VEDEREK MATTHEWS (MIDDLE) SCORED 18 POINTS IN THE HURDLES TO HELP THE BRONCOS TO A SWEEP!
Zachary boys had eight different athletes to win gold medals at their home meet on Thursday, while the girls team had five as the Broncos swept the Zachary Track Invitational.
The boys were led by Vederek Matthews and Damien Sprouse, who scored 18 points each in their individual events.
Matthews won the 300m hurdles (38.19) and finished second in the 110m hurdles (14.87). Sprouse won the 1600m (4:44) and finished second in the 3200m (10:28).
The Broncos scored 177 points to hold a strong Catholic team, which finished second with 162 points.
"Early in the year, you are just trying to find the right combinations leading up to the district meet, which I think is one of the most competitive districts in the state," Zachary head coach Chris Carrier said.
It seems as though Carrier has cracked the code, or if not, was able to get one step closer on Thursday.
Other winners for Zachary included Tyler Jackson (11.27) in the 100m, Roy Vance (49.52) in the 400m, Noah McKneely (2:03.32) in the 800m, Logan McCarthy (12-6) in the pole vault, Isaiah Stokes (21-7) in the long jump, and Dillon Durand (39-5) in the triple jump.
In the relays, the Broncos 4x100m relay team of Caleb Hilton, Kevin StCry, Jaylen Rogers, and Jackson won the event with a time of 42.16. The time currently ranks No. 7 in Louisiana.
Speaking of rankings, Matthews time on Thursday is No. 2 in the state. Rummel's Caleb Curry ran a 38.18 at Hahnville's Don Raymond Relays to nab the No. 1 spot.
In the girls' division, Zachary was equally impressive. The Broncos scored 172 points, 31 points than runner-up East Ascension, who was led by Kiristen Mcgirt's impressive, first-place performances in both the shot put (40-9) and discus (113-5).
Broncos coming away with first-place performances included Auna Cook (27.49) in the 200m, Korria Gordon (2:29) in the 800m, Rylee Deignan (5:55) in the 1600m, Keari Stewart (5-2) in the high jump, and Karsyn Rish (6-6) in the pole vault.
"We are just trying to stay healthy coming out of indoor season," Carrier said. "I tell our team we are putting the pieces of the puzzle together to be ready for district."
Carrier will get a better of idea of how his teams stack up and continue to work on the puzzle next week when the Broncos travel to compete in the Denham Springs Relays.