Gibsland-Coleman’s purple-and-gold party that started in Lake Charles in March continued to roll through Baton Rouge on Thursday on its way to graduation next Thursday.
And seniors De’Avery Durham and DeMarquis Durham, two of the school’s many crossover stars from the basketball court to the track, said all are invited to celebrate.
The Bulldogs dominated and cruised to a Class C outdoor track and field state championship at LSU’s Bernie Moore Stadium with the cousins among several crossover stars from this spring’s basketball title to yet another memorable day for the program and community.
“We love y’all — we did it for y’all!” De’Avery shouted as a message to the team’s supporters, with DeMarquis chiming in: “And we’re gonna carry this on!” and “This is history!”
Gibsland-Coleman blew the doors off the team competition early and never let up with 148 points to nearly double second-place Hackberry’s 75 and more than triple third-place Saline’s 44.
De’Avery (20-03.50) and junior Xavier Gray (19-09.75) went 1-2 in the long jump, DeMarquis (42-11.75) and junior Justin Woodford (40-02.75) went 1-2 in the shot put and junior Ke’meyon Smith (5-11.50) and Gray (5-09.75) finished second and fourth in the high jump to help provide huge points early.
The Bulldogs continued to stack great performances from a variety of directions all the way through a 1-2 finish by DeMarquis (22.78 seconds) and De’Avery (22.98 seconds) in the 200-meter dash.
“It’s really special for them to just finish basketball less than a month and a half or so ago and then come here and do the same things in track and leave that legacy,” coach Margo Malone said of the graduating senior class. “Leaving with two championships is really special for those guys because most of the same ones just won basketball.”
DeMarquis (11.12 seconds) and De’Avery (11.29 seconds) went 1-2 in the 100-meter dash as well and ran half the legs of a winning 4×100-meter relay (45.25 seconds) with Smith and Zaiden Brice.
Woodford won the 110-meter hurdles (17.13 seconds) and 300-meter hurdles (44.71 seconds) in addition to his early shot put podium finish.
And senior Brian Wright won the triple jump (42-07.00) to wrap up his decorated prep career, and eighth-grader Terrion Porter (40-08.25) took second as he begins his own.
“Today feels amazing,” Wright said. “Honestly, it really brings me to tears because all season I’ve been dealing with injuries. It’s really been painful for me. And to actually come out here and win at state on the biggest stage for high school, it means the world to me. I couldn’t ask for anything better.”
Smith, Xzavior Lewis, Carlos Gray and Brice took first in the 4×200-meter relay (1:39.71) for a total of nine first-place finishes for the school, including five 1-2 finishes.
A fourth-place discus throw from senior Deveryuan Moore (98-00) and fifth-place 300-meter hurdles by sophomore Jeremiah Curry (46.86 seconds) helped further bolster the scoring.
While the landslide performance felt like a joy ride at times for a fun-loving squad, Malone explained that the journey to that point had not been without adversity, including some injuries hindering standouts in recent years or even a hamstring limiting DeMarquis Durham much of this spring.
“We had a tough season this whole season with the injuries that we had and pulling together as a team to get going,” she said. “We worked hard. We really worked hard. From the seventh-graders on up to the seniors, we got it done. We pulled together, and it took the whole team to get it done. And my senior, DeMarquis Durham, we rested him all season to get him where we needed him to be today with the hamstring injury that we had. And we got him healed for today and just made him take care of himself to regionals to get him here today.”
The challenges made the moment all the more sweet for DeMarquis, nicknamed “Juicy,” as he celebrated Outstanding Performer honors with four gold medals around his neck.
“I’m gonna just be honest: It felt great,” he said. “Last year, I had pulled my hamstring, and I could barely run. But this year, I fought hard to keep working, keep soaking to make my leg feel better. Just don’t ever give up.”
Gibsland-Coleman’s balanced performance was particularly highlighted by sprints, jumps and throws.
Meanwhile, dominant hurdles and distance showings helped lead Evans to the Class C girls title.
Senior Reese Jeane swept the 800-meter (2:27.61), 1600-meter (5:30.46) and 3200-meter (12:09.28) and anchored the winning 4×400-meter relay (4:30.53) to earn the girls’ Outstanding Performer distinction.
Eighth-grader Anna Claire Sharp (2:37.89) finished second in the 800-meter, and seventh-grader Madelyn Thompson finished third in the 1600-meter (5:58.23) and 3200-meter (13.54.08)
“I was excited today because I had a teammate in each of my races today … and just all of the work that we’ve put in since last year,” Jeane said. “It helps a lot just so I’m not by myself in every race. It’s a lot of fun too.”
Sophomore Addison Outlaw-Knight swept the 100-meter hurdles (16.92 seconds) and 300-meter hurdles (a class-record 47.01 seconds), led off the 4×400-meter relay and finished fourth in the triple jump (31-11.50).
“The plan today was break records and just come prepared, and it was nice,” she said. “I’ve been coming every year for the 300 hurdles. And I got beat last year, so I knew that I needed to do good this year. And it just so happened that I broke the class record, and it felt really good.”
Sophomore Taylor Simmons finished second in shot put (33-09.25) and senior Stormy Jeane finished third in the javelin (113-04) to round out the Eagles’ podium finishers. And junior Maizy Spears chipped in a fifth-place 200-meter dash (28.80 seconds).
Evans finished with 100 points to top team standings with Simpson (80), Reeves (69) and Saline (63) as the closest competition.
“I’m super excited,” Outlaw-Knight said. “I’m glad we were able to do it as a team, and I’m very thankful for my team.”
The Gibsland-Coleman boys and Evans girls headlined Thursday overall, but a wide range of student-athletes starred in their opportunities, including Hathaway senior Kaitlyn Sawyer who earned the Class B girls Outstanding Performer distinction with golds in the 800-meter (2:22.30), 1600-meter (5:13.29) and 3200-meter (11:50.14) distance runs.
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