By RAY BENTON Leader sports editor
Two girls’ teams dominated the rest of the field at the Devil Dog Relays in Morrilton on Thursday, and it may have been a preview of a showdown for the 5A state championship.
On Thursday, it was Vilonia that edged out Sylvan Hills for the team victory, but only by a scant 3.5 points – 190.5 to 187.
Magnolia is the three-time defending state champion, and so can’t be overlooked.
Joe T. Robinson finished a distant third with 104. Greenbrier was fourth with 48.5 and Maumelle took fifth with 47.5.
Sylvan Hills coach Grover Garrison is excited about this team’s potential, and particularly excited about the relay team’s performance on Thursday. The 4x400 team ran the fastest time in the state this season for any classification, and the 4x100 team ran the second fastest time.
“It’s too early, but I think we can break the state record in both of those events,” said Garrison. “If the conditions and mental focus are there.”
The 4x400-meter relay team of Aliyah Hatton, Alexis Lee, O’Shayla Muldrow and Jordan Sanders ran a 4:12.10. That beat Vilonia by more than 15 seconds, but was still more than 12 seconds off the 5A state record pace – a 3:59.28 set by Crossett almost 30 years ago in 1988. The overall state record was set by Fayetteville in 2014 with a 3:56.66.
Crossett’s 1988 team also holds the 5A 4x100 record with a 48.03. Pine Bluff’s 1984 team holds the overall record with a 47.24.
Sylvan Hills ran it in 50.04 on Thursday, beating Maumelle by exactly two seconds.
Dallyn Stubbs led a trio of Lady Bears to score in the 800-meter race. Stubbs won the event by running a 2:34.72, while Ashley Jefferson was second with a 2:36.57. Daviunia Jones finished fourth with a 2:37.78.
The Lady Bears placed three in the points in the high jump. Robinson’s Asia Anderson won the event with a leap of 5-feet. Sylvan Hills’ Makaila Murphy and Dasia Harris finished second and third by clearing 4-10, while Daviunia Jones was sixth with a 4-6.
Anderson, who was the meet’s high-point winner, won the long jump as well, but three Lady Bears made up the rest of the top four. Mia Heard jumped 16-9.5. Lee jumped 16-3 and Jordan Sanders went 16-2.
Erykah Sanders and Smith were second and third behind Anderson in the 300-meter hurdles.
Heard took second in the 100-meter dash behind CAC’s Amalie Gunn, who won with a 13.00. Heard record a 13.17 and Ayana Harris tied for fourth with a 13.37.
It was more of the same in the triple jump, with Anderson winning and three Lady Bears right behind. Heard again finished second with a jump of 35.6.50. Makayla Smith took third going 33 even, and Erykah Sanders finishing fourth by bounding 32-11.75.
Makayla Smith took third in the 100-meter hurdles behind Anderson and Kristen Madden of Vilonia.
Anderson also nudged out Heard in the 200-meter dash, running a 26.62 while Heard posted a 26.80. Lee and Muldrow were fourth and fifth in that event.
Sierra Towles finished third and Jayla Bell fifth in the shot put, heaving the shot 90-8 and 81-11 respectively. Smith and Bell finished sixth and seventh in the discus throw.
Dasia Harris was also second in the pole vault, though heights at the meet weren’t state level. Harris cleared 7-6.
Allysia Marbley finish fourth and Stubbs sixth in the 1,600 meters. None of the members of the 4x400 team ran in the 400-meter dash, but Sylvan Hills’ Dadreuna Clingmon finished sixth for three team points.
The Sylvan Hills 4x800 team picked up six points for a third-place finish, but there were only three teams in the event.
