By Mike Clark
It’s not that big meets are easy for Armond Boulware and his Kenwood teammates.
But they’re not any more challenging than the intrasquad battles Boulware and fellow juniors Paris Hartley Jr. and Logic West go through every single day on the Broncos track.
“It helps a lot,” Boulware said. “For example, me having a bad day, not feeling too hot — the competition in us just drives us to work harder in practice. Every practice is like the NBA Finals. All day, all day, every day we just push each other so much to improve.”
That showed in Saturday’s Public League championships at the Worrill Track and Field Complex at Gately Park.
Boulware, Hartley and West picked up big points all day long as Kenwood breezed to the boys title, 109-85 over runner-up Young. Lane (69), Payton (68) and Mather (59) rounded out the top five.
Junior sprinter Angelena Bullocks sparked a dominant run by Young to the girls title, 128.5-77 over Lane. Kenwood (66.5), Simeon (51) and South Shore (46.5) completed that top five.
Hartley, Boulware and West accounted for six titles between them along with a pair of runner-up finishes.
Besides winning the 200 in 21.97, Boulware took second to Hartley in the 60 (7.06) and joined Nicholas Segura, Xavier Johnson and Kendall Norris on the first-place 800 relay team (1:31.04).
“I’ve been trusting my coach,” Boulware said. “I’m trying to make a statement from me and my team because I actually want us to go somewhere this year.”
Like Boulware, Hartley loves being pushed in the daily workouts.
“That’s how we like it,” Hartley said. “That’s all we’ve really got competing in the city so it’s good having somebody I can go toe-to-toe with every day in practice.”
How big are those in-house matchups?
“Really important,” Hartley said. “We take that more personal than the race itself.”
Hartley won the long jump with a 23-0.75 leap, took first in the 60 meters at 7.03 and was runner-up to Boulware in the 200 (21.98).
“Last year, my problem was my approach,” Hartley said of the long jump. “So this year I’ve been doing a lot of work … now my approach is better. It allows my in-air form to also be better.”
West cleared 6-7.5 to win the high jump and also took first in the 400 at 50.7.
He too likes the intensity of Kenwood’s practices.
“It keeps me focused on the main goal and what we all want to accomplish as a team,” he said.
On the girls side, Bullocks swept the 60 (7.51) and 200 (24.49) and ran on the winning 800 relay team (1:42.55) with Simone Bernard, Mia Seaton and Ella Sweatt.
“I started off really slow at the beginning of the year,” Bullocks said. “I had to keep believing in myself. … I have so many expectations of people rooting for me that I don’t want to let them down.”
Bullocks and the Dolphins next will head to the Texas Relays.
“Until then, I just want to get my body back on (track) for outdoors. … I just want to make sure I’m ready for state, which happens to be (on) my birthday again.”
The other standout on the girls side was Simeon sophomore Mariyah Robinson, who won the long jump (16-10.5) and 400 (57.49) and took second to Bullocks in the 60 at 7.57.
“I knew I had to come prepared,” Robinson said. “I knew it wasn’t going to be light or easy.”
She was especially proud of her effort in the 400.
“I have a (love-)hate relationship with the (400),” Robinson said. “But I showed that I could actually do it and stopped doubting myself about it. And today I PR’d.”
Other boys winners included Payton’s Gabriel Cooper in the 3,200 (9:42.71), South Shore’s Kaleb Tucker in the 60 hurdles (8.27), Young’s Dalton Lowery in the 800 (2:00.94), Noble Academy’s Dashawn Williams in the 400 (54.03), Mather’s Yacoub Fedjer in the 1,600 (4:55.49), Mather’s Karlos Ibarra in the shot put (48-1.25), Mather’s Nathaniel Williams in the triple jump (43-6.5), Young in the 3,200 relay (8:03.00) and Payton in the 1,600 relay (3:30.02).
There was an unusual situation in the girls 60 hurdles. South Shore’s Jordan Hamb won the race initially, but the timing device malfunctioned. The event was run a second time with Young’s Bernard winning in 8.84 and meet officials declared Bernard and Hamb co-champs.
Other girls winners included Lane’s Riley Coomer in the 3,200 (12:01.82), Lane’s Sophie Mullins in the 800 (2:18.85), Ogden’s Charlotte Muller in the 1,600 (5:31.59), Young’s Chidiogo Odeluga in the shot put (36-5), Young’s Layla Bonilla in the high jump (5-3), Young’s Morgan Cade in the triple jump (37-10.75), Lane in the 3,200 relay (9:50.50) and Young in the 1,600 relay (3:59.02).
Photos by Margo Grogan/Sports Depiction
Photos by Hezekiah Clark/OSA
