By Nicole Layton

BAYBORO — Several athletes from northeastern North Carolina punched their tickets to the NCHSAA Class 2A State Track and Field Championships during Saturday’s East Regional meet at Pamlico High School.

The top four finishers in each event automatically qualified for the state championships, which will be held May 13 at North Carolina A&T in Greensboro. Area schools advancing athletes included John A. Holmes, Bertie, Camden County, Gates County, Manteo and Perquimans County.

A gallery of photos from the track meet appears at the end of this story.

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Holmes’ athletes capture regional titles

John A. Holmes produced multiple regional champions and several state qualifiers on both the boys’ and girls’ sides.

Kamonni Matthews led the Holmes girls by winning the high jump with a clearance of 5 feet while also qualifying in the 100-meter dash with a runner-up finish in 12.78 seconds.

Aces’ girls’ 4×100-meter relay team captured a regional championship in 51.86 seconds to earn a state berth.

Jeorgia Hedgepeth also qualified for the state meet with a fourth-place finish in the discus at 78 feet. Hedgepeth added a fifth-place finish in the 200-meter dash and seventh in the shot put.

On the boys’ side, Robert Layton qualified in two distance events, placing third in the 1600-meter run in 4:56.19 and fourth in the 800-meter run in 2:12.67. Layton’s last-minute surge in the final stretch nearly captured a silver medal in the mile, with only a second separating him from second-place finalist Camden’s Noah Davis, also a conference champion.

Holmes also advanced both sprint relay teams. The boys’ 4×100-meter relay finished third in 44.28 seconds, while the 4×200 relay team also took third in 1:35.05.

In the field events, Steven Ferebee earned two state qualifications after placing second in the discus with a throw of 127 feet, 5 inches and fourth in the shot put at 41-10.5. Micah Felton added a third-place finish in the triple jump to qualify for Greensboro.

The girls’ 4×200-meter relay time secured a wildcard spot to advance to the state championships.

Perquimans County earns multiple podium finishes

Perquimans County’s Ja’Shasti Nelson turned in one of the top all-around performances of the meet.

Nelson won the girls’ 100-meter hurdles regional title in 17.45 seconds while also placing second in both the long jump and triple jump to qualify in three events.

Rihanna Rascoe added a third-place finish in the long jump for another state berth.

On the boys’ side, KyRon Foreman qualified in the 100-meter dash with a third-place finish in 11.34 seconds.

Steven Elliott advanced in the 110-meter hurdles after finishing runner-up in the finals with a time of 15.95 seconds.

Perquimans also saw strong performances from its throwers. Samuel Lane qualified for the state meet with a second-place finish in the shot put, while Kanari Hoffler placed fourth in the discus to advance.

Gates County sprinters lead the way

Gates County’s boys sprint corps delivered several standout performances.

Chris Lee qualified for states in the 100-meter dash with a fourth-place finish, while Jy’zhire Watford earned runner-up honors in the 200 meters and also reached the state finals of the 100.

The Gates boys’ 4×100-meter relay team placed second overall in 43.43 seconds to advance.

Bertie sends relay teams, field athletes to states

Bertie’s girls relay teams turned in strong performances, with both the 4×100 and 4×200 relay squads placing third to secure automatic state bids.

Ivy Holley qualified individually in the high jump after finishing third with a clearance of 4-4, while McKayla Wilson earned a state berth in the long jump with a fourth-place finish at 14-7.

For the Falcons boys, the 4×100-meter relay team narrowly secured a state berth by placing fourth in 44.75 seconds.

Durean Parker also advanced after taking fourth in the triple jump with a leap of 39-3.

Quashawna Belfield earned a wildcard spot in the shot put competition.

Camden County excels in distance events

Camden County produced one of the strongest distance performances among area teams.

Kamryn Rowe qualified for the state meet in two girls’ events, finishing third in the 800 meters and fourth in the 1600 meters.

The Camden girls’ 4×800-meter relay team earned runner-up honors in 10:59.77, while the 4×400 relay also qualified with a fourth-place finish.

On the boys’ side, Noah Davis qualified in both distance races, placing second in the 1600-meter run and second again in the 3200.

Lucas Barclift also advanced to states with a fourth-place finish in the 1600 meters.

The Bruins boys relay teams added two more state qualifiers, placing second in the 4×800 relay and third in the 4×400 relay.

Joshua Phillips also earned a state berth in the 400-meter dash with a fourth-place finish in 53.03 seconds.

Manteo dominates distance and pole vault events

Manteo’s girls’ distance runners produced some of the meet’s top performances.

Meredith Gaskill swept the girls’ distance races, winning the 800-meter run in 2:33.52 and the 1600-meter run in 5:35.51.

Jennifer Pena-Munoz added a third-place finish in the 3200 to qualify for the state meet.

The Manteo girls’ 4×800 relay team also advanced with a fourth-place finish.

In the field events, Rose Thornton captured the regional title in the pole vault by clearing 8-6, while Daisy Brewster finished third to qualify as well.

For the Manteo boys, Solomon Cooper qualified in the 800-meter run with a third-place finish.

The Redskins also advanced the boys’ 4×800 relay team after a third-place performance.

In the pole vault, Luke Stevens, Blake Mann and Noah Bell swept spots two through four to all earn state qualifications.

Alfredo Landazuri delivered another regional championship for Manteo by winning the discus with a throw of 132-4.

Track Meet Photos — click to enlarge the photo.