Locals do well at the prestigious VA Showcase track meet that brought together some of the nation’s best athletes
VIRGINIA BEACH — Oscar Smith is known as a football school, but the Tigers are quickly becoming a national power in track, too.
On Saturday, the Tigers’ 4×200-meter relay of Jahmari DeLoatch, Alvin Jones, Chadison Cowan and Jeryll Gaines ran a blazing 1 minutes, 26.01 seconds at the VA Showcase to finish runner-up to Archbishop Carroll of Washington, D.C., which ran 1:25.79.
The time tied the Tigers’ personal best as they also ran 1:26.01 last season, which is the third-fastest high school time ever in the event.
“It means a lot. We came out here with one goal in mind, we wanted to try and break the national record,” Gaines said about the national record of 1:25.60, set by Bullis of Maryland in 2019. “That was one of the biggest things that was on our minds. Walking into the meet, we were one of the two teams to watch. So this means a lot.”
The VA Showcase moved to the Virginia Beach Sports Center in 2021. Last season, it drew 4,500 athletes from 35 states.
Gaines, DeLoatch and Jones, all football players, said it felt good to represent the Tigers in another sport.
“We wanted to prove that we’re not just a football program, but also a great sports program in general,” Gaines said. “Oscar Smith football has done a lot in Virginia, and now track is. It just shows that we’re good at what we do. We can do multiple sports and compete with the best of the best.”
DeLoatch, a junior defensive back, is rated a four-star prospect by 247Sports and three-star by On3.com. He has seven offers, including from Michigan, Virginia Tech, Duke, Wake Forest and Old Dominion. He said having the Tigers do well in track means a lot.
“It does add a special meaning,” he said. “It just shows that we’re good at what we do. We can do multiple sports and compete with the best of the best.”
Cowan, the lone member of the relay team who doesn’t play football, said he expects the Tigers to run even faster at the indoor national meet in a few months.
“We’re chasing bigger things,” he said about a national title. “We’re coming harder next time.”
Jones, a wide receiver, said being a public school and competing against private schools, who can recruit, gave them extra motivation.
“It means a lot to come out here and show people what we can really do,” he said. “No matter how much money you give someone, if the kids around the corner want it more than you, you’re not beating me. They wanted it a little bit more than us today, but we’re going to be ready to win next time.”
Grassfield sophomore Sophie Rambo had a big weekend.
She finished third in the 300 meters Friday and won the 500 meters Saturday. Her times of 38.99 in the 300 and 1:13.56 in the 500 are the fastest in the state this season.
Indian River senior Brianna Selby finished third in the 50 (6.26), 55 (6.78) and 60 (7.28) meters.
Deep Creek freshman Destini Gatling won the long jump with a state-best jump of 18 feet, 9 ¼ inches.
Bayside junior Andrew Salvodon finished runner-up in the 500 in 1:03.75, the second-fastest time in the state this season.
Western Branch senior Antonio Smith finished third in the 55 hurdles (7.33) and 60 hurdles (7.88). His time in the 55 is the second-best in the state this season, and his 60 hurdles time is tops this season.
Larry Rubama, 757-575-6449, larry.rubama@pilotonline.com
