PARTY AT THE PODIUM! SCOTLANDVILLE SWEEPS THE 2024 LHSAA STATE OUTDOOR MEET
Last year, the Scotlandville girls shared the podium with Zachary at the end of the LHSAA State Outdoor Track & Field Championships. This year, they shared it with the Scotlandville boys' team as the Hornets made it a clean sweep.
Not only did the Hornets have a monopoly on the team hardware. Two of the program's best took home the MVP trophy. Sade Gray was the Meet MVP girls division while Broderick Davis was the Meet MVP in the boys division.
In the girls' division Scotlandville scored 83 points, 32 points more than runner-up Barbe (51). Lafayette, the Region 1-5 Meet champions, were third with 41 points.
Scotlandville's boys' team scored 76 points, 23 points more than Catholic. Jesuit was third with 48 points.
Gray ran a 23.57 in the 200m breaking the state meet composite record held by Hannah Jackson (23.73) in 2015. This came after Gray successfully defended her LHSAA State 100m championship with a time of 11.54.
Gray also ran legs on Scotlandville's winning 4x100 (46.22) and 4x400 (3:45.52), the latter relay broke the class and composite meet record held by Baton Rouge Magnet (3:47.38) since 2002.
"It felt good," Gray said of her 200m performance. "I've been going for this record since my sophomore year. I've trained and trusted the training. I've put my faith in God and my coaches. I had a point to prove. It's my last high school meet and I wanted to leave something here."
If Gray had not won the MVP Award, it would have gone to her teammate--Makeriah Harris, who joined Gray on both of Scotlandville's winning relays as well as winning the 100m hurdles (13.78) and the 300m hurdles (42.97).
"It means a lot knowing we worked hard all season to do it again and come together again as a team and get this title," Harris said. "We just wanted to come in and get the points on the board. Just do it as a team, lift everybody up."
In a "real recognizing real" moment during the meet. The voice of Louisiana track and field--Mike Boyer, who celebrated 50 years of calling the LHSAA State Outdoor Track & Field Championships, listed off Harris' state championships.
Before any spectator entered the stadium on Saturday, Boyer was working on the list and checking with long-time, Baton Rouge Advocate sports writer Robin Fambrough, who wrote an article about Harris' career earlier this week.
MileSplit LA asked Harris what it was like to hear all of her accomplishments.
"It felt great knowing that all of my hard work paid off," Harris said. "Hearing it piled up collectively all in one...it was amazing."
RACE VIDEO: SADE GRAY'S 23.57 STATE COMPOSITE RECORD IN THE 200m
Davis was behind in the long jump competition and didn't even realize it until a couple of hours after the competition. Ruston's Aidan Anding had moved into first place with a jump of 23-8. But Davis took the runway and got the clap started. The Bernie Moore Stadium crowd obliged Davis and helped give him a little adrenaline boost down the runway before he leaped 24-8.75.
"Honestly, I didn't know Aidan had passed me on that jump," Davis said. "I found out in the parking lot an hour ago. I mess with Aidan a lot. His older brother, Josh--he was one of us last year. I wish we would've had him too. It is what it is. My PR is something I've been hoping for awhile--since New Balance last year. I came out here last Sunday and really worked on all of my technique."
It worked. Not only was it a personal record for Davis, it was the longest jump in Louisiana this year and ranks No. 10 in the nation.
But Davis wasn't done. He returned in the 110m hurdles where he ran 13.78, narrowly missing the Class 5A state meet record of 13.76 set by Kashie Crockett in 2021.
Davis finished his night with a fourth place finish in the 200m (21.59).