Two Destrehan freshmen led the Wildcats to a sweep of the District 7-5A Meet last week. Today, Marley Richard and Phillip Wright III will turn their attention to the Region 3-5A Meet today at Thibodaux High School.
Richard scored 38 points for the Wildcats at district. She won the 100m (12.17), 200m (25.73), long jump (18-0), and finished second in the triple jump with personal record of 37-9.
"I was just thinking about my training," Richard said about her district meet. "I thought about my events and just tried to execute my technique to make every event the best it could possibly be."
"She did a phenomenal job," Destrehan Coach Lynette Mathews said. "She has been jumping since she was seven or eight years old so you know what she can do there, but the job she did on the track in the 100 and 200 was mind blowing. She just seems to get faster and faster every time she runs."
Mathews says that Richard's impact on the program extends beyond her performances at meets.
"She is a freshmen," Mathews said, "but you wouldn't know it by watching her at practice. She has a great work ethic, and does everything we ask of her. She is a leader."
Leading is a job Richard takes seriously. At the district meet she found herself giving sophomore teammate Ivie Mashia a pep talk before her 400 meter race. Whatever it was, it must have worked as Mashia ran a personal record (1:01.74) and a podium third-place finish in the event.
Mathews, who has coached track and field at Destrehan for the last 12 years was asked if Richard is the most talented freshmen she has coached.
"The last freshmen I had who was this good was Marley's sister, Jala Richard," Mathews said. "They are just a little family of athletes."
Jala, who graduated from Destrehan in 2018, is a senior for the ULM Lady Warhawks.
Wright, a former MileSplit LA Performer of the Week, was equally impressive at the district meet. Wright won all three individual events. It started with 100m and personal record 10.77. Wright followed that up with at 50.24 win in the 400 meters, before finishing his day with a 22.32 in the 200 meters.
His 100 meter time is ranked No. 2 in Louisiana by all freshmen, but there are some doubts about the legitimacy of the No. 1 ranking. In the nation, Wright's 10.77 ranks him tied for No. 14.