CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The Ritchie County boys and Williamstown girls have jumped into the lead after Day 1 of the Class A state track championships at University of Charleston Stadium.
On the boys side, Gus Morrison won a pair of events in the opening session. The senior set a new state record in the long jump. His leap of 22 feet, 6 1/2 inches was nearly two feet better than his closest competitor. In the final event of the evening, Morrison won the 400 meter run in a time of 51.06 seconds.
The Rebels won another field event, courtesy of Kodi Camp. The junior pole vaulter cleared the bar at 12 feet, 6 inches. Ritchie leads the way with 31 points through the first five events.
Their border rivals from Doddridge County are not far behind in second. Adam Burnside finished fourth in the discus. The Bulldogs also finished second, third and fourth in the pole vault, accounting for 18 of their 26 points. Kaden Smith, John Devinney and Seth Richards collected the points for Doddridge.
Elsewhere on the boys side, Rowen Gerlach of Wahama had the best throw in the discus. His winning toss covered 144 feet, 5 inches.
And in the 3200 meter run, Wheeling Central Catholic’s Aidan Scott took the two-mile title in a time of 10 minutes, 5.8 seconds.
For the ladies, Williamstown has quickly taken control. The Yellowjackets won three of the four completed events. Freshman Alyssa Sauro won the 3200 meter run in a time of 10 minutes, 40.47 seconds. Shelby Smith won the 400 meter run in a time of 57.1 seconds. Also, freshman Kyndra Johnson won the shot put.
One girls state record fell on the opening day. Ritchie County senior Olivia Cress cleared the bar at 5 feet, 6 inches to set a new state standard.