Grayson, Ellison, Parker double-up in state meet

    With just a few steps remaining in the finals of the Class 5A 100-meter dash, Archbishop Rummel’s Cyril Grayson suddenly grabbed his left hamstring and  winced in pain.
    The  sprint event, run early in the Louisiana High School Athletic Association state track and field meet, was at a distance Grayson did not have to attempt because it is not one of his specialties.
    But the senior wanted to end his prep career with a flourish, and he nearly paid  the price of an injury for his effort.
    Watching from the finish line was St. Matthew the Apostle principal, Dennis Panepinto, an official the LHSAA uses for its state meet, and a former head track and field coach at Brother Martin.
    Panepinto called for a certified trainer to attend to Grayson, who slowly limped toward the treatment room.
    Several minutes later, the Rummel senior, whose sixth- place finish in the 100 was disappointing enough, emerged to take his place in the two-lap 800-meter run, an event he won last year.
    Grayson said before the start of the race that he was still experiencing pain, although he didn’t show it when the starter fired his gun.
    The LSU signee held the pace throughout the race then with a final kick near the finish, warded off his closest competitors to win the event with a personal best time of 1:53.53.
    Thirty-eight minutes later, Grayson won his second gold medal by sprinting past the field in the final stretch of the 400-meter dash. His time was 47.68.
Ellison also doubles
    Archbishop Shaw’s Lionel Ellison had lived in the shadow of Brother Martin’s Morgan Cormier in the 110-meter hurdles events during the track season. But in the state meet, with Cormier competing in Class 5A, Ellison was in a class by himself.
    The senior covered the Class 4A hurdles event in 14.40 seconds after qualifying sixth in the regional meet with a time of 15.44.
    Earlier in the day, Ellison easily won the high jump by leaping 6-10.
Holy Rosary runner-up
    For a school that has recently started a boys’ track and field program, Holy Rosary High has made great gains.
    With less than a handful of participants, Holy Rosary scored 66 points to finish second to Hackberry (83 points) in the Class C meet, run on May 5 as  part of a three-day state championship event.
    Senior Dathennile Parker led the point parade by winning the 200-meter dash (22.74) and the 400-meter dash (51.49) and placing second in the 100-meter sprint (11.27).
    Parker joined James Nathery, Qaadhee Carter and Michael Alphonse as the winning 1,600-meter relay team  that assured the high finish.
    Alphonse won three silver medals in the 800-, 1,600- and 3,200-meter runs.
    Athletes from schools in the Archdiocese of New Orleans fared well, although just one school – Holy Rosary – was able to place among the top three teams.