Hawks, Lady Hawks deliver balanced effort
Clinton Middle School’s Levi Braden explodes out of the starting block in the boys’ 200-meter dash at the Oak Ridge Legends Middle School meet on Saturday. He finished in third place overall with a time of 25.04 seconds. (photo:Tony Cox )
Clinton made its biggest statement in the boys’ 100-meter dash, where the Hawks placed two runners on the podium. Levi Braden led the way with a second-place finish in 12.98 seconds, followed closely by Bishop Demott, who took third in 13.13.
Braden added another top-three finish in the 200, placing third in 26.49 to cap a strong day on the track.
In the field events, Matthew Crowe delivered a standout performance in the long jump, finishing second with a leap of 15 feet, 10 inches. Jacob Deel added a fifth-place finish in the event, while Uriyah Pickett earned third in the discus and Uriah Mounce placed fifth in the shot put to round out a strong showing for the Hawks.
Nathan Jackson also competed in the 400, gaining valuable experience against a competitive field.
On the girls’ side, the Lady Hawks showed continued growth and depth across multiple events.
Maliyah Blevins led Clinton in the sprints, finishing fourth in the 100 in 14.59 before adding a fifth-place finish in the 200.
The Lady Hawks found their top finish of the meet in the hurdles, where Sophie Stainback placed third in the 100 hurdles in 21.33. Kaylynn Fritts added a fifth-place finish, while Lacie Murnahan was sixth to give Clinton multiple strong performances in the event.
In the field events, Brooklyn Daugherty led the Lady Hawks with a fourth-place finish in the long jump, while Oakleigh Walsh placed sixth in the shot put.
Across both teams, Clinton showcased balance, with athletes contributing in sprints, hurdles and field events against a competitive group of schools.
“I’m really proud of my athletes for coming into the meet with confidence,” Coach Dorian Ewing said.
“For a lot of these kids, this was their first track meet ever. I’m looking forward to seeing a lot of progress out of them as we get further into the season.”
With multiple podium finishes on the boys’ side and several top-five performances from the Lady Hawks, Clinton Middle School continues to build momentum as the track and field season progresses.
