RAEFORD — It was a record-setting day for the Richmond Senior High School boys’ track and field team Thursday.
Competing in their second Mid-South Conference meet of the week, the Raiders faced host Hoke County High School, as well as Jack Britt High School.
One of Richmond’s nine event victories set a new school record. The Raiders’ 4x100-meter relay team rewrote the program record book by setting a new fastest time in the event, breaking the previous record holders from the 2018 season.
Blistering their way around the track were seniors Tyrese Collins, Amer Morrison, sophomore Ty Covington and senior Keonta Pegues. They won the race with a final time of 41.47 seconds, breaking the 2018 record of 41.56 seconds (-0.09 seconds).
The four Raiders also made it no contest against the other teams, as Pegues’ final burst of speed made it more than a two-second gap between second-place Hoke County (43.94 seconds).
Covington, Pegues and Collins each contributed to individual event wins. One of two two-win Raiders was Covington, who won the 110-meter hurdles (14.95 seconds) and the 200-meter dash (22.35 seconds).
Pegues also had a pair of wins, one on the track and one in the field. He placed first in the 100-meter dash (10.78 seconds) and followed with a victory in the long jump (21 feet, 5.5 inches).
In his win, Collins led the field in the 400-meter dash, clocking in at 53.42 seconds.
Richmond’s 4x200-meter relay team of seniors Domonic Tillman and Jayden Hamilton, junior Chance Crowder and freshman Maurice Lemon was first, too. Those four Raiders finished the two laps around the track in 1:30.53.
The Raiders’ final two event wins came in the field from juniors Jeremiah Covington and Elijah Ingram. Throwing the discus 136 feet, 8 inches was Covington, and Ingram’s mark of 51 feet, 2 inches won the shot put.
Of the six second-place results Tuesday for the Raiders, four came on the track and two were done in field events. Morrison was second in the 200-meter dash with a time of 22.43 seconds.
Junior Cameron Smith (16.17 seconds) and freshman Damarion Allen (11.22 seconds) placed second in the 110-meter hurdles and 100-meter dash, respectively. Senior Christian Surgent was the runner-up in the 800-meter run (2:11.81).
Over in the pits, junior Josiah Brewington was second in the high jump (5 feet, 8 inches) and senior Esaias Brunson placed No. 2 in the shot put (42 feet, 7 inches).
Lemon was one of four Raiders to place third, cracking the top three in the 200-meter sprint (23.23 seconds).
Other third-place finishers were freshman Axel Nunez in the 1600-meter run (5:30.98), senior Jordan Hamilton in the discus (118 feet, 1 inch) and senior Daylyn Robinson in the shot put (41 feet, 2.5 inches).
The Raiders will compete in another MSC meet next Wednesday at Pinecrest High School against the Patriots and Overhills High School. Events will begin at 4 p.m.
