WINSTON-SALEM — Making his first trip to states, junior Keonta Pegues made an impression over the weekend.
Competing against the best of the best in North Carolina, Pegues represented Richmond Senior High School in the NCHSAA 4A indoor track and field state championship meet held at the JDL Fast Track.
Entering the meet ranked inside the top 20 in the long jump, Pegues placed seventh overall. He recorded a distance of 21 feet, 9 inches.
That mark was just one inch off his personal record (21 feet, 10 inches), which he set earlier this season to qualify for the state championship.
Winning the long jump was Alexander Chapman-Evans of Enloe High School with a distance of 23 feet. Pegues was just five inches from breaking into the top five spots and a little more than a foot out of the top three.
Third place went to fellow Sandhills Athletic Conference opponent William Leak of Hoke County High School. His distance was 22 feet, 9.25 inches.
While he wasn’t the only Raider to qualify for the state championship, Pegues was the lone Richmond student-athlete to compete. Senior Aaron Coleman, who qualified for the 55-meter hurdles, was sidelined due to an injury.
Pegues said entering the championship meet as the 19th seed was a big motivator that pushed him to want to break into the top 10 spots.
“I wasn’t able to jump much this season because we had so many meets canceled,” Pegues said. “Trying to get over 22 feet was my goal and I knew I could get it because my form was good and I had been working for it. I just had a few errors that caused me not to reach it.
“Being the only Raider competing at states and getting to represent our school was pretty cool,” he added. “Seeing different levels of competition and seeing teams that had multiple athletes competing and their energy was amazing. It shows that our school can do it, too.”
An all-conference wide receiver during the fall for the football team, Pegues is a year-round student-athlete who is already gearing up for outdoor track and field. He also competes in other jumping events and is a sprinter.
With his state championship experience tucked in his belt, Pegues said he’s going to keep working to get better.
“I’m just going to keep attacking everything that comes my way,” Pegues said. “Like at practice I’m going to make sure I’m listening to Coach (John) Rich and do everything he says.
“Also, in the weight room, Coach (Brad) Denson and Coach (Kemp) McSween know what they are talking about, so listening to them and lifting will help everything,” he closed. “Other things that will help me get better are core work, stretching and plyometrics.”
