Boys track shines at state meet

Photo submitted

Mayson Letcher and Jerone Morton were KHSAA state champs in the Unified Division of the state track meet in 2×50 meter relay.

GRC’s boys track team made a terrific showing at the KHSAA Class 3A Track & Field State Championship with multiple broken school records and state placements. The boys advanced to state after finishing runner-up in the region.

Top placers were Jerone Morton, 4th in the 400-meter dash, and Liam Parido, 7th in the 800-meter run.

The GRC boys also made their mark in the Unified categories, with Jerone Morton and Mayson Letcher winning the state championship in the 2×50-meter relay. Their time of 13.10 was nearly a second and a half faster than the second place finisher.

On the girls side, Bailey Howard placed 3rd in state in pole vault, setting a new school record of 11 feet.

“I am impressed at how the school records were broken and then reset all season long, said Coach Dodd Dixon. “Liam Parido reset the 800m record at State, as did Joey Hill in the Long jump and Jerone Morton in the 400m. We are so proud of Bailey. To be third at state and only a freshman is huge.”

Just how many school records were broken won’t be known until Dixon has a chance to go through the tedious process of checking times.

“We have set so many school records this year I need to use the few weeks before Cross Country to update our record book,” said Dixon, the longtime GRC track and cross country coach.

Based on the state meet performances, Bailey Howard (pole vault) and Jerone Morton (400m dash) were designated Second Team All-State by the Kentucky Track and Cross Country Coaches Association.

GRC placements in the state meet are as follows:

BOYS

400-Meter Dash: Jerone Morton, 4th, 50.14

800-Meter Run: Liam Parido, 7th, 1:59.22

110-Meter Hurdles: Corbin Ison, 21st, 16.13

300-Meter Hurdles: Corbin Ison, 19th, 42.59

4×400-Meter Relay: GRC, 16th, 3:33.77

High Jump: Tyleik Maxwell, 16th, 6-00.00

Long Jump: Joey Hill, 7th, 21-10.50; Tyleik Maxwell, 8th, 21-08.75

Triple Jump: Tyleik Maxwell, 13th, 41-00.25; Joey Hill, 20th, 39-10.25

GIRLS (qualifiers)

Pole Vault: Bailey Howard, 3rd, 11-00.00

4×100-Meter Relay: GRC, 22nd

UNIFIED

2×50-Meter Relay: Mayson Letcher and Jerone Morton, STATE CHAMPIONS; Harley Kathlina and Jackson Rogers, 10th; Jaylob Clifford and Aidan Larkin, 11th

2×200 Meter Relay: Mayson Letcher and Kareem Guerrant, 3rd

Long Jump: Mayson Letcher and Kareem Guerrant, 2nd; Michele Smith and Landon Parido, 11th

4×100 Meter Shuttle Hurdle: Jackson Rogers, Harley Kathlina, Landon Parido and Mayson Letcher, 4th

Corbin Ison in the 300-meter hurdle event.
Kareem Guerrant, Harley Kathlina and Jerone Morton at the state meet.