One For The Ages

“A champion needs a motivation above and beyond winning.” ~ Pat Riley

The Oakland Mills boys track & field program has been finding that motivation for more than 40 years now, back when the most storied MPSSAA boys track program won their first state championship in 1981. The Scorpions won their state-best 15th state title in dominating fashion Saturday at the Prince Georges Sports Complex, setting a MPSSAA record for both points and point margin, among all classifications, dating back 70 years, when the MPSSAA began track & field.

No other boys track team had ever put on a performance like the Scorpions did on Saturday, as the kids from Columbia racked up 168 points, snapping Mt Hebron’s state-best mark of 155 set in 2003, and destroyed their own state record for point margin of +78 set in 1994, by amassing 168 points, and out-pointing runner-up Hammond by +121 points. To put in perspective, the Scorps outscored the next three teams in their classification, combined, as well as the 4A and 3A state champions point total, combined.

The ‘94 Scorpions, who scored 141 points at that championship meet, won ten gold medals that day. Saturday, the Scorps added six gold medals to the four they won on day one of the meet on Thursday, matching the ‘94 Scorps with ten gold medals. The Scorpions added three silver medals and four bronze medals. To add, the Scorps added three 4th place finishes, one 5th place finish, and two 6th place finishes.

Scorpions coach Chris Brewington beamed, “I’m speechless right now. I couldn’t be more proud of this group of student athletes. What they have done is literally historic. It’s quite possibly the best boys track team ever. Every time I think they have shown me their best effort, they give us something even bigger and better. It was an incredible feat to watch unfold before our eyes.”

The Scorpions won back-to-back state championships for the sixth time in their program’s history, a history that is unparalleled. Since Oakland Mills opened in September of 1973, no other program has won half the amount of the 15 state championships the Scorpions have won. The Scorpions have won a state championship in each of the last five decades.

The Scorpions unbridled success can be attributed to great athletes, great coaches, and a culture where one finds motivation beyond winning.

Track & field lends one to search for motivation beyond winning, as your measuring your personal record (your ‘PR’) against yourself as much as you are anything else, if you continue to win. You have to search inside for that extra gear.

Lincoln Judson IV has that extra gear, and he’s been in that gear ever since spring sports opened up back again last spring, winning his first state championship with the Scorps. Then, again, in February, Lincoln IV won four gold medals at the MPSSAA indoor track championships, and led the Scorps to their ninth indoor state championship.

The Virginia Tech commit saved his best for his last high school meet, taking home four gold medals, and rewriting record books. Lincoln IV swept all three sprints – the 100, 200, and 400 meters. Thursday, Lincoln IV ran on the 4×200 gold medal relay team that broke a 2A state championship meet record, and tied for the fourth fastest time in championship history, among all classifications.

Saturday, Lincoln IV broke the 200 meter state championship meet record, among all classifications, with a time of 20.90. Prior to that, Lincoln IV took gold in the 100, clocking in at 10.46, the third fastest time in MPSSAA championship history, and fastest time in any finals in 38 years. Both times set county records.

If personal motivation isn’t enough, or motivation provided by great coaches like head coach Chris Brewington and assistant Renato Gonzalez isn’t either, young Scorpions don’t have to look any further than any of their great predecessors feats and times, when opponents just won’t due.

Lincoln IV had that motivation in former Scorpion and Florida Gator great, Kyle Farmer, who laid a litany of records in his four years on Kilimanjaro from ‘98 through ‘01. Not only did Farmer lead the Scorpions to more than a handful of county, regional, and state championships, but he set the standard for sprinters like Lincoln IV that ran the 100, 200, and 400, to measure.

On Saturday, not only did Lincoln IV run the fastest time in the 200 in state championship history, but he edged past Farmer’s county record of 20.91 ran at a showcase in ‘99 by one-hundredth of a second. An hour earlier, Lincoln IV snapped Farmer’s 100 meters county record by four one-hundredths of a second. Earlier this spring, Lincoln IV broke Farmer’s county record in the 400 meters when he ran a 46.88 at the Don Boyer Invitational at Middletown, almost a second ahead of Farmer’s previous county mark of 47.81.

Coach Brewington praised his star sprinter, “Judson was the heart and soul of this team. He saved his biggest and best performance for last. Judson isn’t your typical superstar. He’s a super human. He’s humble, he works hard, and he accepts coaching. He’s a better person than he is an athlete.”

While Lincoln won the maximum four gold medals, he was just one of eight Scorpions to win multiple medals, including each winning a gold. Overall, 11 different Scorpions won medals. Kanye Holland won three gold medals and a silver, winning the long jump and 4×200 relay on Thursday, and winning the 300 meter hurdles and finishing second in the triple jump on Saturday. John Tatum IV won two gold medals, teaming with Lincoln IV and Holland on the 4×200 relay on Thursday, and winning the 110 meter high hurdles on Saturday. Tatum IV added a bronze medal  as part of the 4×400 relay. Tatum upset favorite Jadon Ra-Akbar of Hammond in the 110 meters hurdles, while Holland ran away from the competition by more than two seconds in the 300 meters hurdles.

Also Thursday, Aki Harvey took the gold in the high jump, and Ethan Aidam was atop the podium in the 3200 meters. The Scorpions also won gold in the 4×100 on Saturday. Harvey was part of the medal winning 4×100 relay team, as was Shane King, who won a pair of golds running with the 4×100 and 4×200 relay teams, and added a bronze in the 100 meters, joining Lincoln IV on the winner’s podium. Trevin McHargh was also part of the 4×100 and 4×200 championship relay teams.

Aidam added a silver in the 1600 meters, to go with his gold in the 3200 meters.  Xavier Doctor ran the final leg of the gold medal winning 4×100 relay team, and the third leg of the bronze medal winning 4×400 relay team. Seniors Zachary Feldman and Kylik Perry joined Tatum IV and Doctor on the 4×400 medal winning relay team. Abdur Assan finished third in the high jump, joining his gold medal winning teammate Harvey on the winner’s podium.

Coach Brewington couldn’t say enough about his other three senior stars. “Kanye Holland (quarterback for the state semifinalists) became our Swiss Army Knife – sprints, jumps, hurdles, it didn’t matter, he was going to dominate. Aki Harvey may be the biggest ‘bring your A game’ on game day I’ve ever seen. Came into the day seeded 10th in the high jump, wins it, and takes the baton on the 4×100 relay and pulls away from everyone. John Tatum IV has been the runner that’s come so close for four years….until Saturday, when he literally came bursting through to pull an upset over an extremely talented runner.”

There’s something in the water on Kilimanjaro, as the Scorpions sprinters have carried them continuously to state championships for more than 40 years. Nine different Scorpions runners have won 13 gold medals in the 100 meters. Eight different runners have won 13 gold medals in the 200 meters, and five different runners have won nine gold medals in the 400 meters. The depth of speed on each of the 15 state championship teams has translated to gold medal relay teams. Over the years, the Scorpions have won the gold medal in the 4×100 ten times, the 4×200 – 11  times, and the 4×400 – 13 times. Not only are the Scorpions the only school in MPSSAA history to win at least ten state titles in all three events, they are the only one to win ten in any of the three events since it’s first state championship meet in 1974. It should be no surprise a Scorpion won the 100 meters in their second state meet, and a second in its sixth. Speed kills.

The 2022 Scorpions put on a performance for the ages, out-distancing runner-up Hammond 168-47, in the final tally, extending the state record for point margin by more than 40 points. The Scorpions 168 points broke Mt Hebron’s previous state record of 155 points set in 2003, when the Scorpions finished as a state runner-up for the only time in their program’s history, despite scoring 93 points, and enough to win the 1A, 3A, and 4A state titles yesterday, all by double-digits.

Running away from the pack to grab state titles is nothing new on Kilimanjaro, as yesterday’s performance was the seventh time amassing 100 points in a state championship meet, the fifth time winning by 50 points or more, and ninth time winning by 30 points or more.

While the Scorps have an unrivaled legacy, Coach Brewington and his staff deserve as much credit for sustaining the success on Kilimanjaro, as do coaches Ivan Walker, Sam Singleton, and Brian Winfield do for building the dynasty. Of the Scorpions 15 state championships, 12 were won in a 22 year period from ‘89 through ‘10. But, the 2010 state title was the program’s only one in a 13 year period from ‘05 through ‘17, the year before Brewington came to Oakland Mills. Since, Brewington has guided his program through a pandemic, and led his boys teams to three state championships in twelve months, and saw his girls team win just its second state championship yesterday, and first in 44 years. 

While Lincoln IV, Holland, Tatum IV, and Harvey graduate, King, McHargh, Doctor, and Aidam, are all juniors, and will all be defending gold medal winners next May. King and McHargh finished third and fourth, respectively, in the 100 meters, behind Lincoln IV and Dunbar senior Aaron Charles, and the two juniors had the best preliminary times among underclassmen in the 400 meters, where King won a bronze. Doctor finished fourth in the 400 meters. All three will be favored to win multiple medals next year in sprints and relays. Aidam will return as the defending state champion in the 3200 meters, and the defending silver medalist in the 1600 will be favored to win golds in both the 1600 and 3200, if not the 800, where he finished fourth this weekend. Three of the four members on the 4×100 gold medal team return in King, McHargh, and Doctor, and two of the four will return for the defending champion 4×200 unit, in King and McHargh. Abdar Hassan, a junior, won a bronze in the high jump, and will be one of the two favorites in that event next year.

Pressed about his talented returnees, Brewington remarks, “Shane King is a phenom’. On any other team, he’s their best kid. He’s a leader on and off the track, humble, and just a total student of the sport. McHargh is so steady, not phased by the moment. He’s also humble, hardworking, and he did a great job of bringing everyone together this season. Aidam was in the shadows of state champion Baidy Ba last year, and came out this year by making a name for himself, winning the 3200, and grabbing second in the 1600. Doctor is brand new to the sport, and already has colleges looking at him. Hassan got overshadowed by the Scorpions other three stars in the field events, but he has a huge upside. He’s a wrestler, who is giving up that sport to focus on track full-time. Kharles Ngasni, the county’s Defensive Player of the Year in football, returns, after being sidelined the final month if the track season due to Covid. We’re still loaded.” I’d say.

A ‘three-peat’ and 16th state championship has just several hurdles in its path, and if they aren’t enough to keep the defending state champions honest, Brewington and the kids will set up more hurdles, to push them even further, when opponents can’t.

As for the Scorpions girls team, the forecast looks bright for their unit too, with more than a handful of medal-winning girls athletes returning to Kilimanjaro next year. Frankie Moore, who won the gold medal in the 1600 meters, is only a sophomore. Three of the four members of the gold medal winning 4×200 relay team return, including juniors Saniya Curtis and Aliya Murray, and sophomore Fisayo Sule. Murray also finished fourth in both the 100 and 200 meters, and posted the second fastest time among underclassmen in the 100, and the third fastest in the 200. Boluwaitito Ogundairo returns with Curtis and Sule on the silver medal winning 4×100 team. Alicia Hall, who won a silver medal in the triple jump, and finished fourth in the high jump and fifth in the long jump, is a junior and returns. Hall will be joined in the field events by juniors Valerie Ashamu and Rosalie Rosenburg, among others. Ashamu is a sophomore and won a silver medal in the high jump, posting the highest height among underclassmen. Rosenburg, a junior, finished fourth in the pole vault, and will be one of the top three returnees next year in that event.

The cupboard is full.

When asked about the state champion girls team, Brewington offers, “I thought we were a year away. We had some really key additions, including freshman, that came up big for us. But, it was all about their attitude change. They came in hungry to get their spotlight, and they really bought in and trust the process. They got punched in the mouth all year long but never backed down. They showed so much heart and toughness. For a year now, they have been overshadowed by possibly one of the best boys teams ever,… so, for them to come out and make a name for themselves was more than incredible to be a part of. I’m so proud of these girls.”

The Scorpions haven’t only won consistently over the last 40-plus years, but many times they’ve done so in dominating fashion, providing highlight reel sprints and relays, those that create the electricity to any track meet. The ‘grand finales’. Wether it was winning by 121 points yesterday, by 78 points in ‘94, by 62 points in ‘02, 55 in ‘93, 51 in ‘01, 39 in ‘81, 37 in ‘98, 33 in ‘04, or 31 in ‘21, the Scorpions have won convincingly over the last five decades. While winning the 100, 200, and 400, yesterday was great, it’s not a first on Kilimanjaro, as the ‘94 team did that, and added the 800, too. The Scorps won both the 4×100 and 4×200 relay titles yesterday, the fifth time the program has swept both crowns in the same state championship. The previous four times, in ‘94, ‘00, ‘01, and ‘04, the Scorpions won gold in the 400, too, and in ‘94, ‘00, and ‘01, the Scorps took gold in the 4×100, 4×200, 4×400, and 4×800, all on the same day. There’s always another milestone to achieve on Kilimanjaro, and seemingly, always handfuls of dedicated track & field athletes that will walk the hallways on Kilimanjaro, year after year.

Lincoln IV and the rest come from a legendary cast of sprinters that once ran on the hollowed grounds of Kilimanjaro, from former sprinters like Farmer, Dudley Redding, Chris Bianchi, Damon Ferguson, Kyle Walker, Tony Cole, and Cameron Vareen, all who have won both 100 and 200 meter gold medals at the MPSSAA championships, once upon a time, like the Lincoln IV just did. Lincoln IV joins Farmer and Ferguson as the only Scorps to win state titles in the 100, 200, and 400 meters. Now, Lincoln IV adds his legacy to the championship echoes on Kilimanjaro.

Lincoln IV will go down as one of the greatest performers in MPSSAA history, and his medals and times will put him in the discussion as the greatest sprinter in MPSSAA championship history, considering his 200 meters time is the greatest of all-time in championship history, and his 100 meters time was the fastest in any finals in 38 years. Then, you have the 4×200 record-setting performance, which actually ranks behind the county mark Lincoln & Co. set four weeks ago in the 4×200, when they clocked a 1:25.45. Lincoln IV went 4-4 in golds in indoor too, and set the 300 meters record with a 46.38 time. 100, 200, 300, 400,, whatever it is, Lincoln IV has done it all. Now, the young sprinters not yet on the Oakland Mills campus will one day know his name, and maybe, just maybe, replace Lincoln IV one day atop the record lists in sprints. Ask Kyle Farmer.

And the beat goes on…