improve next year," Geohaghan said.

Raheen Frederick took the silver in the long jump with a distance of 43-feet, 3.5 inches. In the 400-meter hurdles, Bobby Elmore got the bronze with a time of 57.16. In the 400-meter run, Frederick placed fourth while Inman took eighth. Mole placed sixth in the discus.
Allendale-Fairfax also placed first in the 1,600-meter and 3,200-meter relays. The team members are Frederick, Inman, Elmore, Breeland and Cordaira Calhoun.

For the girls, Shaquivia Springer turned in impressive performances, taking home the gold in both the high jump with a height of 5-foot, 2-inches and triple jump with a distance of 35-foot, 5-inches.

Others top performers include Anissa Taylor, Dena Aldrich, Latifiah Johnson, Chandra Priester and Charlene Ochotukpo. Taylor, who is in the ninth grade, took the bronze in the 100-meter and 200-meter runs. Johnson, who emerging as one of the best long distance runners in her division won the silver in the 800 and bronze in the 1,600. Deana Aldrich also ran well. The eighth grade sensation just missed a medal in the 400-meters, finishing fourth. Priester got fourth place in the shot put.

Ochotukpo placed eighth in the long jump. Iesha Aiken finished seventh in the 800-meter run and Christine Johnson took seventh in the 1,600-meter event.

The 400-relay team of Taylor, Ochotukpo, Aldrich and Maci Patterson finished with the silver. The 1,600-relay team of Patterson Aldrich, Aiken and Kishawn finished second. The 3,200-relay team of Latifiah Johnson, Aldrich, Aiken and Christine Johnson also finished second.
For Williston-Elko High, Tierra Richberg and Jalen Reed competed in the triple jump. Reed took first place with a distance of 32-feet, 6.5-inches. Richburg took seventh with a jump of 30-feet, 7-inches.

"I thought I did okay today", Reed said. "I thought this was a great experience and since I'm only a freshmanm I'm looking forward to another try next year."

For Blackville-Hilda High School, the boys 3,200-relay team of Eric Collins, Dillon Isaac, Javaris Dukes and Marquis Bryant came in seventh with a time of 9:33.18. For the girls, freshman Shamon Harley took a sixth place with a jump of 15-foot, 7-inches.

"I did my best," Harley said. "At this level of competition, you can't afford to make mistakes."