Dorian Williams had his doubters when he took over the Centennial track program at the beginning of the year. Former coach Roy Sessions was a legend at the school, and few thought the new coach could be as effective.
They were wrong.
Not only did the Bulldogs girls claim their 16th consecutive regional championship on Saturday, but the boys also claimed their first regional title since 2017 at the 5A Southern Region track championships at Arbor View.
“Today was very redeeming,” said Williams, whose teams will compete for the state title next weekend in Sparks. “People thought we were going to have a down year. They didn’t realize it, but we heard what they were saying. We decided to ignore all that and just focus on the team. It’s my faith that has everything to do with where we are.”
5A girls
Though Williams had lost several key girls to injury, the team’s depth showed Saturday as the Bulldogs led most of the way and finished with 159.5 points, 42 points ahead of second-place Coronado. Shadow Ridge finished third with 83.5 points.
Centennial’s top performer was Teanna Codd, who won the 100 meters in 11.77 seconds and was third in the 200m in 24.64. She also played a part in the Bulldogs’ domination of the relay events, helping out as part of the winning 4x100m (46.86), and 4x200m (1:38.12) relay teams. The 4x400m team also won in 3:50.90.
Williams said his athletes were determined not to let injuries keep them from achieving their goal.
“It is an unstoppable thing,” the coach said. “The expectation is to win every year, and everyone knows the Centennial girls are the ones to beat.”
Another notable performance came from Coronado’s Brooke-Lynn Miller, who took second in the 1,600 and 3,200 meters, while the Cougars’ Jiselle Dudley, Lola Kelley and Ahtziri Gadzuric swept the top three spots in the 300m hurdles.
Arbor View’s Nneka Ebonka claimed title in the shot put and discus.
5A boys
The boys’ team scores remained close throughout the day, but Centennial finished with 135 points to edge second-place Desert Oasis (131.5). Shadow Ridge scored 82 to finish third.
“I am just so happy for the boys,” Williams said. “When we started last August, I wanted them to be just as good as the girls. They were long overdue to bring the championship back.”
Centennial got victories from Deross Fields in the 300m hurdles in 40.26, Maxwell Miles in the long jump (22-00.50) and the 4x800m relay team (7:54.92).
Desert Oasis’ Brayden Vierra-Gonzalez claimed titles in the 100m and the 200m.
4A state track championships
Girls
Also at Arbor View, Canyon Springs scored 101 points on Saturday to become the fourth different regional winner in four years. It was the first state championship in program history for the Pioneers’ girls.
Mojave was second with 75.83 points, and Sierra Vista (56.5) was third.
Jessica Davis led Canyon Springs with victories in the 100m (11.58) and the 200m (24.07). Teammate Jayla Fletcher-Thrower added a title in the long jump (18-01.00), Jasmyn Robinson won the 300m hurdles (36.36), and the 4x100m (47.21) and 4x200m (1:43.17) relay teams were victorious.
Boys
Green Valley claimed its second consecutive championship, scoring 120 points to beat second-place Mojave by 30 and third-place Basic by 45.
Gators coach Vanessa Nixon said the secret to her team’s squad was simple.
“They listen to their coaches, and they trust the process,” she said. “We knew we had a chance today, but it was kind of neck and neck all day. We had some athletes really step up, and that made the difference.”
Reese Leoncavallo was Green Valley’s hero of the day, winning the 800m (1:55.40), the 1,600m (4:34.05) and the 3,200m (9:31.34).
Mojave’s Jayden Patton won the 100m and 200m events.
Contact Jeff Wollard at jwollard@reviewjournal.com.
