Lady Devils win Nooner Relays; boys place third

By Billy Woods

WM School District

The West Memphis Blue Devil track and field teams set the pace in the annual Joe Nooner Blue Devil Relays on Monday at Hamilton-Shultz Field.

The Lady Devils outdistanced 11 other teams for first place and the boys finished third behind Munford, TN and Forrest City.

Tramiral Jackson and Arianna Morris won two events apiece to lead the way for the Lady Devils. Jackson placed first in the 300-meter hurdles with a time of 50.62 and she won the 100-meter hurdles with a time of 16.19.

Morris was first place in the long jump with a measure of 17-feet-1 inch and she won the triple jump at 36-5.50.

Other Lady Devils to place high included Zahara Green, who was fifth in the 100 meters with a time of 13.60. Aniya Price was fourth in the 200 meters with a time of 27.81.

Morris was second in the high jump with a height of 5 feet. Lakaya Whittier was second in the triple jump at 35-11.

In relay races, the Lady Devils were second in the 4x100-meter relay with a time of 52.55 and they placed first in the 4x200-meter relay with a time of 1:49.79. West Memphis was also third in the 4x400-meter relay with a time of 4:52.97.

In the boys division, West Memphis' Amarion Pulliam was second in the 100 meters with a time of 11:34. Jai Harden was third in the 400 meters with a time of 52.87 and he was third in the 800 meters with a time of 2:21.21. Kylan Merritt was fourth in the 800 with a time of 2:22.74.

Freddie Thorne placed second in the 1,600 meters with a time of 4:45.37 and Omarion Shaw was third with a time of 5:10.13.

Thorne was also second in the 3,200 meters with a time of 10:25.52.

Quenton Fowler won the high jump with a height of 6 feet. Pulliam was fifth in the triple jump with a measure of 41-1.50. Scottie Dobbins was fifth in the discus with a throw of 79-1 and Shermar Taylor was fifth in the shot put with a heave of 36-5.

West Memphis was second in the 4x100-meter relay with a time of 44.58 and it won the 4x400-meter relay with a time of 3:41.35.

Blue Devil boys place first at Patriot Relays; Girls are second

By Billy Woods

WM School District

The West Memphis track and field teams fared well at last Thursday's Patriot Relays in Marion.

The Blue Devil boys outlast the entire field for the victory while the Lady Devils finished second. The West Memphis boys compiled 147 points to outdistance second-place Marion, which had 124. Helena-West Helena was third with 108 points.

The Lady Devils scored 112 points, second to first-place Little Rock Central's 148. Marion was third with 79.

In boys results, the Blue Devils went 3 and 4 in the 100-meter dash with Amarion Pulliam placing third with a time of 11.23 and Mardarius Warren was fourth at 11.41.

Warren won the 200 meters with a time of 23.17. Jai Harden was second in the 400 meters with a time of 53.84.

Senior Freddie Thorne was a double winner on Thursday, taking first in the 1,600 meters with a time of 4:46 and he won the 3,200 meters with a time of 10:33.55. Teammate Omarion Shaw was second in both of those races with times of 5:09.16 and 11:32.31 respectively.

In the 110-meter high hurdles, West Memphis' Jarrell Shephard was fourth with a time of 19.81.

The Blue Devils' 4x200-meter relay team was second with a time of 1:35.53 and it was second in the 4x400-meter relay with a time of 3:46.83. West Memphis won the 4x800-meter relay with a time of 9:25.29.

Shephard was second in the high jump with a height of 6-2 while teammate Quenton Fowler was third at 6-2. Shephard was also second in the long jump at 19-7 while teammate Michael Thomas was fourth with a distance of 19-4.

Pulliam won the triple jump with a distance of 41 feet while Shephard was second at 40-8.

In the girls division, West Memphis' Aniya Price was second in the 100 meters with a time of 13.7. In the 200 meters, West Memphis' Nyyonna Richardson was fourth with a time of 28.89.

In the 400 meters, Zahara Green was fourth with a time of 1:07.54. In the 100-meter hurdles, Tramiral Jackson was first place with a time of 15.46 and she was first place in the 300 meter hurdles with a time of 49.93.

In the 4x100-meter relay, West Memphis finished third with a time of 52.42. In the 4x200-meter relay, the Lady Devils won first place with a time of 1:48.61. In the 4x800 the Lady Devils were second with a time of 12:31.88.

Ariana Morris was second in the high jump with a height of 4-10. And Morris placed second in the long jump with a distance of 14-10.

Morris placed first in the triple jump with a distance of 34-10.75 and teammate Lakaya Whittier was second at 34-10.50.

400-meter man Harden signs with Coffeyville Junior College

By Billy Woods

WM School District

West Memphis Blue Devil senior track and field star Jai Harden is moving up the charts as a distance sprinter, and he's banking on his latest decision to get him to a Division 1 college program.

Harden, the Blue Devils' top 400-meter man, signed with Coffeyville (KS) Junior College on Thursday and he hopes the school's track record in sending its athletes up the Division 1 ladder will include himself.

"Every year a few Coffeyville guys get signed by Division 1 schools," said Harden. "I'm hoping I'll be one of those. I'd really like to run track for four years in college."

Harden's personal record in the 400 is 52.96 seconds in West Memphis' first meet this spring at Harding University in Searcy. He said he's hoping to get it down to 50 seconds by the end of the season.

Harden's head coach, Arthur Hargrove, said he thinks in a couple years a sub-50 second time is in the offing.

"I think he can get down to 49 or 48 the first year at Coffeyville," said Hargrove, himself a sprinter in his college days at Arkansas State University. ":He wants to work really hard. We know the coach at Coffeyville (Michael Magruder) and they have produced some kids at the D-1 level. We just want to see him fall into the system correctly. Coffeyville just recently sent one of their athletes to the University of Kansas and the coach just told me he has two more that should go SEC level."

Harden said he'll run mainly the 400 at Coffeyville, but that he might venture into running the 800 meters and some relays.

The speedy Blue Devil said he wants to major in music. He is a member of the AWM marching band, where he plays the flute and the piccolo.

Blue Devil tracksters stand out in state indoor meet

The West Memphis Blue Devil track and field team had five entries to stand out in last week's state indoor meet at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville.

Ariana Morris was crowned the 5A state champ in the long jump and the high jump. Tramirial Jackson was also crowned the 5A state champ in the 60-meter hurdles. Also, Amarion Pulliaum placed third in the triple jump and Jarrell Shephard placed second in the high jump.

Finally, the boys 4x400-meter relay team of Octavian Pryor, Jonathan Thompson, Alex Williams and Jai Harden finished in third place.

The Blue Devils begin their 2022 outdoor season with a meet today at Searcy.

Two Lady Devil track stars sign with Southern Arkansas

By Billy Woods

WM School District

Two West Memphis Blue Devil athletes signed college track and field scholarships with Southern Arkansas University on Wednesday.

Lakaya Whittier and Ariana Morris signed on the dotted line with their families and friends by their side.

Both are standout jumpers for head coach Arthur Hargroves' team. In fact, Whittier follows in the footsteps of her father, Eric, who was a standout athlete in head coach Joe Nooner's track program in the late 1980s and early '90s.

Hargrove said Morris is ranked the No. 3 triple jumper in Arkansas and Whittier is No. 4 according to Milesplit.com.

Both Whittier and Morris compete in the high jump, triple jump and long jump while Morris also runs the 100 and 200 meters.

Morris said she received interest in the University of Alabama-Birmingham. Her personal bests are 36-feet-2 inches in the triple jump, 17-3 in the long jump and 5-2 in the high jump. Her best time in the 100 meters is 12.7.

"I want to be able to compete in all those events in college," said Morris. "I liked Southern because of its nursing program, which is what I want to major in."

Whittier also competes in the 200 and 400 meters, in addition to her jumping events. She said her personal best in the 200 is 26.6 and her best triple jump is over 36 feet.

Whittier said she intends to major in biology and wants to become an anesthesiologist.

Nooner inducted into AHSCA Hall of Fame

By Billy Woods

WM School District

HOT SPRINGS --- Joe Nooner took his place among the coaching greats in Arkansas high school history on Friday night.

Accompanied by his wife, Sharon, along with family and friends, Nooner was inducted into the Arkansas High School Coaches Association Hall of Fame.

The former head track and field coach at West Memphis HIgh School from the 1970s through 2010 as well as a long stint as head coach Grafton Moore's defensive coordinator on some powerful Blue Devil football teams, joined a list of greats that were also inducted.

The event's official program wrote this on his bio:

"Throughout the course of history, many coaches have vaulted to a position near the top to proclaim royalty in the sport of high school track and field. It's an almost impossible task to list, but true historians would list Joe Nooner as No. 1, No. 2 or No. 3. It all depends on the era for the sport, but Nooner's credentials will stand toe-to-toe with all of the past legends. Joe Nooner was not only an outstanding high school coach, but a person who prepared his student-athletes for the days away from the track."

Nooner built a track dynasty at West Memphis as his teams won six boys state championships (1973, 1974, 1983, 1984, 1994 and 1995. His Blue Devils also won 15 of 16 conference championships from 1980-1995.

Among Nooner's contingent at Hot Springs on Friday night included Moore, his famous Blues Brother, and former Blue Devil head football coach Lanny Dauksch.

Moore and Nooner became famous for their impromptu parody of Dan Akroyd and John Belushi's Blues Brothers dance act while the two Blue Devil coaches entertained WMHS students during homecoming pep rallies.

Blue Devil teams qualify several for state track and field meet

By Billy Woods

WM School District

The West Memphis track and field teams on Friday at the 5a-East Conference meet at Jonesboro qualified several entries into the Class 5A state meet.

The Blue Devil boys finished fourth behind first-place Jonesboro, second-place Batesville and third place Nettleton. Other finishers included Marion in fifth, , Paragould sixth, Greene County Tech seventh and Searcy eighth.

The Lady Devils finished second place behind winner Jonesboro. Other girls finishers included Batesville third, Marion fourth, Nettleton fifth, Greene County Tech sixth, Paragould seventh and Searcy eighth.

The top four finishers in each event qualified for the state meet.

The Blue Devil boys qualified Jai Harden in the 400 meters with a fourth-place finish with a time of 54.25.

Junior Freddie Thorne placed fourth in the 3,200 meters with a time of 11:15.22 and he finished fifth in the 1,600 meters with a time of 4:55.31.

In the 4x100-meter relay, the Blue Devils placed fourth with a time of 44.87. They also placed third in the 4x400-meter relay with a time of 3:41.59. In the 4x800-meter relay, the Blue Devils placed fourth with a time of 9:41.85.

The highlight for the West Memphis boys came from Jarrell Shephard, who won the high jump with a leap of 6-2. Shepard also took second place in the long jump with a distance of 20-07 and he was third in the triple jump with a distance of 41-04.50. Teammate Jaylan Carter was fourth in the triple jump with a measure of 40-11.

In the girls division, West Memphis' Arianna Morris was third in the 100 meters with a time of 13.18 and she was fourth in the 200 meters with a time of 28.12.

Morris wasn't through, though.

She placed second in the high jump with a height of 5 feet and she was second in the long jump with a distance of 16-4.50. Teammate Ta'Nya Burnett placed first in the long jump with a distance of 16-9.

Kayla Hudson took fourth place in the 100-meter hurdles with a time of 18.22 and teammate Tramirial Jackson was fourth in the 300-meter hurdles with a time of 52.62.

The Lady Devils qualified for the state in the 4x100-meter relay with a second-place time of 52.68 and they set a new school record in the 4x200-meter relay with a first-place time of 1:52.21. The Lady Devils also qualified in the 4x400-meter relay with a fourth-place time of 4:46.16.

Burnett was a two-time winner, also getting first place in the triple jump with a measure of 36-8.50 and teammate Lakaya Whittier was second place with a measure of 36-1.

A'Shaunna Roberts was second place in the discus with a throw of 18-1 and she was fourth in the shot put with a heave of 31-03. Teammate Joy Nance was second in the shot put with a toss of 33-8.

Lady Devils blow away competition at Helena Relays behind Burnett

By Billy Woods

WM School District

The West Memphis Lady Devils placed first out of seven teams yesterday in the Helena Relays while the Blue Devil boys finished fifth out of nine teams.

Highlights included Lady Devil senior Ta'Nya Burnett extending her state-leading measure in the triple jump as she won the event with a measure of 37-8. Burnett also won the long jump with a distance of 17 feet and the high jump with a leap of 4-10.

Also, Blue Devil junior Freddie Thorne won the 1,600 meters with a time of 5:01.36.

In the boys high jump, Jarrell Shephard was third with a height of 5-8. In the girls discus, Lady Devils A'Shaunna Robertson and Joy Nance placed 1-2 with distances of 105 feet and 92-2.

Also in the girls triple jump, Lady Devil Lakaya Whittier was second with a distance of 35-11 and Arianna Morris was third at 33-9. Morris was also second in the long jump with a measure of 16-7 and in the high jump with a height of 4-8.

Nance was the winner in the shot put with a toss of 33-4 and Robertson was second with a throw of 32-5.

In the boys triple jump, West Memphis' Jaylan Carter and Shephard placed 3-4 with Carter going 40-11 and Shephard going 38-1.

In the girls 100 meter hurdles, West Memphis' Courdasha Davis was third at 19.83 and teammate Kayla Hudson was fourth at 20.42.

Lady Devil Morris won the girls 100 meters with a time of 13.36 while Mardarius Warren was third in the boys 100 meters with a time of 11.76.

The Lady Devils' team of Burnett, Hudson, Tramirial Jackson and Whittier won the 4x200-meter relay with a time of 1:57.28 and the Blue Devil A-team placed third in the same event with a time of 1:38.41.

The Lady Devils 4x100-meter relay team won its event with Burnett, Morris, Hudson and Whittier running a 53.13.

In the boys 400 meters, Jai Harden ran a 53.88 for second place. In the girls 300 meter hurdles, Ramirial Jackson was second with a time of 55.16.

Lady Devil Jayla Sanderson placed first in the 800 meters with a time of 3:02.69 while Whittier won first place in the 200 meters with a time of 28.03. In the boys 200, West Memphis' Harden was fourth with a time of 24.65.

Local junior highs stand out at conference meet

By Billy Woods

WM School District

The 5A-East Conference junior high track and field meet was held Thursday at Jonesboro's Cooksey-Johns Field.

In the girls division, Wonder's Lady Lions finished fifth out of 11 teams and was the top finisher for West Memphis schools. Wonder finished with 55 points while West was 10th with 11.5 points and East finished 11th with 1 point.

The star for the Wonder girls was Aniyah Price, who won two events and finished second in another. Price was the winner in the 200 meters with a time of 28.05 and she finished first in the 100-meter hurdles with a time of 17.87.

Price was also second in the 300-meter hurdles with a time of 56.13.

Her sister Aliayah finished third in the long jump with a distance of 14-8.50 and she was third in the triple jump with a measure of 30-3.50. Aliayah was also second in the 100 meters with a time of 13.27.

Wonder's Tikeria Miller finished second in the shot put with a throw of 31 feet.

West Junior High's Laila Taylor placed third in the triple jump with a distance of 30-3.5.

In the boys division, West Junior High's Dylan Greer placed first in the long jump with a measure of 18-5.50. His teammate, Amarion Pulliam placed in several events, including fifth in the long jump at 17-8. Pulliam was ninth in the triple jump with a measure of 35-6 and he was seventh in the 110-meter hurdles with a time of 19.04.

In the shot put, Wonder's Ray Jordan was third with a toss of 43-8.50 and West's Kavius Brown was fourth with a throw of 43-5.50. West's Jacoby Gatewood was sixth with a toss of 41-3.

Wonder's Jordan was eighth in the discus with a throw of 102-3.50.

In the 4x800-meter relay, Wonder placed second with a time of 9:42.43 with the team of Jeremiah McGruder, Alex Williams, Jamarques Bridges and Keonte Hampton.

West's Darius Smith was fifth in the 110-meter hurdles with a time of 18.76. West's Tyquarius Ivy was fourth in the 100 meters with a time of 11.97 and teammates Zephiniah Johnson and Jaylon Merritt were fifth and sixth respectively with respective times of 11.99 and 12.01.

West's 4x200-meter relay team of Greer, Smith, Octavian Pryor and Merritt was second with a time of 1:41.63.

The West team of Greer, Ivy, Rafael McDaniel and Merritt was second in the 4x100-meter relay with a time of 47.23.

West's Pryor was fourth in the 400 meters with a time of 56.84 while Wonder's Bridges was eighth with a time of 59.71.

West's Aaron Green placed fifth in the 300 meter hurdles with a time of 48.73 and Wonder's Kenton James was sixth with a time of 48.94.

In the 200 meters, West's Johnson was fourth with a time of 24.60 and teammate Ivy was fifth with a time of 24.97.

West took fourth in the 4x400 meter relay with the team of Antwan Dawson, Greer, Smith and Pryor and a time of 4:08.70.

Blue Devils win at Patriot Relays

By Billy Woods

WM School District

West Memphis Blue Devil track and field athletes put out some solid performances in the annual Patriot Relays in Marion on Thursday.

In the boys 100 meters, Mardarius Warren finished second with a time of 11.45 and he won the 200 meters with a time of 23.08. Senior Eli Duncan placed sixth with a time of 24.22.

In the boys 400 meters, West Memphis' Jai Harden placed first with a time of 53.24 while Julious McGruder was fourth with a time of 58.1.

In the 800 meters, Blue Devil Lenorke Maxwell was second with a time of 2:34.13 while Omarion Shaw was third at 2:38.54.

West Memphis junior Freddie Thorne won four events, including the 1,600 meters with a time of 5:07.28. Thorne also won the 3,200 meters with a time of 11:15. Thorne also anchored the Blue Devils' 4x800 meter relay team which won with a time of 9:54.47.

Teammate Josiah Sanders was third in the 1,600 meters with a time of 6:08 and he was second in the 3,200 meters with a time of 14:38. Maxwell finished third in the 3,200 meters with a time of 14:55.

In the 4x100-meter relay, West Memphis was second with a time of 45.32.

West Memphis was third in the 4x200-meter relay with a time of 1:38.21.

In the 4x400-relay, the Blue Devils won with a time of 3:47.07.

Jarrell Shephard won the high jump with a six-foot leap.

Jaylan Carter won the long jump with a 19-05.25 leap. Carter also placed second in the triple jump with a distance of 39 feet.

In the discus, Shephard was fourth with a toss of 93 feet.

In the girls division, Lady Devil Ariana Morris won the 100 meter dash with a time of 12.70 while Jayla Hudson was sixth with a time of 13.96.

Lakaya Whittier placed first in the 200 meters with a time of 28.19 while Morris was third at 29.27.

Jayla Sanders was third in the 800 meters with a time of 3:43.

Grace Wilson, a senior, was second in the 1,600 meters with a time of 7:21.14 and she was second in the 3,200 meters with a time of 16:25.83.

In the 100-meter hurdles, Kayla Hudson was first with a time of 22.24 and Jayla Hudson was second at 32.57.

The Lady Devils also went 1-2 in the 300 intermediate hurdles as Tramirial Jackson was first with a time of 58.31 and Courdasha Davis was second at 58.42.

The Lady Devils won the 4x100-meter relay with a time of 52.28 and they were second in the 4x200-meter relay with a time of 2:04.74.

The Lady Devils were second in the 4x800-meter relay with a time of 13:50.12.

Morris was third in the high jump with a height of 4-10, but she won first place in the long jump with a measure of 16-04.50. Ta'Nya Burnett was second in the long jump at 16-1.25.

Burnett won the triple jump with a measure of 36-10 while Whittier was second at 34-06.

The discus was won by West Memphis' A'Shaunna Robertson with a throw of 113-11 while teammate Joy Nance was third at 88-9.

Nance was the winner in the shot put with a distance of 34-8 while Robertson was third at 32-9.50.

Blue Devil coaching legend Nooner elected to AHSCA Hall of Fame

By Billy Woods

WM School District

When the phone call came, Joe Nooner thought it was a prank played by his brother-in-law.

But several seconds into the call, Nooner realized the voice on the other end was not that of Bill Hughes, his brother-in-law and a former coach from Walnut Ridge.

This call was legit.

Nooner was informed by Joey Walters, deputy director of the Arkansas Activities Association, that he had just been elected to the Arkansas High School Coaches Association Hall of Fame.

It is the third coaching Hall of Fame for the former West Memphis coaching legend. Nooner, who led the Blue Devils to state championships from 1974-2009, will be inducted to the AHSCA in the annual banquet on July 9 at 6 p.m. at the Hot Springs Convention Center.

Nooner is also in the state track coaching Hall of Fame and he was inducted into the West Memphis Sports Hall of Fame in 2017.

In addition, Nooner is soon to be inducted into his high school alma mater Hall of Fame as part of Conway High's School's undefeated state championship football team in 1964.

"It's so Bill Hughes to prank me over the phone like that," Nooner said with a laugh. "I almost hung up on the guy."

Nooner said he got a call from former fellow West Memphis coaching cohort Lanny Dauksch a few days earlier.

"Lanny said he was calling to see how (wife) Sharon and I were doing during the Covid thing and then he asked me for my contact information," said Nooner. "I kept wondering why he was asking me for that."

Nooner will join fellow inductees Kathleen Bell of Texarkana, Jerry Bridges of Cabot and Fort Smith Southside, Jim Cox of Fordyce, Billy Joe Murray of Earle, Scooter Register of El Dorado, Little Rock McClellan and Little Rock Catholic and Boyd Shelton of Bentonville.

Nooner got his start coaching in West Memphis as the East Junior High basketball coach in 1970-71. Along the way he made his name prominent among high school coaches in Arkansas for his work as head Blue Devil track coach and as a defensive coordinator for the school's football program from 1976-97.

His prowess on the track surface, however, is what made him a legend.

The Blue Devils were so dominant in track and field in the 1970s, '80s and '90s that his teams won conference championships in 15 out of 16 years from 1980-96, including 8 in a row at one point.

Nooner was asked if the AHSCA honor was any more special than his other two Hall of Fame elections.

"Somebody asked me that question a little earlier," he said. "As big an honor as this one is, there are a lot more important things going on in our world today with Covid."

Nooner was highly respected for his work as the DC for the Blue Devil football team, which played for state championships in 1974, 1982 and 1984.

But he built West Memphis into a state track power in three different decades.

He coached state champion/Meet of Champion winners in 19 different events.

Nooner also organized one of the largest track meets in the Mid-South Region of the U.S., the Fellowship of Christian of Athletes Relays for 29 years. The meet drew high school track and field teams from a six-state area.

"I guess I would consider myself a track coach first because that's what I was a head coach at," Nooner added. "But being a head coach at the same high school for 35 years had a lot to do with it as well. That's a little unusual. But I loved coaching football as a defensive coordinator."

Nooner was also a two-term president of the Arkansas Track Coaches Association and he served two terms on the Track and Field Games Committee as 4A/5A representative.

His state track and field champions covered 1973, '74, '83, '84, '94 and '95 (indoor).

"This is truly a great honor and I'm excited to be in it," said Nooner. "I think about the era I coached in at West Memphis and all the great athletes we had. You can't put together any sustained success in any sport without great athletes. We had them in West Memphis."

Blue Devil boys place first in Relays, girls second

By Billy Woods

WM School District

The West Memphis Blue Devil track and field teams stood out on Tuesday in the annual Blue Devil Relays at Hamilton-Shultz Field.

The boys took first place among a nine-team field with 126 points, followed by runner-up Forrest City with 107.5. Little Rock Parkview finished third with 94 points while Rivercrest was fourth at 70.5. Marion was fifth at 57 points, Munford, TN was sixth at 54.5, Nettleton was seventh at 49, Osceola was eighth at 29.5 and Blytheville was ninth at 11.

The Lady Devils finished runner-up in the nine-team field with 102.5 points to first-place Jonesboro with 133. Munford was third at 98 points, Parkview was fourth at 92, Marion was fifth at 50, Osceola was sixth at 41, Rivercrest was seventh at 38, Forrest City was eighth at 33.5 and Blytheville was ninth with 12 points.

In boys action, West Memphis' Kurlee Rucker was the only athlete on the day to finish in first place in both a field event and a running event. Rucker won the pole vault with a height of 10 feet and he took first place in the 1,600 meter-run with a time of 5;10.36.

The Blue Devils also got a first-place finish from the team of Keevon Quarrels, Lanarious Freeman, Skylar LaFoy and Rucker in the 4x800-meter relay with a time of 8:59.68.

In the discus, West Memphis' Cameron Allen placed third with a throw of 115-11. Karlis Smith was second in the pole vault with a height of 9-6. In the 110-meter high hurdles, West Memphis' James Shepard was third with a time of 16.58 and he was second in the 300-meter hurdles with a time of 43.65.

Quarrels placed second in the 400 meters with a time of 51.1. Rucker added a third-place finish to his spectacular day in the 3,200 meters with a time of 11:35.

And, in the 4x400-meter relay, the Blue Devil team of Quarrels, Carrim Washington, Mareus Willis and Devin Olloway placed second with a time of 3:36.68.

In the girls division, Lady Devil sophomore Ta'Nya Burnett finished in first place in the triple jump with a distance of 34-10.

Other noteworthy Lady Devils performances included Trinidee Hampton in fourth in the long jump with a distance of 16-7 and Burnett in fifth with a leap of 15-7.75.

Ashaunna Robertson was third in the discus with a throw of 95-8 and the Lady Devil tandem of Diamond Glen and Dallis Brown finished second and third respectively in the pole vault with height so 7-8 and 6-4 respectively.

The team of Aniyaha Tabb, Kaneisha Allen, Allyson Eddwards and Jayla Sanders was third in the 4x800-meter relay with a time o 11:31.

Nikya Sims was fourth in the 100-meter dash with a time of 13.52. Tabb was also third in the 1,600 meters with a time of 6:30.93. The 4x100-meter relay team of Brown, Allen, Sims and Hampton placed third with a time of 52.47.

Edwards was second in the 800 meters with a time of 2:34.48. Hampton and Sims placed second and third respectively with times of 27.16 and 27.35 respectively.

The 4x400-meter relay team of Allen, Sims, Edwards and Hampton was third with a time of 4:41.35.

West girls, Wonder boys cop city track championships

By Billy Woods

WM School District

The West Memphis City Junior High Track and Field Meet was held Monday at Hamilton-Shultz Field and several athletes stood front and center.

In the girls division, West Junior High's Maggie McCollum led her team to the city title by winning four events, including the pole vault, 300-meter hurdles, 4x800 meter relay and the 4x400-meter relay.

In team standings, the Wonder boys and the West girls walked away city champions.

In the boys division, Wonder trimmed East 222-219 while West was third with 79. In the girls division, West finished with 206 points while East had 165 and Wonder had 149.

In the boys 200 meters, Jones of Wonder placed first while Warren of Wonder finished second. In the boys 300-meter hurdles, Jones of East placed first while Murray of East was second. In the boys 800-meter run, Young of West was first while Hampton of Wonder was second.

In the boys discus, Ethan Smith of Wonder placed first while Tyrea Collins was second. In the boys triple jump, Shepard of East was first and Green of East was second. In the boys shot put, Scotty of Wonder was first while Tyler of East was second.

In the boys 4x800-meter relay, Wonder placed first while West was second. In the boys high jump, Birdo of Wonder placed first while Wonder's Peters was second. In the boys 110-meter hurdles, Murray of East placed first while Jones of East was second.

In the boys long jump, Shepard of East took first while Davis of Wonder was second. In the boys 100 meters, Jones of Wonder took first while Chatt of East was second. In the boys 1,600 meters, Freddie Thorne of West took first with a time of 5:18 while Jefferson of East was second.

In the boys 4x100-meter relay, Wonder took first while East was second. In the boys pole vault, Shepard of East was first while Sconier of East was second. In the boys 4x400-meter relay, Wonder took first while West was second. In the boys 400 meters, Weatherspoon took first while Warren of Wonder was second.

In the girls division, the 800 meters was won by May of West while Merritt of East was second. In the 4x400-meter relay, West took first while Wonder was second. In the 1,600 meters, May of West was the winner while Murphree of West was second.

McCollum's first-place finish in the pole vault was shared by West's Benson. In the 100-meter hurdles, Price of Wonder placed first while Hudson of East was second. In the girls discus, Jamecia Clark took first while Monica Procknaw was second. In the triple jump, Patton of West took first.

In the 4x800-meter relay, West was first while East took second. In the long jump, Morris of East was first while Tucker of Wonder placed second. In the girls shot put, Wonder's Hamilton was first while West's Procknaw was second.

In the girls 4x100-meter relay, East took first while Wonder was second. In the high jump, Prackett of Wonder was the winner while Tucker of Wonder was second. In the 400 meters, Kolby Garey of West took first while Moore of East placed second.

In the 100 meters, Morris of East placed first while Price of Wonder took second. In the 200 meters, Wonder's Jackson was the winner while Jones of East was second. McCollum's victory in the 300-meter hurdles was followed by Price of Wonder in second.

Blue Devil tracksters fare well in Relays

By Billy Woods

WM School District

Hamilton-Shultz Field played host to over 400 athletes Tuesday in West Memphis' biggest track and field event of the year, the Blue Devil Relays.

West Memphis' boys placed third behind second place Little Rock Parkview and first place Forrest City. WMHS had 73 points, Parkview 82 and Forrest City 88.

The Lady Devils placed fourth with 89 points. Parkview won the girls division with 146 points while Munford, Tenn., was second with 102 points and Forrest City was third with 98.

The Blue Devils had several athletes shine in several events.

In the boys 3,200 meters, Keylan Malone finished sixth with a time o 11:51.03. In the girls 4x400-meter relay, the Lady Devils finished third with a time of 4:37.77 while Kaneisha Allen finished fifth in the 800 meters with a time of 2:56.51 while teammate Aniya Tabb placed sixth with a time of 3:07.63.

In the boys 800 meters, Lanarious Freeman was second with a time of 2:19.64 and teammate Mareus Willis was third with a time of 2:15.32. In the boys 200 meters, Devin Olloway placed second in his heat with a time of 23.63 while Marquis Hays won his heat with a time of 24.62. Carrim Washington of West Memphis also placed second in his heat with a time of 25.01.

In the girls 200 meters, West Memphis' Dadrianna Robinson won her heat with a time of 28.69 and LaDejhia Wright was third in her heat with a time of 27.83.

In the boys 300 meter hurdles, Blue Devil James Shephard placed second in his heat with a time of 44.36. In the girls 400 meters, Robinson placed first with a time of 1:02.44 while teammate Allyson Edwards was fourth with a time of 1:06.89.

In the boys 400 meters, Keevon Quarrels won his heat with a time of 53.12 while Johnny Cathy was fourth with a time of 53.35 and Skylar LaFoy was fifth with a time of 55.19. In the boys high jump, Shephard cleared 5-feet-8. In the girls high jump, Robinson was second with a height of 5-feet-2.

West Memphis senior Tyla Bradford won the boys 1,600 meters with a time of 5:18.52 while Malone was sixth with a time of 5:48.30. In the girls 1,600 meters, West Memphis' Kennedy Henderson placed eighth with a time of 8:50.69.

The Lady Devils' 4x100-meter relay team placed third with a time of 52.48. In the boys shot put, West Memphis' Cameron Allen threw it 38-9 while Derrick Milligan threw it 32-7.

Blue Devil Tyrique Thomas placed third in the boys long jump with a distance of 19-1.

In the boys 100 meters, Washington ran an 11.97 in his heat while teammates Hays and Devin Olloway ran 11.94 and 11.83 respectively. In the girls 100 meters, LaDejhia Wright ran a 13.24 while Nikya Sims ran a 14.12 and Alexis Fluker ran a 14.28.

In the boys 110-meter high hurdles, West Memphis' James Shephard ran a 16.50 while teammate Clay Brown ran a 19.78. In the girls 100-meter hurdles, West Memphian Tabitha Wren won her heat with a time of 18.09.

In the girls discus, West Memphis' Ashaunna Robertson placed second with a throw of 94-8 1/2 while teammate Daijuanai Culpepper threw 74-9.

In the boys 4x800-meter relay, West Memphis placed fourth with a time of 9:10.10. The Lady Devil 4x800-meter relay team placed third with a time of 12:12.55.

The Blue Devils captured first and fourth in the boys pole vault with Kurlee Rucker winning the event with a 10-foot jump and teammate Karlis Smith in fourth with a height of 8 feet.

Blue Devil sophomore Thorne ascending up the 5K charts

By Billy Woods

WM School District

Academies of West Memphis sophomore Freddie Thorne may not have had designs on becoming a runner when he was thrust into competition for the first time.

It was in seventh grade at West Junior High when the track coach suggested Thorne run a few laps.

"I just kept passing people," Thorne recalled.

That moment has propelled the lithe runner into ascension as the top distance runner in many years in West Memphis.

Thorne's latest effort placed him second out of 299 runners, featuring 72 teams from 13 states. He ran a personal best 18:11 at the Frank Horton Night Invitational.

"Freddie is 31 seconds off the school record for a 5K," said Blue Devil cross country coach Arthur Hargrove. "We are planning on Freddie breaking that record in three weeks."

The school record for the 5K is 17:40 set four years ago by Martavious Johnson.

Thorne's formative years in junior high included two years running track for the Blue Imps.

"Now, I'm up here competing with the big dogs...I really like it," said Thorne.

On Sept. 21, Thorne placed 25th out of a field of 285 with a time of 18:40. On Sept. 25 he placed fifth in the Memphis Youth Athletics meet. He will compete in the Chile Pepper Cross Country Festival on Friday in Fayetteville.

Furthermore, Thorne is working on entering AAU or USATF Cross Country Nationals in December.

"The first 5K I ran was when I was in the eighth grade in Orange Beach, Alabama," said Thorne. "I ran a 23:23. From there I ran all summer to get ready for the St. Jude 5K and I ran a 19:45."

Thorne already has his sights set on a college scholarship either in cross country, track or both.

"But I'm not putting all my eggs in one basket," he said. "I try to do well in school, too. Track's just kind of an extra way to get into college. I would just like to go as far as I can with running. I would love to run in college, it would be so much fun. Running is about all I watch on TV now."