OHS, WCA Shine
BOBBY ARDOIN
St. Landry Now.com Editor
On a near-perfect spring afternoon and pleasantly chilly evening, the Opelousas High girls’ track team and the boys competing for Westminster Christian Academy captured the team trophies at the first annual Milburn-Paxton Relays held at Donald Gardner Stadium.
The six-team Friday event was the inaugural track meet for the stadium, which until Friday, had only hosted football and baseball games during its 67-year-history.
Running and field events intersected a dedication ceremony which summarized the $8 million of sales tax, city and state funding spent in repurposing the facility into an outdoor track and turfed football surface.
The OHS girls compiled 137 points to elude second-place Westminster (114), while in the boys’ competition, WCA used a strong 224-point performance over runnerup Beau Chene.
Beau Chene finished third in the closely-contested girls events (93). OHS boys were third (95). Durable Magnolia Heinrich of Westminster was a triple winner in the girls, capturing three firsts in the middle and long distance running.
WCA’s Chimarobi Okechukuwu and Chisom Okechukuwu were equally dominant in the boys’ middle and long distances, taking two first places and a pair of seconds.
Beau Chene boys’ hurdler Ali Carrier won both 110 (15.34) and 300 meter hurdles (42.20) in addition to running competitive legs on two relays.
Jaylon Owens of Opelousas breezed to firsts in the boys’ 100 (11.42) and a close 200 meters (23.67) finish in front of WCA’s Evan Lemon (23.92)
Matthew Lalonde of Westminster took firsts in the boys shot (41-11 ¼ feet) and discus (105-11) events.
