The Charleston High School Lady Tigers punctuated the 2023 campaign with a resounding exclamation point by turning in a dominating performance at the Class 2A State Track and Field Championships Saturday (May 6) in Pearl.
The state title was the third captured by CHS girls in the program’s modern era. The Lady Tigers also won Mississippi High School Activities Association track and field state championships in 2012 and 2013 while competing in Class 3A.
Charleston came ever so close to winning it all in 2022, finishing a close yet heartbreaking second at state — 5 points behind champion Puckett High School.
There would be no such nail-biting ending at state for the Lady Tigers in 2023, as they compiled 118 total team points to surge and finish 52 points ahead of defending champion and now runner-up Puckett, which managed 66 points.
CHS girls track coach Jeff Hollingsworth, who has coached the sport at CHS for 15 years, said the 2022 loss was an important catalyst for his student-athletes this season.
“I think they were on a mission from the get-go,” he noted. “For us to come up 5 points short was heartbreaking because we were so close. The belief that they could win showed last year when they were state runner-up, and they used that as motivation for this year. Every meet they performed in, they got better as the year went on.”
Strategy also played a role in the success.
This season, the Lady Tigers added more girls to their ranks and began competing in, and excelling at, several additional events for which they did not have the bodies in 2022 — including shot put and discus throw, to name a couple.
“We had more girls to participate this year and more girls qualified to advance, which gave us more points at each meet,” Hollingsworth added. “Those first- through fourth-place finishes are what I call high-quality points, and those add up real quick. From division on, none of the meets were close.”
Charleston’s ladies won the Division 3-2A meet by a margin of 171 points over runner-up North Side High. At 2A North State, they ran circles around second-place finisher Leflore County, topping them by 84.5 points.
East Tallahatchie School District Athletic Director and CHS boys track team coach LaDon Taylor, whose daughter Janiya ran on the girls third-place 4x800 relay team at state, said the Lady Tigers mostly exceeded the performances they were expected to turn in. “That shows the competitive nature and competitive heart in those young ladies,” Taylor added.
Hollingsworth agreed, saying his girls “all performed better than what they were supposed to. A lot of our times were better. I think a lot of them set personal records. They saved the best for last.”
— * —
The Charleston girls medaled in nine individual events and two relays.
Junior Amia Wright was the day’s big winner, as the only CHS athlete capturing a total of four medals: two individual golds for winning the 100-meter dash (12.56) and 200-meter dash (25.59), one gold as anchor for the first-place winning 4x100 meter relay team and a silver in the triple jump (34-10.00).
“That’s exactly what she did last year, so Amia is back-to-back state champion in the 100, 200 and 4x100,” noted Hollingsworth. “That’s never happened before for us. She contributed 38 points.”
Among other medalists for the Lady Tigers:
» Sophomore Kamoria Gary won gold with a first-place finish in the 100-meter hurdles (17.57).
» Junior Tamoria Shannon captured a gold medal by winning the 300-meter hurdles (48.60), a feat Hollings-worth said has never been achieved by the CHS girls.
» The 4x100 relay team comprised of sophomore Alena Collins, sophomore Tykeria Davis, junior Diekyra Bradford and Amia Wright won first-place gold (49.96). Charleston’s girls also won this race last year.
» The 4x200 relay team of Alena Collins, Tykeria Davis, Diekyra Bradford and junior Tamoria Shannon finished in first place (1:48.36).
» Alena Collins took second place in the 100-meter dash (12.86) and third in the 200-meter dash (26.13).
» Eighth-grader Keasia Goliday was the second-place finisher in the 400-meter dash (1:03.34).
“If Keasia had run last year, we would have won the state championship and now we would be back-to-back champs, but she was in the seventh grade so we couldn’t move her up,” explained Hollingsworth.
» Junior Shaniya Moore placed third in the discus throw (87-02).
» In the 4x800 meter relay, Jada Leavy, Tamoria Shannon, Keasia Goliday and junior Janiya Taylor captured third place (11:27.59).
Hollingsworth said his team would have added 10 more points to their final score had they not been disqualified in the 4x400 meter relay due to an early break on the second leg.
“They were supposed to come in fourth, but they ended up coming in first, so they would have won that race,” Hollingsworth said it for the relay team of freshman Jada Leavy, Keasia Goliday, Tamoria Shannon and sophomore Alysun McIntyre.
“I hate it for those girls, because they worked really hard to get that,” he said. “They went out there and left it all on the track.”
— * —
The Lady Tigers competed but did not place in the following events:
» Tamoria Shannon, fourth place in the 100-meter hurdles (17.98)
» Diekyra Bradford, fifth place in the 300-meter hurdles (53.93)
» Sophomore Lordrianna Thomas, fifth place in the pole vault (6-06)
» Sophomore Taneriea Brooks, sixth place in the shot put (29-09.50)
— * —
Charleston ladies will lose only one senior member to graduation. Everyone else will be returning, which should bode well for CHS next year.
“It should, as long as they stay healthy, stay motivated and get their grades and everything right,” said Hollingsworth. “Our goal is to repeat.”
He thanked parents and fans who traveled with the team all season.
“From practice meets to state, they were there,” Hollingsworth noted. “I think that’s real big for the girls, because it motivates them.”
He also expressed special appreciation to girls assistant coach Mandy Moore.
— * —
THE CHS BOYS, who, like the girls, had been division and 2A North State champs coming in, posted a good showing, placing fifth among the 30 track teams participating in the meet.
It was the second straight year that the CHS guys finished fifth at state.
With 85 points, Velma Jackson won on the men’s side and Amite was second with 64, followed by North Side with 63, Heidelberg with 61 and Charleston with 53.
“I’m extremely proud of the effort,” said coach Taylor. “That was good for our boys to compete like that. They represented Charleston well.”
Taylor said the Tigers did not have enough athletes to mount a championship run.
“That’s something that we will work toward next year, to make sure we have the numbers and more boys that we can get qualified to take to state,” he added.
The Charleston guys medaled in three individual and three relay events.
Taylor lauded the performance of senior Terrence Marco, who captured two medals at state.
For a second straight year, Marco is state champion in the boys triple jump (45-07.50), where Taylor said he broke his own record.
Marco also placed third in the high jump (6-00).
Among other medalists for the Tigers:
» Sophomore Kyntorris Williams placed third in the 400-meter dash (52.45).
» Terrence Marco, Kyntorris Williams, senior Quinterrius Goliday and junior Dre Riley placed third in the 4x400 relay (3:35.90).
» Sophomore Brandon Henderson, Kashwaun Drain, Kyntorris Williams and sophomore Lamarion Brown placed third in both the 4x100 (44.06) and 4x200 (1:31.93) relay events.
— * —
The Tigers competed but did not place in the following events at state:
» Junior Cameron Anderson, fourth place in the discus throw (113-04)
» Brandon Henderson, sixth place in the 200-meter dash (23.89)
» Freshman Jaden Williams, sixth place in the pole vault (8-06)
» Sophomore Timothy Kirk, seventh place in the pole vault (8-06)
Taylor lauded coach Kameron Myers for his efforts this season.
Complete stats from the 2A meet are available here.
Mississippi High School Activities Association coverage is here.
