Cherokee – In the first indoor track season in two years, Murphy and the three other teams competing made history.
For the first time, the Smoky Mountain Conference held an indoor track championship. Despite being indoor track season, the event took place on an outdoor track Feb. 2, since none of the schools in the conference have an indoor track.
Cherokee, Murphy, Robbinsville and Swain County competed in the meet, with Murphy finishing in third on the girls side and second on the boys side. The Maroon Devils won both the inaugural girls and boys championship.
“It was real neat for all the athletes to get recognized,” Murphy head coach Davis Bryant said.
Senior Faith Ann Revis was the standout performer for Murphy’s girls, winning the shot put while taking second in the triple jump and the 300-meter dash. Junior Cameron Grooms led the way on the boys side, winning the 55- and 300-meter dashes, running the third leg on the winning 4x200-meter relay and placing second in the 55-meter hurdles.
Participation was light across the conference this year, which Bryant attributed on the boys side to many potential athletes having to play two football seasons in one calendar year. But with a conference championship on the slate, he thinks it could attract more interest in the sport in the future.
With the N.C. High School Athletic Association having a combined 1A-2A championship, the qualifying standards are tough for 1A schools. That means having a conference meet would give athletes the best chance to perform in a championship setting.
“Maybe next year there will be more schools involved in it than we had this year,” Bryant said. “We had several athletes who had to miss two or three weeks because of COVID, so it did hamper it.”
Revis headed to states
Before this indoor track season, Revis had competed in sprint events and the triple jump. Since it was her senior year, she decided to give long jump and shot put a try as well.
Despite it being her first time competing in those events, Revis qualified for the 1A/2A state championship in both as well as the triple jump. The meet will take place at the JDL Fast Track in Winston-Salem at 4 p.m. Friday.
“I’m so excited that I was able to qualify in three events this year,” Revis said. “With it being senior year, I’m very thankful for the opportunities that the Lord has blessed with, and I’m so excited to see what state has to offer.”
Revis and the Murphy coaches figured she would be able to have success in long jump because of her previous success in triple jump, as she qualified for the outdoor state meet in the event last spring. Shot put, not so much.
However, she qualified by one inch with a throw of 30 feet, 7 inches in the Jan. 26 meet at Cherokee, then matched it at the conference meet.
“I had never picked up a shot put in my life,” Revis said. “I figured it was senior year, why not go for it?”
The state meet will be a completely different environment, as she will be competing on an indoor track for the first time all year, plus against both 1A and 2A competition. Revis said she feels less pressure in field events than running events, as there are multiple attempts in the field.
“Field events are a lot more relaxed to me,” Revis said. “You just go out there and do what you do, there’s no stress about it. It’s much more slower. You just go out there and try your best, whereas with running it’s one time and done.”
Murphy sophomore Jordan Oliver also qualified in the wheelchair 55-meter dash and shot put.