Caldwell-Peacock Stadium on the campus of Jonesboro-Hodge High School will host the annual Llewellyn Starks Invitational this Monday, April 13th, with over 20 girls’ and boys’ track and field teams from across the state of Louisiana having committed to attend. Field Events are expected to begin at 3:00 pm, with running events to follow at 4:30 pm.
The meet is named after one of the most iconic track and field stars ever from north Louisiana. The 1985 JHHS graduate was an LHSAA Class 2A state champion in the long jump before becoming the NCAA long jump champion at LSU and earning a silver medal in the event as a professional at the Pan American Games in 1990.
JHHS Girls Win Mangham Invitational
Caira Gray was “solid gold” once again. The defending 2025 LHSAA Class A state track meet female performer of the year dominated the competition at the Mangham Invitational, earning the Most Valuable Field Performer Award in the girls’ division and leading JHHS to the team victory at a meet that drew 17 schools from across northeast Louisiana.
Her performance in winning the long jump, triple jump, and 100-meter hurdles, and in running the opening leg of the winning 4×200-meter relay, directly accounted for 40 of the 132 team points that gave the Lady Tigers a whopping 45-point advantage over second-place Delhi Charter.
Not only did Gray win three individual events, but she did so in local record-setting fashion. Leading the way was her 41′ 9″ leap in the triple jump, which set another new Jackson Parish and JHHS record, eclipsing the 40’11.5″ mark she set just two weeks ago and is also the two longest triple jumps in the state this year. Gray also registered a 15.29-second time in the 100-meter hurdles for the 9th fastest time in the event in Jackson Parish and JHHS records and an 18’1.5″ distance in the long jump, good for 10th in the all-time local annals.
Adding to the record-setting performance was her opening leg in the 4×200-meter relay, where she, along with Carmon Livingston, who, with three gold medals to her credit, was named the Girls Track Most Valuable Performer, Derryn Osborne, and Sanaa Tatum, moved into 10th place all-time with a time of 1:48.91.
Additional gold medal performers for the Lady Tigers were Carmen Livingston in the 100 meters with a time of 13.35 seconds and Makiaya Cadet in the 400 meters with a time of 1:13.21. The JHHS girls 4×100 meter relay team of Jakhorielle Lard, Carmon Livingston, Derryn Osborne, and Sanaa Tatum also won first place.
Earning silver medals for second-place finishes were Samone Mallard in the high jump and Sanaa Tatum in both the long jump and triple jump. Bronze medal winners for third-place finishes were Carmon Livingston in the 200 meters, Brianna Williamson in the 400 and 800 meters, Samone Mallard in the 300-meter hurdles, and the 4×400-meter relay team of Jakhorielle Lard, Derryn Osborne, Makiaya Cadet, and Brianna Williamson.
Tigers post best finish of 2026
On the strength of gold medals by Jason Ayres in the 800 and 1600 meters, with times of 2:30.74 and 5:34.71, respectively, who was named the Boys Track Most Valuable Performer, and Lon’Trevious “Tre” Burns winning the high jump (5’10”), JHHS took second place in the Mangham Invitational for their best team finish of the year.
Victor Johnson (20’7.5″) won second in the long jump to go along with the 4×800 meter relay team of Braylen Jones, Jason Ayres, Gregory Howard, and Kaden Whiseant to earn silver medals. Bronze medal winners for third-place finishes were King Campbell (44.13 seconds) in the 300-meter hurdles, Landon Boston (39’6.5″) in the triple jump, and the 4×400-meter relay team of Ky’Rein Bradley, Braylen Jones, Jason Ayres, and Gregory Howard.
Quitman Trio sets new school records in McNeese Relays
Quitman High School traveled to Lake Charles, LA, to compete in the high school division of the prestigious McNeese Cowboy Relays, which drew 33 schools from across Louisiana. Leading the way for QHS in the meet, which was made up primarily of Class 5A and 4A schools, was Kaleigh King, who took second place in the 300-meter hurdles with a new school record time of 48.91 seconds. Kaleigh Webb was also a “podium placer” in the discus with a throw of 85’2″ that earned a bronze medal finish. In the boys’ competition, Gage Horton and Nathan Harvey set new school records, each finishing 4th in their respective races. Horton ran a 2:05.74 in the 800 meters, which is also good for 5th place all-time in Jackson Parish, while Nathan Harvey also finished in 4th place in the 300-meter hurdles with a new school record time of 40.54 seconds, the third fastest in Jackson Parish history. Horton also finished 4th in the 1600 meters with a time of 4:55.44, which is the 8th best in Jackson Parish history.