MRH Track Targeting Another State Title

head track coach Brandon Gregory is hopeful that if his team stays injury-free, they can win the Class 2 state championship for the third consecutive year.

Gregory graduated only two seniors after last season, and the core of his team has experience in the state meet from both their sophomore and junior years.

He said the kids love being champions, so track has become the most popular spring sport at MRH. Gregory said these numbers will help at the state championship meet in May.

“With the amount of kids we got out, it helps relieve the amount of stuff they have to do. So instead of doing four events, they might only have to do two.”

The Blue Devils broke four relay records at the 2010 state meet, including the 4x100 meters, the 4x200 and the 4x400. The Blue Devils received points in the jumping and throwing events, too.

Gregory said most of the state points came from “football guys,” which included Bobby Norful, Nick Coulter, Marcus Taylor, Eric Liska, Randell Stokes and Marcus Daily.

MRH saw its first competition at the MRH Varsity Invitational on Tuesday (April 5). It’s a meet that originally started with six schools, and now includes a very competitive 14 teams, said Gregory. He said MRH is usually the smallest school in size, but still finds a way to compete effectively.

“It’s a pretty big deal. It’s not like football where you play every Friday,” he said. “It’s a chance for the school to come out and really see how well these guys run and jump.”

The MRH boys on Tuesday came out winners in the 4x100, with Norful, Antonio King, Cortez Cooper and Taylor. Taylor also won the 400 in 48.8 seconds, eclipsing the school record.

Cooper won the long jump with a 19-foot, 10-inch jump and Nick Coulter won the high jump, going 5-8.

For the girls, senior Brandi Allen took first in the shot put with a toss of 34-10 1/2 and Britney Bell took second place. Freshman Essence Brewer, meanwhile, finished first in the 200-meter race with a new school-record time of 26.6 seconds.

“Overall, I was proud of my kids stepping up to the challenge,” Gregory said. He added that he was especially proud of Liska’s leadership and willingness to step up and sacrifice for his team. Liska ran in the 4x200 and the 4x400, filling in for an injured MRH athlete.

“Some improvement is needed by the team as a whole,” Gregory said. “Some relay spots will change and some guys will do another open event. We don’t have to be fast now, just in May (for the state championship).”

“We have high expectations for the team; we won state last two years in a row,” senior Calvin Belts said. “Got a target on our back, and we plan on having the same outcome. We’re doing the same things to prepare.

“Coach is preparing us well. All we have to do is go out there and perform. Not really doing much different as far as preparing, mainly just using our talent. Just go out there and do what we can.”