East Lansing’s Kentre Patterson runs in the 4×400 meter relay Friday, May 20, 2016, in Holt, Mich.
HOLT – East Lansing’s Kentre Patterson was in the process of proving he was more than a one-sport standout before his battle with mononucleosis.
Patterson, a junior, who is a receiver on the school’s football team, qualified for the state track meet as a freshman, but was unable to put together a proper follow-up performance after the illness sidelined him toward the tail end of his sophomore campaign.
He came into Friday’s Division 1 regional at Holt High School looking to make up for lost time, and he did so by placing first in the 110 and 300 hurdles and helping the Trojan boys capture a second-place finish with 72 points.
“I knew I was capable of doing this,” said Patterson, who was a part of East Lansing’s second-place 1600 relay team. “(The state title) is at the top of the list. That’s a priority.”
Okemos grabbed the most points (89) out of any Lansing-area team at the event and finished in second place. Daria Richards placed first in the high jump, Miah Nash won the shot put and the 1600 relay team of Kendall Bubolz, Ally Burba, Laya Hartman and Bria Telemaque also left victorious. Junior Sophia Franklin led the way for the Chiefs by winning the 100 and 300 hurdles events – her first regional victories – and placing second in the pole vault.
“It’s something I worked really hard toward,” said Franklin, who was seeded second in both races. “I wanted it so bad, so I went out and got it.”
The Okemos boys finished fifth with 57 points and got a second-place performance from Saano Murembya in the 800.
The Trojans’ girls team finished third with 74 points. Taylor Manson won both the 200 and 400 dash events and Re’Anna Blair finished behind Manson in the 400. The East Lansing girls were also victorious in the 800 relay.
Everett’s Marice Allen accomplished something that hasn’t been done at his school in at least 30 years, according to coach Chad Foster, by winning both the 100 and 200 dash events. The Viking boys finished in ninth place with 20 points.
Grand Ledge distance runner Jenna Magness helped the girls capture a 10th-place finish by winning the 1600 and placing fourth in the 3200. Magness broke her own school record in the 1600, which she set at the state meet last year, with a time of 4:58.77.
“I was shooting for under five minutes,” she said. “I was very surprised. I didn’t feel like I was going that fast.”
Rockford won both the boys and girls regional title.
The Holt boys team finished in 11th place, while the girls placed 13th. The Comet boys came in 12th place, and Everett’s girls team finished 14th.
Contact James L. Edwards III at jledwards@lsj.com. Follow him on Twitter @JLEdwardsIII.