Class A state track meet: Sprinters from Paris, Fort Knox put injuries, competition behind
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Kentucky high school sports state championships
KHSAA state championships played out this weekend across four different sports in Lexington, and the Herald-Leader’s staff of writers and photographers covered all the action. Click below for highlights from the baseball, softball, tennis and track and field state championships.
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It’s championship weekend for high school track and field athletes in Kentucky.
The 2022 Clark’s Pump-N-Shop State Track and Field Championships are taking place this Thursday, Friday and Saturday at the Kentucky Outdoor Track and Field Facility on the UK campus in Lexington.
The Class A meet was Thursday, with Class 2A set for Friday and Class 3A on Saturday.
The first of three championship days in Lexington saw a future Louisville sprinter shine on the girls’ side, a dominant performance in three track events by the same runner on the boys’ side and a Class A state-meet record set in the girls’ discus throw.
Fort Knox won the boys’ Class A state title and Bishop Brossart won the girls’ Class A meet.
Future Louisville sprinter completes comeback
Senior Taesha Speaks from Paris will end her high school track career the way she started it, as a champion in the 100-meter and 200-meter dashes.
Speaks won both events at the Class A state meet in 2019, but missed out on the 2020 meet due to the coronavirus pandemic, and was out injured with a stress fracture during her junior year.
2022 brought a chance at redemption and the opportunity to close her high school career on a high, and Speaks did just that.
Her winning time of 12.24 seconds in the 100-meter dash was announced as the fastest time in the state of Kentucky this season, and was just 0.04 seconds slower than the Class A state meet record, set in 1980.
The injury bug briefly bit Speaks as a senior as well.
During the indoor season, Speaks pulled her Achilles’ and only returned to the track for the outdoor season just before the region meet.
“It was pretty exhausting, because I did so good my freshman year and I just kept getting set back the other years,” Speaks said. “This year there was a lot of pressure on me to make up (and do) what I did my freshman year.”
“It’s been pretty rough, so it feels good.”
Speaks will be going to Louisville to run track in the fall.
Fort Knox runner sweeps the sprints
It was a banner day on the track for Fort Knox senior Malik Blunt, who won a trio of events to significantly help Fort Knox win the Class A boys’ state title.
Blunt won the 100, 200 and 400, with his winning time in the 100 (10.74 seconds) just 0.04 seconds slower than the Class A state-meet record that was set in 1985.
“It meant a lot, all my hard work. It’s been a tough year for me dealing with injuries, I’m still kind of dealing with an injury right now,” Blunt said after winning his three individual state titles. “I had the mindset of ‘I’m coming out with something.’ I’m coming out with at least two or three, and that’s what it turned out to be.”
By himself, Blunt scored 30 points, which was more than all but seven schools at the meet.
Blunt will be continuing his track career this fall at Livingstone College, a historically Black Christian college in Salisbury, North Carolina.
Walton-Verona senior sets new state mark in girls’ discus throw
A Class A state-meet record was set in the girls’ discus throw, as senior Maggie Buerger from Walton-Verona won the event with a mark of 128 feet, 11 inches. The winning toss came on her third of six attempts.
That mark beat the previous Class A state-meet record of 125-9, which was set by Beechwood’s Brianna McCarthy in 2011.
Buerger also won the discus state title in 2021.
Despite her throw being the longest ever recorded in a Class A state championship meet, it wasn’t even a personal best for Buerger.
Her best is 132-4.
“I had a job I had to do so that’s what I went ahead and did,” Buerger said. “I’ve been working for this since seventh grade.”
Buerger, who also won the Class A state championship in shot put, will be heading to the University of the Cumberlands in Williamsburg this fall and will be on the Patriots’ track and field team.
Fort Knox secures boys’ title
Fort Knox held a healthy margin atop the leaderboard in winning the boys’ Class A state championship, accumulating 71 points.
Walton-Verona finished second with 57 points, with Pikeville third (45) and Beechwood fourth (44).
Fort Knox finished third at the 2021 state meet.
Lexington Christian finished 35th with four points Thursday.
Bishop Brossart goes back-to-back
Bishop Brossart cruised to its second straight Class A girls’ tate championship, scoring 104 points.
Second place Fort Campbell was more than 60 points behind, registering 41.67.
Third place was shared by Lexington Christian Academy and Paris, which each had 40 points.
Sayre finished in 41st with two points.
This story was originally published June 3, 2022 at 7:59 AM.
