Both Union City High School track teams appear primed and ready for another strong postseason run.
School Communications Director Mike Hutchens said the Tornado girls and boys won the team championships of the 46th annual Rotary Relays Friday on Friday, besting 20 other schools in the process.
Union City, which finished in the Top-10 in the state last season, posted a combined 15 first-place showings and set six modern-era school records in outclassing the large field and winning the competition for the second consecutive year.
Both Union City teams totaled 151 points. Haywood (92) was second in the boys’ standings, and Dyersburg (86) was No. 2 in the girls’ pecking order.
Relay teams, a point of emphasis for head coach Wade Maddox heading into the meet, shined for the Tornadoes. The Union City girls had four units claim first place, while the boys had a pair of record-setting quartets.
The girls’ 4X100 team of Nakayah Yarbrough, Aujani Moss, Indeya Hogsett, and Katana Bonds ran a 51.12 to win and establish a new program mark.
The 4X800 squad (Blair McKinnis, Bailey Wagoner, Ada Rogers, and Jayla Turner), the 4X200 team (Aujani Moss, Sh’Nyla Moss, Yarbrough, and Chloe Hubbard), and the 4X400 group (Yarbrough, Ca’Lae Ervin, Sh’Nyla Moss, and Turner) each won first place.
Wagoner led the field in both the 3200-meter run and the 1600-meter run, and Bonds captured first in the triple jump.
The Union City boys got another strong effort from sprinter Kameron Shade and multi-talented Adrian Crawford.
Shade broke his own school records in winning the 100 (10.83) and 200 meters (22.21) and was part of the 4X400 relay team that established a new mark (3:35.72). Malaki Brooks, Andre Small, and Crawford joined Shade in the first-place group.
Crawford (21’8”) also established a new mark in triumphing in the long jump.
Steady Keaten Brown added to his seasonal first-place efforts by winning the shot put. Tayshun Gentry claimed honors in the triple jump, and Woodrow McKinnis won the 1600-meter run.
The relay foursome of Brooks, McKinnis, Owen Wagoner, and Andrew Beard combined to beat everyone in the 4X800.
Shade, Rodney Jenkins, Tayehari Jones, and Shon Fuller finished second in the 4X200 but set a school mark with a time of 1:32.78.
“I really wanted to see the relay teams perform well, and they did,” Maddox said. “It was a tremendous experience for our kids against a good field, and I feel we’re starting peak at just the right time heading into the postseason.”
Union City will host the subsectionals on Thursday. The field events will begin at noon, and the running competition will start at 4:00.
