Ra'Hji Dennis Wins Boys 100-200 Sprint Double

Story and Photos By Arthur L. Mack for DyeStat 

Saraland’s Morgan Davis was not April Fooling around this weekend as she became the first female since 2015 to win back-to-back Outstanding Meet Performer honors at the Mobile Challenge of Champions Invitationald.

Davis repeated her 2022 victories in the long jump, where she achieved a meet record 20 feet, 4.50 inches, the 100 meters (11.90) and the 200 (24.18). 

Kendell Williams of Kell (Marietta, Ga.) was a repeat Outstanding award winner in 2012 and 2013 and Candace Hill of Conyers GA won the awards in 2014 and 2015. Both of them were national high school record holders and are currently pros. 

RESULTS

(The only male to win back-to-back Outstanding Meet Performer honors was Hoover’s Marlon Humphrey in 2012 and 2013.)

“I’m definitely blessed and grateful to be able to come out and run today,” Davis said. “I knew if I got out strong and if I held my speed, I could definitely win the race. I just knew coming in I had to be confident.”

Ra’Hji Dennis of Edna Karr High in New Orleans won male MVP honors, winning the 100 and 200 (10.55/21.41) as well as anchoring the winning 4x100 relay (41.85). Dennis, who finished third in the 100 meters in last year’s meet, said he was motivated to have a strong performance.

“I wanted to put a show on for the people in Mobile, Alabama and I delivered,” he said. “In my last race, I ran into a 5.5 mile an hour headwind and ran 10.81. I just knew I had to come out here and get a faster time. We’ve been working to get that fast time, trying to get that muscle memory and try to perfect it.”

Davis started with a bang, breaking the long jump record of 20-1.25 held by Hartselle’s Quanesha Burks in 2012, holding off Demopolis AL's Shonedra Richardson, who jumped 19-11. Despite attending her high school prom the night before, Davis said she was feeling good and ready to go.

“I knew I had the jump in me; I just had to put all the pieces together,” Davis said. “I knew coming down the runway it was going to be a big jump. Coming into the meet, I was feeling pretty good. We had prom yesterday and I got in a little late, but I still felt pretty good.”

Some of the other top performances included:

·>> Chelsea AL winning the girls 4x800 in 9:26.45, while Catholic-Baton Rouge defended its title in the boys 4x800, winning in 7:53.79. Cady McPhail, who anchored Chelsea’s 4x800, came back to win the 800 in 2:15.42.

>> Auburn AL's T.J. Autry winning the boys high jump, clearing 6-8.

>> St. Paul’s Episcopal’s of Mobile's Janie Ford winning the triple jump with a new personal best of 41-0.75, as well as the 100-meter hurdles (14.37). She also was second in the 300-meter hurdles (43.77) behind Reah Degraffenried of Shades Valley (42.89). Ford's teammates, Stone Smith, Evan Wrights and Mac Conwell also won races — Smith winning the mile, running 4:13.62 and barely missing the meet record set by Christian Balcer of East Central MS in 2021 (4:13.28); Wrights winning the 800 in a photo finish over Tanner Moore of Pearl MS, 1:54.13 to 1:54.14; and Conwell convincingly winning the 2-mile run in 9:28.61.

>> Calera AL's Braylyn Farrington winning the boys 400 in 47.82.

>> Jayshon Ridgle of Athens AL winning the boys 110-meter high hurdles in a photo finish over Mobile McGill-Toolen Catholic’s Anthony Eager. Both ran 14.35.

>> Catholic-Baton Rouge’s Paul Catalanatto winning the boys javelin (190-9).

>> Meagan Womack of Clinton MS winning the girls shot (43-1) and the discus (132-7).

>> Hoover AL winning the girls 4x400-meter relay (3:50.90).