CHS boys indoor track team wins state title

Mia Ferraro
CHS Class of 22

(3/2022) As Catoctin High School winter sports transition into their postseason, each winter team has made their mark on county and state leaderboards. Introducing a new MPSSAA Class 1A State Championship victory to the Catoctin community is the CHS boys indoor track team. Not only is this head coach David Lillard’s first state title at CHS, but it’s also the program’s first-ever. Keep reading for a run-down on the team’s results at the regional and state championship meets.

The CHS boys and girls indoor track teams both earned their qualification for states after their impressive performances at the MPSSAA 1A West Region Championships on Feb. 5. The boys qualified in 10 of 13 events, and the girls qualified for four. The boys won second place overall among 10 competing schools with 95 points -- only six points away from the regional championship title. CHS junior Brody Buffington took first place in the 55-meter dash with 6.48 seconds. Buffington also qualified for states in the 300-meter run, finishing in first place with a personal record of 36 seconds. In third place, sophomore Furious Trammel also set a personal record with 38.19 seconds. Trammel finished in fourth place in the 500-meter run with one minute, 14.98 seconds. Junior Alex Contreras had a time of 4:48.80, placing him first in the 1600-meter run. He also set a personal record of 10:20.48 in the 3200-meter run that landed him in second place. Senior Garrett Sullivan finished second in the high jump, with a distance of five feet, seven inches. In shot put, senior Wyatt Davis qualified for states with a distance of 40 feet, 0.5 inches, placing him in third. Although it didn't make states, freshman Ethan Robeson's results in the shot put finals currently makes him "the best freshman thrower in Catoctin history," as coach Lillard announced. In seventh place, Robeson finished with a personal record of 37-08.00.

Each of the CHS boys’ relay teams also qualified for states with their results at regionals. The 4x200-meter relay team, which consisted of Buffington, Layne Stull (senior), Josh Glass (senior), and Dylan Wangness (senior), took first place with a time of one minute, 39.81 seconds. A team of Contreras, Trammel, Sullivan, and Dennis Lease (freshman) participated in the 4x400-meter relay, coming in third with 3:50.61. Finally, the 4x800-meter relay team of Lease, Danial Hoyle (freshman), Chris Sanchez (junior), and Gabriel Riling (junior) took third place with a time of 9:27.18.

The girls team participated alongside the boys, sharing much of the well-earned glory. The girls team placed fourth overall among 12 schools with 47 points. CHS senior Jenna Zentz placed second in the 500-meter run with a personal record of one minute, 22.52 seconds. Sophomore Jenna Conley took fourth place in the 1600-meter run with a time of 5:51.85. Conley also placed third in the 3200-meter run with 12:53.28. The coordination between teammates -- and all underclassmen -- Kylie Foster (freshman), Alayna Kelly (freshman), Laura Kelly (freshman), and Hope Brown (sophomore) in the 4x800-meter relay secured them a spot at states, coming in second with 11:16.95. Furthering their success, the girls team set personal records in almost every event. As coach Lillard always says, "Stronger than yesterday always pays off."

Ready to build off of their momentum, the CHS teams traveled to the Baltimore Armory to attend the MPSSAA 1A State Championships on Feb. 22 alongside 24 other qualified high school teams. Representing the girls’ indoor track team in the 500-meter run, Zentz came in third with a time of one minute, 26.35 seconds. Conley finished in sixth place in both the 1600-meter run (6:20.67) as well as the 3200-meter run (13:32.29). The 4x800-meter relay team, then consisting of Foster, Alayna Kelly, Laura Kelly, and Conley, finished in fifth (11:27.28). Overall, the girls placed 10th in the state with 47 points. Representing the boys, Buffington won first place in both the 55-meter dash with 6.56 seconds as well as the 300-meter run (37.76). Trammel took second place after Buffington in the 300-meter run (38.52), and finished in fifth for the 500-meter run with a personal record (1:14.94). Contreras also set a personal record in placing fifth for the 1600-meter run (4:48.79), and took third in the 3200-meter run (10:47.68). Sullivan came in third place for shot put with a distance of five feet, six inches, and Davis placed fourth in shot put with 41 feet, two inches. The team finished the 4x200-meter relay in fifth place (1:43.21), the 4x400-meter relay in first place (3:53.60), and the 4x800-meter relay in fourth place (9:38.70). The boys team claimed their first-ever Maryland state championship with 72 points.

Although this was the boys’ first state championship victory, it wasn’t coach Lillard’s. Prior to joining the Catoctin athletic department, he had gathered numerous state titles in his 20 years of coaching at Oakdale as well as Urbana, whose girls team also won states this past month. It only makes sense that he would lead the Cougars to this championship in his second year at Catoctin. The Cougars continue to lead the county in various ways, gathering more and more recognition on county leaderboards. The community hopes to see many return for CHS track and field in the upcoming spring with the state title only increasing their motivation and success.

Sidebar: CHS girls basketball team makes #1 in Class 1A

After a well-fought regular season of 19-1 overall, the CHS girls basketball team carries into the playoffs as the top team in the state. The team claimed their Gambrill Division championship title on Feb. 15 after defeating Williamsport High School (17-2), whose only previous loss had been to the Cougars back in January. The Cougars’ victory lay primarily in their strong defense. CHS led 14-13 by the end of the second quarter, and the lead alternated between the teams in the second half. Senior Emily Williams’ made two foul shots with three seconds remaining, claiming the Cougars’s victory by a margin of one point: 37-36. This triumph assured their qualification to compete at the CMC Championships the following week.

The team’s last game of the regular season was on Feb. 17 against Walkersville High School (8-12) at a home game. Senior Emma Wivell contributed 21 points and 12 rebounds, freshman Taylor Smith gave 15 points, senior Emily Williams had 12 points, and freshman Grace Williams had eight rebounds. The Cougars prevailed 51-34. This sealed the team’s regular season record of 19-1, and the team’s seed as no. 1 in the Class 1A league in the state of Maryland.

As Gambrill Division champions, the Cougars proceeded to compete for the CMC Championship title against undefeated Urbana High School (21-0) on Feb. 22. The Cougars led 12-4 early in the first quarter, and their opponents cut the deficit to 15-13 by the second quarter. Urbana pulled ahead with 30-23 by the half, and 36-30 by the fourth quarter. By the end, the Cougars had fallen to the Spires Division champions 55-54. As expressed on the Catoctin Girls Basketball Facebook account, "Urbana’s size and length proved to be too much on this night." This loss did not take away from the girls’ hard-earned sense of accomplishment. After all, they remain the top Class 1A team in the state, and their eyes are still set on their ultimate goal: the state championship. "We will use this game to help us prepare for a state championship run in the playoffs," read the team’s Facebook post. Playoffs are scheduled to begin March 1 at home.