St. Aug’s no-show at 9-5A meet still a mystery

In a week of outstanding team and individual performances in the various district track and field championship meets, there was one confounding question: Why did St. Augustine fail to enter the District 9-5A meet April 23?

The Purple Knights, who have won more district team titles than any of their peers since first competing in 1977, were no-shows, a situation that perplexed coaches from the five other schools in the Catholic League.

The team’s absence also confounded St. Aug principal John Charles, who told us he was aware that the team had issues with some of its athletes, who were dismissed from the team, but was not aware that coach Darren Dixon did not enter the Purple Knights in the meet.

“We’ve had some problems with the team – that’s all I can tell you,” Charles said. “I really can’t talk about it.”

“Something like this happened when I was at Carver during Marshall Faulk’s senior year,” noted McDonogh 35 head football coach Wayne Reese. “The seniors, including Faulk, thought it was below them to practice. So I kicked them off the team to set an example for the younger guys.”

St. Augustine missed three earlier meets this season, appearing just once in the Allstate Sugar Bowl meet last month.

Because the school did not compete in the district meet, its track and field athletes forfeited potential berths in the Region III state qualifying meet. The top three finishers from that meet will compete in the May 10 championship meet at LSU’s Bernie Moore Stadium.

Brother Martin and Archbishop Rummel shared the district title with 90 points each. The first place was Martin’s third consecutive and Rummel’s first since 2003.

Five other Catholic schools placed first in their respective districts.

Dominican also won for the third straight year over Mount Carmel and Archbishop Chapelle on the girls’ side.

After field competition concluded, St. Paul’s won six of its final nine events to win its third straight District 6-5A title.

Cabrini repeated as girls’ champion of District 10-4A, with Ursuline finishing a solid second.

The Academy of the Sacred Heart won the District 11-3A girls’ team title, and De La Salle was impressive in its second-place showing in the district’s boys’ competition.

Archbishop Hannan won both the boys’ and girls’ team titles in the District 8-2A meet, and both teams from Pope John Paul II finished second to Hannan.

The big winners
The local schools are blessed with an abundance of talent, who displayed their excellence during the week.

➤ Dominican senior Mia Meydrick, the reigning Class 5A 1,600-meter champion, recorded 30 points by winning the 800-, 1,600- and 3,200-meter runs.

➤ Andrea McDonald of Dominican won the triple and high jumps.

➤ Lauren Torsch of Mount Carmel was victorious in the pole vault and 200-meter dash and ran legs on the Cubs’ winning 800- and 1,600-meter relay teams.

➤ Kristian Fulton of Archbishop Rummel won both the 110- and 300-meter hurdles events.

➤ Brother Martin’s Jared Robinson was first in the 100 meters and ran legs on all three winning relay teams.

➤ Tayla Celestine was high scorer for 10-4A champion Cabrini, winning the high jump and 100- and 300-meter hurdles. She also anchored the Crescents’ winning 400-meter relay team.

➤ State high jump champion Ellie Silvia of Academy of the Sacred Heart won that event and placed first in the girls’ javelin throw to score 20 points in the District 11-3A meet.

➤ Shannon Ray of Drexel Prep scored an upset win over Class 3A sprint champion Aleia Hobbs of McMain in the 200-meter dash, with her 24.57-second time nipping Hobbs by a step. Ray also ran on two, second-place relay teams.

➤ Just a few weeks ago, Sacred Heart’s Madeline Kling celebrated her 13th birthday. The seventh-grader, who graduates in 2020, also celebrated a victory in the 3,200-meter run. Kling’s time of 12:11.90 was nearly 21 seconds faster than the second-place finisher.

➤ In the boys’ 11-3A competition, De La Salle’s Bismarck Ebiweh was victorious in the 400-meter dash, beating John Curtis’ Kerry Buckley by more than a second. Ebiweh was also the lead runner on the Cavaliers’ victorious 800-meter relay.

➤ St. Paul’s Zach Albright won two of three distance events, finishing first in the 800- and 3,200-meter runs. His time of 9:32.77 in the eight-lap event was nearly 30 seconds faster than the second-place finisher. Albright also finished second in the 1,600-meter run.

➤ St. Paul’s Deonte Sorapuro added points to the Wolves’ total by winning both hurdles events.

➤ Hannah Naquin scored 30 points for Archbishop Hannan, whose 174 points dominated the girls’ events at the District 8-2A meet. Naquin won both hurdles events and added the high jump gold medal to her collection. She was also second in the long jump and was named the girls’
Outstanding Performer.

➤ Maddie Traylor of Pope John Paul II was a double winner in the sprints, placing first in the 100- and 200-meter dashes. Traylor also ran on the Lady Jaguars’ winning 400-meter relay team.

Two more “outstanding” awards were handed out to Lady Hawks.

➤ Hannan’s Aimee Guillot’s win in the 800-meter run and runner-up finishes in the 1,600- and 3,200-meter runs earned her the meet’s Outstanding Girl Track Performer award. She also ran on the winning 1,600-meter relay team.

➤ Jean Marie Guillot, Aimee’s sister, was named the girls’ Outstanding Field Performer for winning the triple jump and finishing second in the pole vault.

➤ Ian Readeau of Pope John Paul II swept the two hurdles events and ran a leg on the Jaguars’ wining 1,600-meter relay team.

➤ Jordan Cooper of Hannan was a triple winner, sweeping the distance events. His time of 5:12.85 in the 1,600-meter event was 23 seconds faster than the second-place finisher.

Ron Brocato can be reached at rbrocato@clarionherald.org.