CFNN Reporter Darius Walker

The Colts track team has qualified for regionals in 2 more events. As if that wasn’t enough, they also broke a school record! 

That is correct, there is a new school record for the 4000M Distance Medley Relay (DMR) set by our runners Chris Shick, Collin Shick, Andrew Bertacini, and James Riddle. They not only beat the old record but shattered it, finishing the 4000M DMR in 12:01, beating the old record by 22 seconds and cementing themselves in Cape Fear’s History for years to come.

The Colts dominated in the United 8 Conference Meet on March 13th, placing in the top 2 in 13 events, 7 of those being relays. 

Khalil Marshall and Brianna Birdlow participated in 3 of those events, playing a big role in Cape Fear’s amazing showing Thursday. 

Birdlow ran the Girls 4x100M, 4x200M, and 4x400M. Marshall ran the Boys 4x200M and 4x400M, but really showed his athleticism by showcasing his speed in the 200M dash, then showing his endurance by competing in a second event. 

The Boys 4x200M relay was the Colts 2nd group to win their event. This was no surprise, considering they already qualified for Regionals last week.

Savon Page was a runner in not one, not two, not three, but four of the events that finished in second place or better. He ran the 4x800M, 4x400M, 800M Dash, and 400M Dash. 

Page had an unbelievable performance Thursday and is looking to continue this hard work the rest of the season. It takes a lot of endurance to compete in 4 events, let alone place as high as he did. Page was certainly up to the challenge.

The Colts also finished in at least second place in the Boys 100M Hurdles, 100M Dash, and 1600M Run. Kamari Faison (100M Hurdles), Bryan Charles (100M Dash), and Chris Shick (1600M Run) all had great times in their events Thursday helping Cape Fear stand out even more.

Next, the Colts ran in the Mid-South Relay Meet Saturday and had another special outing with 11 Top 3 finishes showing that we can compete with any and everyone we are put up against. 

Out of the 11 events that the team finished top 3 in, 8 were relay races. The Colts had to work through several obstacles before their meet Saturday. The team had to prepare for several new events in which they had never competed before. Even with the new challenges, the team still found their way to top placements in events like the 800M SMR, 1600M SMR, and Thrower Relay. All three events were won by the Colts.

The Colts newest regional qualifiers this week were the Girls 4x100M and the Boys 300M Hurdles.

The Girls 4x100M, run by Leah Carter, Samantha Graves, Nariyah Scott, and Justice Campbell, ran a 50.40 time, which already firmly sets them as a top team in the Region. 

The Boys 300M, run by Brandon Patton who ran a 41.18, putting him in the top 4 in the Region.

“For a week or 2 we did a lot of hurdle work, going over my trail leg, and going over my speed when attacking the hurdles,” said Patton.

Patton also said that he believes he is a lock for states this year whether it be 300M Hurdles or any of the other events he runs.

“Brandon has shown a tremendous level of dedication and commitment going into his 300M, his training has included several hurdle drills and working on his stride pattern,” said Head Coach Luis Guillen.

Coach Guillen has worked with Brandon for 2 years and said that he has seen a lot of improvement and overall growth through those 2 years. 

“Brandon leads by example both on and off the track demonstrating his strong work ethic, discipline, and commitment to excellence, he has a natural ability to motivate and inspire his teammates and motivating them to push themselves,” said Guillen on Patton’s leadership as a captain on the team.

The Colts have already started off this year in amazing fashion, showing that their entire team can compete with the best on any given day and Qualifying for Regionals in 4 events this year in less than half of the season and I wouldn’t be surprised if those numbers doubled or even tripled in these upcoming weeks.