Photos by Ryan Kelly
The Peninsula District boys have been overshadowed and honestly dominated in track by their counterparts from the other side of the Hampton Roads Bridge Tunnel over the past few years. However, the momentum may be shifting back across the tunnel to the Peninsula with individual stars such as Heritage's Daniel McFadden and Woodside's Malique Key. In Friday's events at the Suffolk Stars Invitational, McFadden showed his US #1 7.37 performance a few weeks ago at the New York Armory was not a one-time deal as he nearly matched that performance with a 7.39 clocking and win against one of his top challengers for the state title in Lakeland's JaQuan Demiel. Likewise for Key, the Woodside short sprinter needed to show his early season 6.45 55 meter dash clocking in a small district meet was not a timing malfunction but instead a result of his own speed. Key beat that time and the tough finals competition on Friday in tying Justin Burke as the co-state leader in the 55 meter dash at 6.43.
The Western Branch girls continued rolling through the competition this season on the first day of the Suffolk Stars Invitational with their top hurdler Desmonae Gray dropping her season best time to 8.23 in the 55 meter hurdles, Taranisha Taylor winning the 55 meter dash in a US top 25 all-time performance of 7.04, and Keilah Tyson improving to a state best height of 5'8" in the high jump.
Suffolk Stars Invitational - Day 1 Results
More to come from the Suffolk Stars Invitational including photo gallery from both day of events by Ryan Kelly.
