Memphis' Carlton Orange and Terrell Jackson have too much swag for one school

Carlton Orange and Terrell Jackson finished not only 1-2 in the 800m at the Allstate Sugar Bowl Track & Field Classic (LA), but recorded the U.S. No. 1 and U.S. No. 2 times of 1:50.94 and 1:51.1 just one day after leading Memphis (TN) to the U.S. No. 1 time of 7:45.21 in the 4x800-meter relay. (Photo by Angelle Albright)

Carlton Orange and Terrell Jackson lined up for the 800 meter run at the Allstate Sugar Bowl Track & Field Classic last Saturday in the historic Tad Gormley Stadium in New Orleans, Louisiana. The City Park venue hosted the 1992 Olympic Trials. In Orange and Jackson, it may have hosted two future Olympic stars.

The crowd had watched the Memphis University High School teammates anchor the Owls' 4x800-meter relay to a U.S. No. 1 time of 7:45.21 just the night before. No other school has broken 7:50 this outdoor season.

Jackson took the pace out fast in the open 800, blitzing through 200 meters in about 26 seconds and the quarter in 54 seconds. But at 300 meters to go, Orange made what would be the definitive move.

The senior took the lead and held it. The duo slingshotted off the final curve and onto the homestretch as the clock read 1:40. Orange crossed the line first, setting a new U.S. No. 1 time in 1:50.94, with Jackson just a step behind in a new U.S. No. 2 mark of 1:51.1. Watch the Race Video Here!

"In one respect, I'm surprised every time I watch them run," said Memphis head coach Bobby Alston, "because it's hard for me to imagine I get to be around two high school kids who are that good. Whichever one of them wins, it's going to be a race down to the wire."

Alston is no stranger to success - the head coach of 32 years worked with 2014 No. 1 prep decathlete Harrison Williams, who now competes for Stanford University. But the middle-distance tandem of Orange and Jackson is something unique.

"When you have two guys who really excel in the 800 at the same time - and we actually have a third guy [ Clayton Turner, 1:54 PR] who is almost as good as them - that's just unbelievable to me," said Alston. "I just try to keep them well and get them to the meet on time."

Jackson, a junior, made headlines over the indoor track season when he was crowned "Kick of the Week" after he not only walked down the competition in the 4x400-meter relay at the Arkansas High School Invitational, but literally turned his head and said something to the athlete as he passed.

The move went viral on social media and though it later became clear that Jackson himself is not immune to a late kick, he said that he enjoyed the attention and it did not change how he performs.

"It was funny because everyone at school knew [about the video]," he said. "People on my club knew, everywhere I went, people were like, 'oh, you're Terrell Jackson, you're crazy.' I don't even think I'm good, to be honest. I want to be the best and if I'm not the best, then I'm not good."

That mindset could be tough when you share a track with the defending TSSAA State Champion in the 800m. Just two days after the Sugar Bowl race, the duo went to work with a speed session of 10x200m at 27 seconds with two minutes rest.

Carlton Orange hands the baton off to Terrell Jackson in the 4x400m relay to close out the Sugar Bowl with another victory, this time recording U.S. No. 12 3:16.72 for the second-fastest time in both meet and Tennessee history. Orange was voted the Most Valuable Player of the meet.

"We don't go out there and compete hard every single one," Orange said. "Sometimes we'll take turns, he'll go out there and lead one and I'll do the next one and the last one, we'll race. It's real chill, a lot of jokes and laughing."

The duo does not regularly practice together. Both compete for the same club team, the Memphis Mustangs TC, during the summer and indoor track seasons, but Orange trains with the middle-distance group while Jackson trains with the sprint group. During the outdoor season, they usually get workouts in maybe once or twice a week around a hectic meet schedule.

"Carlton is a little stronger, maybe a step faster," Alston said. "Terrell is just so competitive. I don't know that you could teach someone to run as effortlessly as Terrell. Both have such a great competitive desire and then what I love most about them mostly is that they're not afraid of the moment."

Both athletes run cross country, though this past fall was Jackson's first after spending the past two years on the football team. Orange is more distance based, as his father - also named Carlton - was a two miler and helps coach the Mustangs along with head coach Hurukti Maat.

While Jackson made headlines indoors in the half mile, Orange was focusing on improving his quarter mile speed. Jackson finished the season ranked U.S. No. 2 in the 800 with his 1:50.63 and Orange was ranked U.S. No. 16 in the 400m with his personal record 48.41.

Terrell Jackson led the Boys Championship 800m at the 2015 New Balance Nationals Indoor for awhile but ultimately placed eighth, just outside of All-American honors, in 1:52.63. He finished the season ranked U.S. No. 2 with his personal record of 1:50.63 from the Vanderbilt Invitational.

"I'm not gonna lie, it was actually kinda hard," Orange said of watching his teammate make his name in the 800. "I was like, 'man, I wish I could go out there and run [the 800] and he's a great runner and getting a lot of pub, I'm working hard and not getting anything,' but I knew inside, I knew my time to shine was coming."

The University of Arkansas signee will compete in the Mt. Sac Relays Invitational 800m in two weeks, where he will go after his first sub-1:50 clocking. Last year, he won the prestigious Arcadia Invitational in California and ran his first-ever 1:50 at USATF Junior Nationals, where he finished seventh in the finals against top college freshmen and high schoolers.

Carlton Orange won the Arcadia Invitational 800m last year. He will return to California in two weeks for the Mt. Sac Relays Invitational 800m.

If Orange can go sub-1:50, then Jackson is likely not far behind. One time goal that seems destined to go down soon is the Tennessee State Record of 7:44.74 in the 4x800m. Alston hopes to raise money to take the squad (Orange, Jackson, Turner and senior distance runner Pierce Rose) to compete at the Penn Relays Carnival.

"We've never really raced the 4x800 with competition," said Orange. "Saturday was our first meet and we ran good and it was pretty easy. I think with competition, our splits will go down by 3-4 seconds."

With competition, the quartet could truly fly. The nation-leading 7:45.21 came with Jackson splitting a 1:54 from the second lane as he lapped other runners. Watch the Race Video Here!

Another long-term goal for the crew? The National Record of 7:28.75 set by Long Beach Poly in 2011.

"That would be damage," Orange said.

Carlton Orange and Terrell Jackson would like to give a shout-out to the @CNTARN TC.