La. Juniors Impress in 800m at RunningLane!

Three Louisiana juniors turned in impressive performances in the 800m at the RunningLane Track Championships in Huntsville, AL last weekend.

Jesuit's Brandt Blanchard led Louisiana with a 1:53.94, only .20 off his personal record at the Region 3-5A Meet.

"I was just hoping to PR in a field that fast," Blanchard said. "I ended up hanging too far in the back and had too much ground to gain."

Blanchard finished No. 15 at RTC. Right behind Blanchard was Leesville's Keeton Johnson. Johnson ran a personal record 1:54.31-over 1.5 seconds faster than his previous personal best at the Region 1-4A Meet. 

"Before the race started, I just wanted to go out fast and make it difficult on others," Johnson said. "It didn't play out the way I expected. It's a small PR, but it's still a PR so I'm satisfied."

Johnson will now turn his attention to the AAU Region 11 Qualifier in Hammond next month. 

While he did not have a personal record, Calvary's Jackson Burney turned in an impressive performance of 1:55.30. 

Blanchard, Johnson, and Burney finished in the top five in Louisiana, the No.1 800m in Louisiana--St. Augustine's Kyzer Dunbar, is also a junior. Dunbar had a season best of 1:52.95 at the Region 3-5A Meet before going on to win his first state championship at the 2024 LHSAA Class 5A State Outdoor Championships.