As Saturday's LSU High School Qualifier approached last week, I, like many track and field coaches and athletes, monitored the forecast to see if travel to Louisiana's Week No. 3 meet would be possible.
Bossier and then Caddo Parish school systems chose the wise decision to shut down all travel in Northwest La. beginning with the end of the school day on Friday.
For most indoor meets, MileSplit Louisiana likes to have at least five people covering a meet. Two taking pictures-one in the field and one assigned to the track. Two working video, and one getting interviews.
Saturday, we had two-Mandi Monistere and Tayler Holler, who is our lead photographer. Because we were shorthanded, I asked Holler to keep her camera at home and help Monistere with the video. She obliged.
Both did a wonderful job and I'm blessed to have two hard-working ladies helping to bring the track and field community meet coverage-even when yours truly is not able to make it.
So, I wanted to start this week's column as a shout out to them and thank them for their wonderful coverage-which I was able to enjoy from my laptop in Shreveport. I worked the social media side of things until Mother Nature knocked the power out forcing me to scramble around to keep my home inhabitable.
That's a story in and of itself, but that's enough about me and our contributor team. Let's talk about the outstanding performances inside of the Carl Maddox Fieldhouse last Saturday.
First, the record breakers!
Rummel's Micah Green continues to demonstrate that he is in a class all by himself when it comes to the fastest high school sprinters in Louisiana.
It doesn't hurt Green that the second-fastest sprinter in the state is lining up in the blocks every day at practice. Of course, I'm talking about Rummel junior Jaden Terrance, who has finished second to Green in both meets and is the only other sprinter in the state to break 7.0 in the 60m.
Every week, Rummel's dynamic duo continues to drop. Green ran a personal record 6.82 on Saturday, breaking the old meet record of 6.85 set by Captain Shreve's Marquez Stevenson in 2023. Terrance, who also ran a personal record of 6.90, wasn't far behind.
Green ranks No. 29 in the nation in the 60m, and Terrance ranks No. 15 among all juniors in the United States.
The track wasn't the only place records were being set. The girls' high jump apron saw two jumpers break the old meet record of 5-7 set by Parkview Baptist's Ariel Pedigo in 2021. Delcambre's Emma Smith, a junior, and St. Joseph's Kennedy Papillion both jumped 5-8. Smith won on fewer misses.
Smith, who is ranked No.1 in Louisiana, cleared 5-8 on her first attempt. Papillon cleared the bar on her third and final attempt.
It marked two consecutive weeks that Smith has cleared 5-8. This Saturday, she will be looking to break the meet record at the same height when she competes at the McNeese Indoor No. 2.
Let's stay in the field events and head over to the boys' long jump runway where Lake Charles College Prep's William Plaster continues to soar to new heights after he came out of nowhere during the championship season of the 2025 outdoor campaign.
Plaster finished as the LHSAA Class 3A runner-up outdoors as a sophomore, but he has continued to grind and it is showing off as he has improved by over a foot after opening his junior year with a win at the McNeese Indoor No. 1.
Plaster leaped out to 22-7.5 on Saturday morning. That mark is currently No. 21 in the nation for juniors. It also ranks No. 8 all-time in Louisiana history for junior boys.
The shot put has been fun to follow this season. Alexandria's super sophomore Carter Rivet continues to shine. Rivet, who owns Louisiana's No. 1 ranking with a throw of 59-8.25, picked up his third win in as many weeks on Saturday with a throw of 57-2-which was two feet better than the next closest competitor.
On the girls' side, Zachary's Kai Richard has gone from being ranked No. 13 in the state a year ago to being ranked No. 6 all-time with her best marks this season.
Richard had a season best and a personal record on Saturday of 43-6.5. That is a five-foot improvement from her outdoor personal record of 38-7 she threw at the District 4-5A Meet in 2025.
On the track, Mandeville's Brayden Berglund dropped some jaws in the 800m. His time of 1:55.96 ranks No. 8 all time.
While Berglund may not be in a class all by himself-yet- it certainly doesn't take long to call the roll of the nine half milers in Louisiana history who have ever run under 1:56 indoors.
Two of the nine half milers in that category have the same last name-Decuir. Catholic junior William Decuir ran a 1:54.39 last year on the banked track at the New Balance Indoor Nationals in Boston, Massachusetts.
That performance in No. 3 on Louisiana's all-time indoor 800m list. Decuir's older brother, Winston, ran a 1:55.97 at the 2023 LHSAA State Indoor Meet.
William Decuir won the 1600m with an indoor personal record 4:22.82 on Saturday. He was pushed by Berglund (4:23.04).
Other athletes picking up impressive wins were Kaleb Bigwood (49.52) in the 400m, Ja'ir Burks (8.05) in the 60m hurdles, and Catholic's Augustin Juneau (9:29.05) in the 3200m.
It made two straight wins for Bigwood, who ran a state-leading 49.23 at McNeese the week before. For Junea, it was not as fast as his season opener at the LSU High School Classic (9:25) when he was chasing Jesuit's David Quintana, but it was his first win of the season.
Burks looked to be in mid-season form as the defending LHSAA Class 5A state outdoor champion opened his junior year with a time that ranks No. 15 in the nation for junior boys.
Woodlawn-Baton Rouge's Jaleyia Woods continued her pursuit of greatness on Saturday as she lowered her season best and state-leading time of 56.51.
Distance runners Grace Keene from Northshore and Parkview Baptist's Lucy Cramer followed suit. Keene, making her debut on the track after winning the LHSAA DI State Cross Country Championship in November, won the 1600m with a time of 5:05. Only three sophomore girls in Louisiana history have run faster.
No. 1 on the all-time Louisiana sophomore girls list is Lucy Cramer, who ran a 4:57 at last year's LSU Last Chance Qualifier. Saturday, Cramer won the 3200m with a time of 11:09.
Liberty Magnet's Destiny Harrison (7.79) picked up her first win of the season. Among those who Harrison defeated in the finals is Walker's Nyla Riggins (7.84), who finished third. Warren Easton junior Dai'jah Robertson (7.82) was second.
Riggins is currently No. 1 in Louisiana with her season best of 7.72 at the LSU HS Classic.
Zachary's Serenity Early continued to separate herself from the field of Louisiana high school hurdlers. The sophomore ran personal record 8.80. In Louisiana history, only LSU's Makeriah Harris (8.60) and Southern's Demetria Harris (8.78) have ever run faster as sophomores.
Early is currently tied for No. 9 in the US in the 60m hurdles among all hurdlers in the Class of 2028.
After being in the house since Friday evening, I'm looking forward to getting out and heading to Lake Charles, La. for the McNeese St. Indoor No. 2. Hard to believe there are only 24 days until the 2026 LHSAA State Indoor Championships. Times flies when you are having fun.