OCS' AIDEN McCRARY (No. 2 IN CLASS A)COMPETES IN JAVELIN AT THE D & H RELAYS AT ULM!
Four years ago, then Ouachita Christian junior high track coach Steven Fitzhugh loaded ten boys and ten girls on a bus and took them to Baton Rouge for the 2018 LHSAA Class A State Track and Field Championships. He wanted them to see what they were working towards as they entered high school at OCS.
Fitzhugh, who is the varsity OCS head track coach now, will be taking many of those same young men and women to Baton Rouge one last time this Friday as the Eagles head back to Bernie Moore Stadium, attempting to--once again--sweep the Class A boys and girls titles after accomplishing the feat in 2021.
The Secret for Ouachita Christian?
"We have some great kids," Fitzhugh said. "Some coaches have problems with their athletes missing practice. I have to tell mine to stay away from the track on Saturdays. The compete on Friday and they are ready to get back after it. I need for them to let their body recover."
Of course it doesn't hurt that the OCS Track program has some of the best talent in Louisiana.
OCS Boys who are at the top of the Class A state rankings include James Miller (shot put), Avery Pilgreen (discus), Chad Strickland (pole vault), and Garrett Simmons (800).
On the girls' side, the Eagles are led by Jayden Ellerman, who leads the state in both the 200m (26.32) and 400m (1:00.36). Junior Riley Hall is also at the top of the Class rankings in the 3200m (12:32.82).
Ouachita Christian boys and girls have two relays each at the top of the ranking. The boys 4x400 (3:31.49) and 4x800 (8:29.51) are both ranked No. 1 in Class A. The Lady Eagles have the fastest time in both the 4x200 (1:47.89) and 4x400 (4:18.17).
Every year, the OCS Track and Field program selects a Bible verse as their theme for the year. This year, the verse was Hebrews 12:1
"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles."
While there will be many witnesses on Friday, Fitzhugh isn't worried about his veteran squad at Bernie Moore Stadium.
"We tell them to go out and compete," Fitzhugh said. "We have been with them at all of the other meets. This one is different. They are going to have to do it on their own. We tell them to go out and compete. Run fast, throw and jump far, but have fun. Seize the day."
There are two Eagles that come to mind when Fitzhugh thinks about Hebrews 12:1 and the Eagles who embody everything OCS looks for in a model student-athlete.
For the Lady Eagles, it's Jayden Ellerman, who won the 100 (12.49) and 400 (58.85) helping the Lady Eagles score 80 points last year at the 2021 LHSAA Class A State Meet.
"She has a smile on her face every single day," Fitzhugh said. "She is an encourager, and will even compliment her opponents."
For the boys' team, it's distance runner Jay Parker.
"I've been here 28 years," Fitzhugh said. "I've coached football and track and field. I cannot think of another athlete who I can definitively say has worked harder than Jay Parker has. He was average in middle school, but has worked his his way into becoming the school record holder in both the mile and two mile. He is a solid Christian young man who is so disciplined in the way he goes about his business."
Parker was part of an OCS boys' team which scored 124 points. When Fitzhugh returned to Monroe, began doing a little research and found out that the point total was the highest score in LHSAA Class A history.
LARGEST POINT TOTALS BY 1A BOYS TEAMS AT STATE OUTDOOR MEET
| BOYS 1A TEAM | NUMBER OF PTS | YEAR |
| OUACHITA CHRISTIAN | 124 | 2022 |
| SOUTHERN LAB | 110 | 2008 |
| WHITE CASTLE | 106 | 1998 |
| OUACHITA CHRISTIAN | 103 | 2012 |
| SOUTHERN LAB | 102 | 2004 |
It wasn't the first time OCS had swept both divisions. They did the same in 2012, under the direction of Coach Daniel Bristo.
Fitzhugh credits Bristo with coming up with the blueprint for the Eagles' success in track and field. When Bristo left the program after the 2018 season, it was a natural fit for Fitzhugh to move into the position.
There has been one drawback to the Eagle's recent track and field success. Administration is having a hard time finding substitute teachers to cover classes for this coming Friday's state meet.
"Our faculty is great," Fitzhugh said. "They follow track and field just like any sport, especially when our kids are competing for a state championship."
The OCS faculty will be there, as will Fitzhugh and that group of junior high kids, but they will not be in stands. They will be on the track at Bernie Moore Stadium, attempting to complete a back-to-back sweep of the boys' and girls' LHSAA Class A State Championship.