The Stephenson Jaguars set a meet record with 165 points to win the 2023 DCSD JV Track and Field Championships.
A sixth title in seven championship appearances and second consecutive went to the Stephenson Jaguars with a record setting team total of 165 points on the way to the 2023 DeKalb County Junior Varsity Track and Field Championships on Wednesday at Godfrey Stadium.
Stephenson trailed both second place Redan (103.50) and third place Arabia Mountain (98.50) following the field events but hit the track with an opening statement win in the 4×800-meter relay. The Jaguars set a new meet record of 8:49.69 breaking the mark set last year by Martin Luther King Jr. as they began a march to 130 points on the track to run away with the title.
The Jaguars claimed five more gold medals on the track along with four silver and one bronze in compiling the 130 points.
Andrew Perry swept the 100- (11.32) and 200-meter (22.84) dashes to go with a sweep of the 400 (51.78) and 800 (2:07.18) by Todd Burton, the meet’s MVP. Cavalli Jackson was runner-up to Perry in the 100 (11.36).
Redan’s Nizer Smith (right) on the way to a win in the 300-meter hurdles against Towers’ Jerkarean West (left). It was one of three gold medals for the Raider track star. (Photo by Mark Brock)
The Jaguars finished second in both the 4×100 (44.77) and 4×200 relay (1:34.33) to record setting performances by the Arabia Mountain squads who set records in both events. Arabia Mountain ran a 43.27 in the 4×100 to break the time of 43.36 set by Southwest DeKalb in 2018. The Rams ran a 1:30.50 in the 4×200 to break King’s mark of 1:34.41 set a year ago.
Stephenson finished the meet with a win in the 4×400 relay (3:33.88) to take the last gold of the day. Conner Cooper won a silver in the 110-meter hurdles (17.11) in coming in second to record setting Nizer Smith of Redan who ran a 15.85. Smith broke the mark of 15.99 set back in 2016 by Stephenson’s Justin Birdsong. Stephenson’s Xavion Harmon picked up the bronze in the 800 (2:10.57).
Redan’s Nizer Smith led the Raiders big point total with three gold medals including the 110-meter hurdles. He also won the 300-meter hurdles (42.33) and tied the high jump record of Miller Grove’s Tajeon Fletcher (2021) at six-feet even.
Zion Green went 19-05.50 in the long jump to edge out Stephenson’s Cavalli Jackson who had the same mark to win the gold. Michael Greene brought home the discus gold with a toss of 114-4, just one foot shy of the meet record.
Stephenson’s Todd Burton won both the 400-meter dash and 800-meter run on the way to being named the 2023 JV Track and Field Championships’ MVP. (Photo by Mark Brock)
Arabia Mountain picked up two other gold medals besides the record setting relays to pad their total for the third-place finish. McKaden Smith won the triple jump (41.10.00) and Giovanni Cleland took the shot put (40-10.50).
Lakeside’s Beckett Hughes took the gold in the pole vault going over the bar at nine feet while Towers’ John Griffin finished in second with more attempts at making the nine-foot mark.
Micah Burton of Druid Hills took home the gold in the 3200-meter run with a time of 10:50.74 almost 37 seconds ahead of Dunwoody’s Andrew Haligan.
Decatur had a 1-2 finish in the 1600-meter run with Luke Slaton taking the gold in 4:49.79 and Braden Miller following with a 4:57.14 clocking.
The Junior Varsity Track and Field Championships started in 2015 (did not run in 2020 due to Covid) and in the eight events held Stephenson has won it in back-to-back seasons three times including 2015-16, 2018-91 and now 2022-23. Lakeside won in 2017 and Decatur in 2021.
Stephenson broke its own team total mark of 146.50 set in 2016.
See links below for full results and update records (2015-2023):