Boys' track team wins State Championship

Gina Lin
CHS Class of 24

(7/2022) Catoctin High School has had a commendable school year regarding extracurricular triumphs, whether in athletics or academics. With the conclusion of spring sports and the school year, the Catoctin High School boys track team has much to celebrate. After claiming the MPSSAA 1A State Championship for indoor track during the winter season, the CHS track and field team has achieved the state championship title in the spring. The boys head coach, David Lillard, commented that consecutive 1A titles has never before happened in Catoctin history. The Catoctin track teams competed in the MPSSAA West Region 1A State Championship before advancing to MPSSAA 1A State Championships. The West Region 1A Championship was held at Smithsburg High school from May 19 - May 20. Catoctin boys track qualified for 12 of the 18 events and the girls track team qualified for six events. The 1A State Championship took place from May 26 to May 28 and was composed of 18 different events including meter dashes, relays, hurdles, and numerous jumps. The competition was held at the Prince George’s Sports Learning Complex in Landover, Maryland. Catoctin secured first place with 73 points. That’s a fair margin compared to second place, Mountain Ridge, with 51 points.

Catoctin boys track received second place in the West Region 1A Championship with 118 points, which was very close to Mountain Ridge High School who took first with 125 points. In the 100 meter dash, junior Brody Buffington qualified for the state championship and first place with a time of 10.93 seconds in the finals. In the 200 meter race, Buffington took first with a time of 22.15 and qualified for states. Sophomore Furious Trammel ran the 400 meter dash with a time of 51.41 which earned him second place and qualified for the 1A State Championship. With a time of 2:07.43, sophomore Dennis Lease would go on to represent Catoctin in the 800 meter race at the state championship. Junior Alex Contreras qualified for states in the 1600 and 3200 meter run. Contreras ran a PR of 4:33.77 and claimed second place. In the 3200 meter run, Conteras won third place with a time of 10:16.93.

Next, in the 4x100 relay race, Catoctin came in fifth with a time of 45.84. The team consisted of Brody Buffington, (senior) Joshua Glass, (senior) Dylan Wangness, and (senior) Layne Stull. The 4x400 relay team consisted of (junior) William Smith, (senior) Ryan Horning, Dennis Lease, and Furious Trammel. The team came in seventh place with a time of 3:41.60. Catoctin was able to seize fifth place in the 4x800 relay race with a time of 8:46.85. The team included Alex Contreras, (sophomore) Gabriel Riling, Dennis Lease, and Daniel Hoyle. The Catoctin boys track team qualified in the 4x100, 4x400, and 4x800 relays. Additionally, freshman Ethan Robeson advanced to states in the shot put, after securing sixth place and a PR of 43 feet, seven inches. Senior Garrett Sullivan holds second place in the discus with a score of 129’2. Sullivan and William Smith both qualified in the long jump. Sullivan came in fourth and Smith grasped sixth place. Both players jumped a height of 5’7. The top two spots in the long jump were claimed by Buffington and Trammel. In addition, both qualified. Buffington scored 20’8 and Trammel scored 19’6.5. Ryan Horning came in ninth with 17’5.75. Lastly, in the triple jump Furious Trammel received a score of 40’9.5 in first place. Ryan Horning, in second place, qualified with 38’3.25

Every team member contributed to the victory, with five players acquiring personal records in six events. Some highlights include Brody Buffington scoring 10.60 in the 100 meter dash which earned him second place. Buffington also secured first place in the 200 meter dash with a PR of 21.54. Additionally, Buffington blew away competition with a first place win in the long jump. Buffington scored a PR of 21’ 7.5. Furious Trammel followed in second place for the long jump with a personal best of 21'3. In the 400 meter dash Trammel ran a PR of 51.1 which earned him fourth place. Dennis Lease took ninth place with a PR of 2:05.35 in the 800 meter race. In the 1600 meter race, Alex Contreras secured seventh place with a score of 4:41.56. Contreras also won fourth place in the 3200 meter race with a time of 9:46.21. Contreras obtained a PR of 30 seconds faster than his previous record.

Catoctin boys track also had major accomplishments in the relay races. The 4x400 relay team consisted of Dennis Lease, Alex Contreras, William Smith, and Furious Trammel. They ran a time of 3:36.20 and earned eighth place. The 4x800 relay team comprised of Dennis Lease, Gabriel Riling, Daniel Hoyle, and Alex Contreras. Of the four members, three were underclassmen. They ran a time of 8:49.83 which secured seventh place. Next, in the shot put, Ethan Robeson scored 43’2 and earned fifth place overall. Garrett Sullivan competed in the discus throw. Sullivan took second place in the event with a score of 128’3. Finally, in the triple jump, two players won spots in the top ten. Furious Trammel achieved third place with a score of 42’0 and Ryan Horning earned seventh with a score of 39’11.

Not to be outdone by the boys track team, the Catoctin girls track team also competed in the MPSSAA 1A State Championship. In the West Region 1A Championship the girls track team qualified in the 800 meter and 1600 meter. Additionally, Catoctin girls qualified in the 4x100, 4x200, 4x400, and 4x800 relay races. Some noteworthy events in the 1A State Championship include sophomore Jenna Conley seizing fifth place in the 3200 meter race and scoring a PR of 12:30.18. In the 800 meter, Conley also secured fifth place in the 1600 meter dash with a PR of 5:40.32. Conley would go on to gain PR’s in three different competitions. The 4x800 relay team was also led by Jenna Conley and consisted of (freshman) Kylie Foster, (sophomore) Kiera Taylor, and (sophomore) Natalie Hoyt. The team scored a time of 11:37.66 and earned ninth place. In the 4x400 relay, Catoctin placed tenth with a time of 4:34.59. The team consisted of (sophomore) Grace Williams, (sophomore) Allison Kelly, (sophomore) Ava Thompson, and (junior) Robyn Tucker. After much hard work, the Catoctin girls track team placed 19th in the 1A State Championship.

Coach Lillard credits the Catoctin boys track team’ s hard work and sacrifice as a result of their 1A State Champion title. "They gave up a lot of time, weekends, and time hanging out with their friends." Lillard also applauds the team’s ability to "take praise and criticism on a regular basis…They see it as a form of improvement." Coach Lillard emphasizes the role of every player in contributing to the CHS track team’s victory. "Most teams don't see a point in getting eighth place… it’s still a point and most championships only lose by one or two points." The Catoctin boys track team hopes to continue the success of this year. Furious Trammel remarked that he hopes the team will "win 1A again, in the winter and spring." The Catoctin community is very proud of what the boys and girls track team have accomplished. We look forward to what they achieve next season.