The McComb High School boys track team won the school’s second state title of the academic year by taking first-place at the Mississippi High School Activities Association Class 4A state track meet Saturday at Pearl High School.
Senior Victor Montgomery capped off a stellar career with his first individual state championship in the 110-meter hurdles. Montgomery spent nearly his entire senior year as the No. 1 ranked hurdler in the state, backing up the hype with his victory Saturday.
Due to an injury sustained in recent weeks, Montgomery did not win the 300-meter hurdles as he had at the district, regional and South State meets, and was not able to race with his teammates in his usual lineup of relays.
His absence did not deter the team from taking the state crown, as strong performances from the Tigers’ 4x200-meter relay team and long jumper Clifton Bibbs helped carry the load.
“We talked about achieving goals all year, and this is the biggest goal we achieved, both the kids and the coaches,” McComb track coach Jeffery Gibson said. “This is just a great way to end a really great season.”
The MHS girls track team fell just short of completing a sweep by the Tigers, finishing in second place behind the state champs from Lafayette High School.
Senior Sharon Botley successfully defended her state title in the 300-meter hurdles from last year, defeating all 4A competition with a time of 45.72 seconds.
But it was not enough to push the Lady Tigers over the top, although they did top four-time defending 4A champs Pontotoc at the meet.
“I reminded the girls after the meet that they had an incredible season this year,” Gibson said. “We didn’t win the meet Saturday, but the girls reached so many goals and achieved so much success, and they need to still be proud of that.”
Gibson called eighth-grader Shardnay Williams’ victory in the 800-meter run one of the “highlights of the day.” Williams blew away her competition with a time of 2:19.53 to win the state title in the event, and helped contribute in multiple relay events.
“The future is bright for our program, too,” Gibson said proudly of Williams and his other productive eighth- and ninth-graders. “Shardnay looked great in the 800, and we had some young legs helping us in those relays that we hope will help us in future years.”
The boys and girls’ impressive seasons come in the wake of McComb’s first boys basketball state championship in 52 years.
Gibson said his team represented McComb with pride at Saturday’s meet, and earning the school’s second state championship in the last three months only furthered the team’s pride and excitement.
“When we compete and we’ve got ‘McComb’ written across our chests, we’re representing McComb — the school and the community,” Gibson said. “We are a reflection of McComb, so (to) win and represent McComb while winning is a great feeling.”
