CHARLESTON — Friday’s opening day of the WVSSAC Track and Field State Championships produced strong performances across the boys divisions as Wahama, Doddridge County, Keyser and Morgantown emerged as early leaders in the team standings at Laidley Field.
Wahama moved atop the Class A standings behind a strong all-around performance that included field event points and relay success, while Doddridge County led Class AA entering Saturday’s running finals. Keyser paced the Class AAA race and Morgantown held the advantage in Class AAAA.
Distance races and field events highlighted Friday’s finals.
In Class A, Charleston Catholic’s Cole Boggs captured the 3,200-meter state championship after entering the meet with the top seed time. Teammate Will Barton also scored valuable points for the Irish, while St. Marys distance runners Bryce Bills and Parker Barnes kept the Blue Devils in contention.
Wahama continued building points behind standout sprinter and relay contributor Reezin Stitt, who advanced in both the 100 and 200-meter preliminaries. East Hardy’s Evan Hamilton also qualified among the leaders in the sprint events after entering with the top seed in the 100.
Class AA featured one of the tightest team races of the day as Doddridge County and Williamstown traded points throughout the afternoon and evening.
Williamstown’s Vincent Zegrea helped the Yellowjackets secure a gold medal in the boys 4×800-meter relay, while Doddridge County countered with strong distance and sprint performances. The relay battle also featured a moment of sportsmanship as Zegrea embraced Doddridge County’s Colton Kay following the race.
Doddridge County’s Tommy Walters-Hickman remained positioned for a multi-medal weekend after entering Saturday as one of the top seeds in the 100, 200 and 400-meter races. Teammate Jerod Trent also qualified near the top of the 200 and 400 fields.
Tyler Consolidated distance standout Amos Kimble continued to headline the Class AA distance races after entering the meet with the top seed in both the 1,600 and 3,200-meter runs.
In Class AAA, Keyser used a balanced effort to grab the team lead heading into Saturday. Luca Altobello positioned himself for multiple medals after qualifying among the leaders in both the 800 and 1,600-meter races while also competing in the 3,200.
Princeton’s Braiden Vodrus earned a field-event medal in the long jump Friday and also remained in contention in the sprint events, while Bridgeport’s Gavin Williams qualified in both the 100 and 200-meter preliminaries.
Class AAA distance runners also delivered several standout performances Friday night, including Herbert Hoover’s Dylan Straight, Fairmont Senior’s Landon Jones and Elkins’ Trevor George.
Morgantown led the Class AAAA standings after a strong opening day powered by its distance runners and field-event scorers.
The Mohigans were led by Joaquin Summers and Timothy Samuel in the middle-distance events, while Allison Hawkins paced the girls standings for Morgantown on the girls side. Morgantown also received key points from its pole vault and distance contingents.
Huntington’s hurdle duo of Mason Little and Carter Geveke advanced among the favorites in the 110 hurdles preliminaries, while Jefferson’s Tony Allen and Morgantown’s Benjamin Fink highlighted the sprint events.
Saturday’s action gets underway at 9:30 a.m. at Laidley Field.