Showcase

East Nashville Girls and Pearl Cohn Boys MNPS track teams run away with small division TSSAA State Titles

Hillsboro Globe Reporter – Mike Strasinger, Contributing Reporter from SportsNashville.net|May 24, 2018

Murfreesboro, TN – It’s one thing to be picked to win it all, but another to actually do it. The East Nashville High School girls’ track team and the Pearl-Cohn High School boys’ track team were big favorites going into the TSSAA Division 1 Small Class Track and Field Championships, and they both delivered in a big way.

On the girls’ side, East Nashville already had 18 points going into the day thanks to a 1st and 2nd place finish in last week’s pentathlon with Kennedi Johnson winning the title and Jalena Curbeam coming in 2nd.

Wednesday morning was for field events and East Nashville had a field day. They got 18 points in the long jump, with Jalena Curbeam 1st, Jalyn Rice, 3rd, and Kennedi Johnson, 7th.

GIRLS RESULTS

The Eagles added on 21 more points in the triple jump with Curbeam 1st again, Rice 3rd, and Amia Stanton in 4th. 13 more points came in the high jump with Curbeam placing 2nd, Alayra Darrett getting 6th, and Breighel Buggs finishing 7th. Terriana Holt got 4th in the discus for 5 points, and when the morning events were done East Nashville had 75 points before the first race of the day was run.

To begin the afternoon on the track, the East Nashville girls swept the 100 hurdles for 24 points led by Kennedi Johnson in 1st, Keylmer Cruz in 2nd, and Jalena Curbeam in 3rd. Johnson picked up another state title in the 300 hurdles a bit later.

She was also a part of the winning 4×100 relay team. She had a hand in 42 points herself for the Eagles. Keylmer Cruz added 6 points in the 300 hurdles finishing 3rd. Alexia Patterson took 5th and Grace Cothran was 8th in the 100-meter dash for 5 points. Patterson was also 7th in the 200 meters for 2 points. The Eagles took 2nd in the 4×200 for 8 points.

Jade Gordan finished 6th and Aaliyah Cummings was 8th in the 400 meter run for 4 points. Sadie Frogge got 3 points for her team by finishing 6th in the grueling 3200-meter run, and finally the Eagles placed 2nd in the 4×400 relay for 8 more points. When the day was done East Nashville had 155 points and the state championship. The 155 points are believed to be a state record.

BOYS RESULTS

Elijah Simmons started the day off for Pearl-Cohn with wins in the shot and discus, while teammate Corey Mosely finished 3rd in the shot, and Josiah Titus-Lenox chipped in with an 8th place finish in the high jump.

The Firebirds had 27 points after field events, before turning the day over to the stable of sprinters. Pearl-Cohn’s relay teams dominated the day winning the 4×100 and the 4×200 and placing 2nd in the 4×400. In the 4 x100, Jay Parker, running the anchor leg for the Firebirds, got the baton about 10 meters behind Raleigh Egypt’s Mr. Football winner Kayln Granberry and was able to run him down in the stretch to win at the wire.

Other highlights included Pierre Nickson winning the 400 and taking 3rd in the 200. The Firebirds finished with 103 total points. Next was Alcoa with 79.