LANDOVER — Oakland Mills track and field coaches Chris Brewington and Renato Gonzales attempted to retreat and turn their backs from assistant coach Shallon Robinson. But it was too late. Robinson had already lifted the Gatorade cooler, and it was headed straight for them.
Water began pouring out like a waterfall and the veteran coaches couldn’t help but laugh as they soaked in the emotions. That moment was long awaited after a stressful, back-and-forth, yet ultimately exciting two days and 18 events.
The Scorpions once again reached the top of Class 3A as boys and girls team champions. The boys finished with 67.5 points and outpaced second-place Old Mill (59), while the girls captured the crown with 70 points, narrowly beating out second-place Howard (69).
“It’s a great way to go out,” senior Gabe Murray said. “You couldn’t go out any better. Both teams winning, it’s amazing. We’re going to remember it for a long time too. My sister [Aliya], she was on the team in 2023, the last time they won both titles. She still remembers it to this day, and I bet she’s going to remember it for a while too.”
For the boys, it was a Maryland outdoor state-record 17th state title and fourth in the past five years. Meanwhile, for the girls, it was their fourth state title and third in the past five years.
“It’s been up and down all day, it’s been an up and down year for them,” Brewington said. “Talk about everything we’ve lost and gained, but at the end of the day, they find a way to step up. I hate to say the word tradition, but that’s the tradition built in. We don’t hang county championships. I couldn’t tell you where the regional plaques are right now.
“This is the one they go for. This is the one that means the most to them. Every single time that we have needed boys and girls to step up, they do it. They find a way. They save their best for last and it’s just the resilience that they’re never out of it. We’re never down, never out of it, and that’s that championship mentality right there.”
In their development as one of Maryland’s top public-school programs, the Scorpions have a simple mantra: Anytime, any place, anywhere. With their sustained success and standout athletes, Oakland Mills never shies away from competing against the best or traveling to do so.
However, this year, you can add an addendum to that motto and update it to anytime, any place, anywhere, anyone.
Across the board, Oakland Mills saw several athletes step up. For the boys, Murray continued to lead the charge. He captured his first individual outdoor state title in the 300 hurdles last year and has been a constant at the top of leaderboards ever since.
This year’s state championships were no different as Murray defended his 300-meter hurdle title (37.10 seconds) and also won the 110 hurdles (13.85) for the first time at states. Yet that wasn’t enough for the Monmouth commit .
After this year’s county championships, Brewington texted Murray and said, “What do you think about the 100?” Murray didn’t respond to the text, but showed up to the next practice with a simple and matter of fact statement: “I’m in.” Murray said the 100 felt like second nature. In a few short weeks after that text, he blazed by the competition and won a third individual gold medal in 10.66 seconds.
“I love trying new events,” Murray said. “I like having more events. Me winning it, I had a lot of emotions because nobody knew I could do the 100. Even I didn’t know I could do it myself. Coming out, proving everybody wrong and showing that I can do things that I’m not expected to, it’s a great feeling.”
While Murray dominated, fellow senior Keshon Tate also made his impact known. Tate won the triple jump (46 feet, 4.25 inches) and did so on his first jump of the afternoon. That is the sixth longest distance in Maryland, according to athletic.net.
Tate’s first time competing in triple jump was during the indoor season and the senior was a quick learner. A successful long jumper, Tate instantly felt comfortable and delivered a memorable performance at states.
Fittingly, Murray and Tate were part of the 4×400 relay that cemented the state title along with Anthony Thompson Jr. and Tomoki Weddington. They competed in the final heat of the event and in the same heat as Old Mill, which trailed by five points at the time.
The Scorpions left no doubt as they finished in third in 3:18, which is the seventh fastest time in Maryland, according to athletic.net, and also a school record.
“It feels great,” Tate said. “Once we lost Jayden DeLeon, they thought we weren’t going to win anything anymore. We proved to them that we didn’t need Jayden. We won indoor states and outdoor states. We just proved everybody in Maryland wrong to know that this was the team that won indoor and outdoor states for 2025.”
Freshmen headline Oakland Mills girls state title
The Oakland Mills girls track and field team remembers the bitter feeling of last year’s narrow runner-up finish at states when they lost by two points to Arundel. However, those feelings have since dissipated after their performance this season led by two seniors and a pair of standout freshmen.
Scorpions senior Alicia Hall is one of the state’s most accomplished and decorated jumpers. She is a multi-time state champion and continued that trend with a gold medal in the triple jump (39 feet, 9.25 inches). However, she struggled in the high jump and long jump and surprisingly didn’t register a point in either event.
Yet, in what epitomizes a team, several other Scorpions picked her up and made up points in other areas. Fellow senior Janelle Codrington aided in that effort with a pair of third-place finishes in the 100 and 300 hurdles.
Outside of Codrington, it was a coming out party for the talented freshman duo of Payton Buchanan and Rozelyn Sarfo. While both young athletes shined at counties and regions, they took that to new heights at states. Sarfo finished fifth in the 100, seventh in the 200 and exceeded her own expectations in both events.
“I’m so excited,” Sarfo said. “When Payton crossed the finish line, I was jumping up and down. I hugged her. I don’t really remember the feeling of not winning states during indoors and it’s really exciting to see how I contributed. In the projections, I wasn’t [projected] to get fifth in the 100, I was supposed to finish last.”
Buchanan ran in seven races with the 110 hurdles, 300 hurdles, the 400 and the 4×400. She ran the 300 hurdles twice as one of the barriers was misplaced in the initial race. Through that tremendous challenge she flourished, as Gonzales and Brewington explained that the 300-400 split is practically unheard of. She placed sixth in the 100 hurdles, fourth in the 300 and was the runner-up in the 400 (56.40).
Yet, the 6-foot-5 Buchanan’s most critical contribution came in the final leg of the 4×400 relay. The Scorpions held a narrow lead over Howard and needed a top-two finish to cement the state title. Neck-and-neck with a Centennial runner throughout the final leg, Buchanan’s long strides built the separation she needed down the stretch and shut the door on Howard’s hopes of overtaking the Scorpions.
“Before the race, my coaches told me that we had to get second or third to win,” Buchanan said. “So, in my head before I ran, I was just telling myself, ‘I can’t let more than two people beat me.’ So, when I got the baton, I know I speed up way more on the last part of my race instead of the first part.
“I saw her right in front of me, and I knew I could get her even though I had run five, six events before. So, even though I’m tried I still try because I want to this for my team. After, I could hear my teammates cheering and they told us that if we hadn’t gotten second, then we wouldn’t have won states. So, I was very happy.”
Although several of this year’s top performers are graduating, the Scorpions showed that they’re not going anywhere. They’re merely adding onto the storied tradition of a program whose first state title was 44 years ago for the boys and 47 for the girls.
“Tradition never graduates,” Gonzales said. “These seniors are passing down to these underclassmen, what it is to be a Scorpion. What it is to be an Oakland Mills track team. We always tell the kids, ‘Track at Oakland Mills is not an individual sport. Individually you will succeed, you will get better. Together, we’re trying to win it.’”
Howard and River Hill girls excel
The Howard and River Hill girls also excelled in what was a banner day for Howard County. For the River Hill girls, the Virmani sisters continued to establish themselves among the state’s best distance runners.
Lauren Virmani earned a silver medal in the 2-mile race (10:48.58) with a personal record and also placed third in the mile (4:59.34) among a stacked field. Meanwhile, Marella finished third in the 800 and delivered a season-best performance with a silver medal in the mile (4:57.00) as she battled against North Hagerstown’s Rian Johnson, who set a state meet record (4:45.88) in her victory.
Howard seniors Bianca Durant and Sydney Rhodes left no stone unturned in their final state meet. The senior tandem nearly powered the Lions to victory with outstanding performances in the 100 and 200. They pushed themselves throughout the season, alternated in the final standings and fittingly, each earned a gold medal.
Rhodes earned a gold medal in the 100 (11.74), ran on the winning 4×100 relay team and was the runner-up in the 200.
“Honestly it doesn’t feel real,” Rhodes said. “I’ve been training all season, been through a lot of obstacles and ups and downs but pulled through. Bianca is an amazing competitor and racing against her in practice and meets is awesome. She deserves everything she gets.”
Meanwhile, Durant won the 200 (23.82) and was the runner-up in the 100, completing a decorated career for a pair of Lions that brought the best out of one another each day.
“I feel great,” Durant said. “I’ve been working up to get to this moment and I made it. It’s always either me or Sydney. We’re friends and we always support each other. It’s always like, ‘Who’s going to get it this time?’”
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