Spring sports quietly making their presence known

One of the well-kept secrets in high school athletics is the all-but-forgotten sport of track and field.

Back in the day when interest in prep sports was at its peak, the city’s two major newspapers covered baseball and track and field with enthusiasm and thoroughness.

Prep and American Legion baseball was the king of the spring season. Today, little of that sport can be found on the small and LSU-favored Advocate sports pages. Of course, having a 9 p.m. deadline doesn’t help matters.

No baseball or softball schedules of games, no team standings, and no statistical leaders appear to enhance the reader’s experience. Perhaps an occasional feature on one game appears. And no longer does the newspaper publish All-City/District teams, which honor the best individuals (although coaches from each district still select them).

High school track and field was just as popular. The New Orleans Recreation Department was one of the nation’s finest in presenting first-class programs and facilities for youth athletics. And the local dailies were willing partners in promoting youth sports.

The annual NORD Meet of Champions was a springtime staple that took place at Behr­man Stadium following the state track and field championships. It matched Louisiana’s individual state champions, regardless of class, in one gala showdown.

The Westbank Lions Club held an annual track meet, as did the Knights of Columbus. And interest grew to its zenith when the Louisiana High School Athletic and Literary Organization (LIALO) folded and its schools were absorbed by the LHSAA in 1970.

A new era was born, leaving no doubt who the best sprinters, distance runners, throwers and jumpers were. They competed against each other in one exciting showdown after another when results were hand-timed and distances marked in yards instead of meters.

There have been several area meets run in relative obscurity since early March. Brother Martin High hosted the Patrick Ryan Relays, Crusader Relays and Chubby Marks Classic at Tad Gormley Stadium; Archbishop Rummel opened the gates at Joe Yenni Stadium for the Ronnie Doyle Classic. Yenni was also the site of the Riverdale Invitational and Mike Conlin Memorial meets.

So, high school track and field is sustainable, but only those close to the sport are aware of the ability of track and field athletes today. But the season will soon be at an end.

The Catholic League’s District 9-5A championship meet at Gormley is scheduled for April 21. Chalmette will host the District 8-5A meet for Jefferson Parish public schools and Chalmette on April 22.

The three regional meets follow on April 26-28, and the state outdoor meet will take place on May 5-7 at LSU’s Bernie Moore Stadium.

Athletes from schools in the Archdiocese of New Orleans have represented their teams well. Five hold state records that still stand.

The oldest belong to Steve Meyer, the Jesuit strongman who holds the distance mark of 63-feet, 5¼-inches in the shot put set in 1970, and the late Keith Iovine of Archbishop Rummel, who still owns the 1,600-meter run composite record of 4:12.0 set in 1982.

Only one man has ever run the 400-meter dash in less than 46 seconds – St. Augustine’s Desmond Johnson, who won the event in 1995 with a record time of 45.99 seconds. Ten years later, another Purple Knight, Karjuan Williams, set a state record in the 800 when he covered the two laps in 1:50.14.

More recently, Brother Martin’s Hunter Appleton was clocked in the area’s fastest 3,200-meter time of 9:01.49 in a 2019 meet.

Even more incredible was St. Katharine Drexel Prep hurdler Alia Armstrong’s performance in the 100-meter hurdles when she glided to a time of 13.33 seconds in 2018. Her time was comparable to the 13.93 clocking recorded by St. Augustine’s Harry Jones in the 110-meter hurdles in 1994. Armstrong then followed by winning the 300-meter hurdles in 42.47.

In 2017, Rummel’s Ja’Marr Chase placed sixth on the tri-parish area’s list of top long jumpers when he leaped 24-2½ in the Class 5A meet. Today he is one of the NFL’s top wide receivers with the Cincinnati Bengals.

In 2015, St. Scholastica’s Samantha Zelden became the metro area’s only high school girl to eclipse 150 feet when she threw the javelin 150-4. And St. Paul’s Preston Chatham won the event with a heave of 212-3 in 2005.

New champions will be crowned in May and their names and accomplishments will join the roster of track and field’s best.

rbrocato@clarionherald.org