Charger state qualifiers to compete at JMU this week
The Middlesex High School (MHS) Charger varsity track team won the Region 1A track and field championship; Davonte Griffin was named region track and field “athlete of the year” and MHS Head Coach Joel Anderson was named Region 1A coach of 2025.
The Chargers ran away with the Region 1A meet at Charles City High School on Thursday, May 29. MHS scored 146.5 points with Lancaster coming in second with 113 points. Mathews High School was third, 89 points; Rappahannock of Warsaw, fourth, 63.5; Westmoreland, fifth, 56; Essex, sixth, 40; West Point, seventh, 37; King & Queen Central, eighth, 36; Chincoteague, ninth, 33; Northumberland, 10th, 22; and Northampton, 11th, 19.
D. Griffin was named MVP after scoring 24 points to pace the Chargers to the win. Griffin won the high jump (6’); second in long jump (21’ 3”); fifth, 110 meter high hurdles (17.42); third, 300 intermediate hurdles (43.02), a 1A state qualifying time; and he ran a leg in the seventh place finish of the 4 by 100 meter relay race.
Seniors Cameron Lambert and JaQuan Griffin were double winners with Lambert winning the 1,600 meters (4:31.67) and 3,200 meters (10:12.98) and J. Griffin winning the long jump (21’ 4”) and triple jump (44’ 2”). Nielson McMinn won the discus (164’ 10”) and 4th, shot put (42’ 2”).
The Chargers 4 by 800 meter relay team finished first (8:40) with Thomas Dobb, Darius Jones, Gunnar Marston and Chris Butler running legs. The Chargers are a top favorite in the upcoming Class 1 state track meet this weekend as Lambert, the top distance runner in Region 1A, will be running a leg of the race in the state competition.
Other Chargers to score in the meet were JaMar Hammond, seventh, 100 meters (11.98); fifth, 200 meters (24.56) and fifth, high jump (5’ 8”); Jones, second, 800 meters (2:06.01); Marston, third, 800 meters (2:06.54) and third, 1,600 meters (4:50.44); Dobb, fourth, 1,600 meters (4:52.57); sixth, 3,200 meters (11:20.38); Lucien Hampton, eighth, shot put (37’ 9.5”) and eighth, discus (101’ 10”) and Kevin Turner, second, high jump (6’). Turner cleared the same height as D. Griffin but missed more attempts to fall to second place.
The Chargers also placed sixth in the 4 by 400 meter relay (3:48.29). McMinn, Jones, J. Griffin and Dobb all ran a leg. The MHS 4 by 100 meter relay team finished seventh (46.86) with D. Griffin, J. Griffin, Hammond and Turner running legs.
Charger state qualifiers will compete Friday and Saturday, June 6 and 7, at the Class 1 track meet at James Madison University in Harrisonburg. The preliminary trials will be run on the Dukes track Friday with finals on Saturday.
