The DeSoto County Track and Field Championship was split into two days, Tuesday, March 22nd and Thursday, March 24th at the Center Hill track.
In the weeks before, the student athletes on the Center Hill track and field team had been tirelessly training for 5 days a week. While his team was learning to compete with one successful home meet under their belt and friendly competition in practice, Coach JJ Downs was starting to observe racers and pick out the best times and hardest working athletes.
The point system in the DeSoto County Championship is based on the performance of a school’s team in relays. Relays are when members of a team take turns running parts of a circuit, usually while holding a baton.
Such relays that were held during the Championship include the 4×800 (four athletes taking turns running two laps each), the 4×200 (four athletes taking turns running 200 meters on the track each), the Distance Medley Relay (a 1200 meter leg, a 400 meter leg, an 800 meter leg, and a 1600 meter leg.), and many more.
While all the teams that came out and competed spectacularly, the spotlight was on the female athletes of Center Hill High School.
The girls definitely reaped the fruits of their arduous labor with winning times such as 11:38 for the 4×800, 15:22 for the DMR, 1:16.78 for the Shuttle Hurdle Relay, and 4:34 for the 4×400.
The Lady Mustangs won the county championships with a total score of 63 points.
Other teams’ scores were as follows: 47 points for Southaven, 43 for Hernando, 31 for Olive Branch, 20 for Desoto Central, 13 for Lewisburg, 6 for Horn Lake, and 2 for Lake Cormorant.
Even though the boys of the Center Hill track and field team competed fiercely, they came up short with 45 points. Hernando was named county champions for the boys with a score of 57.
Other scores were Olive Branch with 51 points, Southaven with 40 points, Desoto Central with 23 points, Horn Lake with 23 points, Lewisburg with 11 points, and Lake Cormorant with 1 point.
No matter how many points they had or what place they came in, every team that came out had an exceptional time, being able to breed excellence through competition while they did the very thing they loved.
Center Hill hosts two more track meets, on April 2nd and April 9th. Make sure you come out to support them as they make their way to their sixth straight district title!
