Bolstered by Ciara Gray winning four gold medals, Jonesboro-Hodge High School claimed the 2025 LHSAA Class A Girls State Track and Field Championship, the schools’ first state championship ever won in girls competition. 

The Lady Tigers scored 58 points to outdistance the 45 points scored by second-place Southern University Lab and the 42 points totaled by Highland Baptist Christian School in the competition that saw 29 “select” and “non-select” schools compete for the state title at the Bernie Moore Track and Field Complex on the campus of LSU in Baton Rouge. 

“I speak for our entire coaching staff when I tell you how happy we are to be a part of this,” said an elated Tiger head track coach, Terrance Blankenship. “It is great to win state, but for this team to win the first-ever girls state championship for the school is HUGE.”

Quality over Quantity! JHHS brought only seven athletes to the state meet, with each playing a vital role in the championship effort. None more so than Gray, who gave the Lady Tigers 40 points by winning the 100 and 300-meter hurdles, the long jump, and triple jump.

Just as important to the grand scheme of things were the added points accrued in the 100-meter dash and both the 4×100 and 4×200 relay events. It was Zu’Wy’Nesha Johnson who scored six points by finishing in third place in the 100 meters and the combination of Johnson, Ric’Kiya Bryant, Ja”Khorielle Lard, Jaylenya Jackson, Lakayla McGuire and Sanaa Tatum that won third place for six points each in the 4×100 and 4×200 meter relays.

“Ciara turned in a special performance to say the least,” said Blankenship, “but we don’t win without the excellent effort given by all the girls. Everyone played their part, and I am extremely proud of the way they performed on the biggest stage.” 

 

Generational Talent! Not only did Ciara Gray perform the incredible feat of winning two events in both the track portion and field portion of the meet, but she also set new Class A records in the 300-meter hurdles and the triple jump to easily be the selection for the Class A Girls Most Valuable Performer award. 

“Oh yeah, she is something special,” beamed JHHS head track coach Terrance Blankenship. “Athletes like this don’t come around very often, especially at a school our size, although I will say we have been blessed with some incredible girls track and field athletes in the past.”

Blankenship was referring to track phenoms, Clotee Cowans, who in 1980 won multiple events at state in the 100 and 200 meters and still holds the Jackson Parish record in the 100, 200 and 400 meters and Kaprecia “Shy” Cowans, who in 2017-18 twice won four gold medals at state, in the 100 and 200 meters, long jump and triple jump. Both went on to illustrious collegiate careers at Northeast Louisiana University (NLU), now known as the University of Louisiana-Monroe (ULM), and Louisiana University (UL) in Lafayette, formerly known as the University of Southwest Louisiana (USL), respectively. 

“We have had some great ones to be sure,” continued Blankenship, “Clotee and Shy were two of the best in the state regardless of classification, but with Ciara being only a junior, she has the potential to be the best of all.” 

Gray has now garnered an incredible 9 medals in state competition over her three years. Six of the medals are gold, adding first-place finishes in the triple jump and 300-meter hurdles in the 2024 state meet to the four she won this year. Gray also has two silver medals for placing second in the triple jump and 300-meter hurdles in 2023 and one bronze for her third-place finish in the long jump last year.

As overjoyed Blankenship was for himself to be the leader of the state champion-winning team, he was even happier for long-time coach Jo Ann (Jackson) Buckner, the matriarch of the present-day girls’ athletics program at Jonesboro-Hodge.

“Jo Ann started the girls basketball and track programs at JHHS in 1976 and has, for virtually every year since, been a mentor for nearly 50 years now,” recollected Blankenship. Her input and shared experiences have been invaluable to me as a coach and for the girls.”

Family Tradition! Just how much is Jo Ann (Jackson) Buckner fabriced into the JHHS track program? It is not only the over 50 years of experience of coaching track it is actually in the blood line. Three of the coaches on the girls track team, Sophia Jackson, Shan Jackson and Crystal Jackson are related to her. More incredibly is that five of the athletes Ciara Gray, Zu’Wy’ Nesha Johnson, Lakayly McGuire, Jaylenya Jackson, Ja’Khorielle Lard are kin to her as well. 

“Jo Ann’s family has always succeeded in track and field going back to her days before she came to JHHS while at Chatham High and Jasper Henderson High where she and her family members won several state titles,” Blankenship continued. “it is in their whole family’s blood and it is a blessing for me to be surrounded around so much knowledge and experience. Heck, she has forgotten more about track that most people will ever learn. It’s truly a family tradition for them.”

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