The Bethune Lions set a record for points on the way to their first DCSD Middle School Boys’ Track Championship title. Bethune’s Tylar Wooten (right) was named the boys’ meet MVP.
After finishing as the runners-up in the past two (2019, 2022) DeKalb County Middle School Track and Field Championships the Bethune Lions won their first ever title with a dominating performance of 104-60 over Redan on Monday at Godfrey Stadium.
The Lions picked up two gold medals on the first day of competition to score 44 points and never looked back scoring a record 104 points for the meet.
Lorenzo Venson won the long jump (18-04.00) and the 4×800-meter relay team of Demetrious Brown, Marion Campbell, Messiah Fowler and Tylar Wooten snagged the gold in a time of 9:41.73 for 20 of the 44 points on the day.
Bethune piled up 60 points during Monday’s track finals despite winning just one event including 18 that came in the 800-meter run. Tylar Wooten (2:14.97) and Messiah Fowler (2:16.68) finished one-two in the event.
The Lions took silver medals in all three relays held on Monday losing by a combined 1.59 seconds while scoring 30 of their 60 points on the day. Salem’s team of Aaron Graham, Deion Saunders, Dontavious Bell and Rodriquez Kemp (45.80) edged the Bethune squad of Venson, Jordan Walker, Rashad Silver and Wooten (46.36) by .56 of a second in the 4×100-meter relay.
In the 4×200-meter relay Venson, LaMarkus Scott, Demetrious Brown and Walker (1:37.85) came up .98 of second short behind Redan’s Jeremiah Parker, Frederick Johnson, Immanuel Hoyt and Darrion Pyron ( 1:36.87). Redan had set the 4×200 meet record of 1:36.16 in the preliminaries on Saturday.
Redan’s 4×400-meter relay team of Parker, Johnson, Carlton Slack and Pyron (3:45.32) nipped Bethune’s Brown, Jameel Hector, Courtney Helms and Scott (3:45.37) at the finish line by just 0.05 of a second to grab gold in the last event of the meet.
The Raiders big push on Monday with the two-gold medal relay wins and Jeremiah Parkers silver medals in the 100-meter dash (11.50) and 200-meter dash (23.28) pulled in 42 points to vault into second place.
Defending champion Chamblee came in third with 49 points fueled by Ian Matthews runner-up finish in the 1600-meter run (5:15.59) to Druid Hills’ Jackson Taylor (5:14.16). The Bulldogs also claimed bronze medals in the 4×100 (46.64) and 4×200 (1:38.07) relays.
Stephenson’s Jordan Christie (right) finished as DCSD’s middle school track’s fastest man with his sweep of the 100-and 200-meter dashes. Redan’s Jeremiah Parker (left) finished second behind Christie in both races. (Photo by Mark Brock)
Stephenson’s Jordan Christie became the meet’s fastest man by sweeping the 100-meter dash (11.40) and 200-meter dash (22.90) to score 20 of Stephenson’s 28 points.
Cedar Grove picked up gold medals in the shot put by Waylon Wooten (42-04.00) and the triple jump by King Parrom (36-05.75).
Karan Fitzgerald ran to Champion’s lone gold medal of the meet winning the 400-meter dash with a time of 55.28.
Bethune’s Tylar Wooten was named the boys’ Most Valuable Participant winning the 800-meter run while helping account for 32 of his team’s 104 points.
Bethune coach Henry Garrett was named Coach of the Year for leading the Lions to their first boys’ track title. He also led the Lions to their lone DeKalb County football championship in 2018.
See links below for DCSD MS Track Championships results/history/records: