STARKVILLE — Six individual champions were crowned and one relay team from the area earned North State titles Saturday at the Mississippi High School Activities Association Class 4A/6A North State meet at Mississippi State.

Columbus High School’s Kashaeyla Brooks won the 6A 300-meter hurdles, and Caledonia High’s Jessica Comer repeated as North State champion in the 4A 3,200. 

Starkville High’s Kamau Bostic earned his first North State title in the 800. 

Noxubee County claimed the most individual titles of any area school, as Earnest Hunter won the triple jump and Anthony Clark won the 300 hurdles in 4A. Jasmine Little led the Noxubee County girls by winning the shot put. 

Starkville’s 4×400 relay team took first. 

In all, 43 individuals and relay teams from the schools punched qualified for the state meet next weekend in Pearl. 

The top four finishers in each event qualified for the state meet.

Columbus High 

The Lady Falcons could have let their youth stand in the way of making a statement. 

Maybe it’s about time to forget about inexperience. 

Columbus qualified all three of its relay teams qualified for the state meet, led by its personal record 4-minute, 11-second time in the 4×400 relay, which was good for third. 

Columbus took third in the 4×200 (1:45.27) and fourth in the 4×100 at (50.35 seconds).

“When we first came in, we knew we had an opportunity,” Columbus coach Yvonne Hairston said. “I was really scared about that 4×100 because we made some adjustments with Sky Samuals, but she ran extremely well today. She runs that first leg, and we moved her up and made her run that extra 20 yards to get that 4×1 in.

“The 4×2, we expected to fall in third, and our mile-relay did what we were supposed to do.”

Columbus finished sixth with 54.5 points, but individual performances had just as great an impact on the points total. 

Brooks, a freshman, earned her first North State title in the 300 hurdles, clocking in at 45.34 seconds. Brooks’ new personal record ranks her second in the state, regardless of classification.

Sharissa Spencer took third in the triple jump (34 feet, 6 inches).

“I knew she had the best time coming in,” Hairston said. “She had a slow time on the heat because she fell last week at Tupelo and got up and still won. I knew she’d be able to win it today. She’s gonna have some competition next week against the girl from Hattiesburg (Taryn Hartfield), but she’s running extremely well in the low 45s. That’s good.”

Columbus’ boys didn’t have a deep squad competing Saturday, but high jumper Sammy Doughty provided hope for an individual state title.

The senior took second in the high jump (6-4) and could have won, but DeSoto Central Freddrick Wiggins needed fewer attempts at the mark and took first. 

Saturday’s jump was Doughty’s best of the season.

“He’s coming and peaking at the right time,” Columbus coach Jim Hamilton said. “If everything goes right, he could bring it home next week. I think he can go 6-8. His PR is 6-6. He’s jumped 6-8 in practice last year.”

Justin Verner finished seventh in the shot put (43-6). He missed fourth by 16 inches. 

Columbus’ 4×100 relay team finished sixth at 42.89 seconds, nine one-hundredths of a second away from qualifying for the state meet.

Caledonia High

Comer is used to dominating distance events in North half of Class 4A. 

Running four events in four hours and coming off a three-week period where she’d been limited in training due to a foot injury presented a new challenge for the decorated runner. 

Aside from the 400, Comer punched her ticket to the Class 4A state meet with a win in the 3,200, a second-place finish in 1,600, and a third in the 800. 

Comer didn’t run the 400 last year, but the senior defended her 4A North State titles in the 800 and 3,200. 

Comer clocked in at 12:40.51 in the 3,200 and 2:35.21 in the 800. She ran 5:47.29 seconds in the 1,600. 

“It was really taxing to run four events,” Comer said. “I tried to eat good stuff all day and drink a lot of water. I tried to keep my energy up, but it was hard to come back because they ran this meet so quick.

“The 400, overall, it was a more competitive race. But that 800 was the hardest for me. It was at the end of the day and I was seeded first, tied with another girl. I ended up getting third, and I feel like my energy was drained. Since I didn’t go in the 4, it may end up being a blessing in disguise because I’ll have more time to rest.”

Caledonia coach James Reed said the decision to run Comer in the 400 at the division meet was to help the team retain its division title. While it may have added to Comer’s fatigue Saturday, he hopes she’ll be better prepared for the state meet with one less event and a full week to train. 

“She’s quick to recover, too,” Reed said. “I look for big things next week.”

The Lady Confederates tallied 43 points and finished sixth. 

Other state qualifiers for Caledonia’s girls include Symone Dickerson, whose high jump of 4-8 earned her fourth. 

Reed was disappointed Sarah Guess didn’t qualify in the discus or shot put after turning her ankle on her first throw of the day. She finished sixth in the discus (88-1).

“She either has ligament damage or a minor bone fracture,” Reed said. 

Caledonia’s boys earned 42 points and took sixth, buoyed by their 4×200 relay team, which finished fourth at 1:31.48.

Tyler Lowe took third in the high jump (6-2), while Zach Senneff was third in the 3,200 (10:44.07).

Caledonia’s 4×100 relay team took fifth at 44.52 seconds, just three-tenths away from qualifying for the state meet.

Starkville High

Kamau Bostic was a favorite to win two events entering the meet, and he made good on his bid to win the 800 after surviving a scare in the 1,600. 

Starkville’s top distance runner ran a personal record 1:58.55 to win the 800, his first North State title at Starkville. 

Earlier in the day, Bostic fell to fifth during the third lap of the 1,600 and rallied to claim third with a late surge in the last 200 meters. 

“I had (Tupelo’s) Jeff (Wilson) come up on me the last 200 meters and I was just like, ‘I gotta at least finish fourth,’ ” Bostic said. “I felt good that last 150 meters and I was happy to get third. I came through at 2:12 on the second lap and felt good, but that third lap kind of killed me.

“It just shows there are better people than me, and I just need to work harder. It didn’t deter my confidence in the mile.”

Bostic’s 16 points in the events helped Starkville’s boys finish fifth with 72 points. 

The Yellow Jackets closed the day with a win in the 4×400 relay, as Jalan Catledge’s blistering final leg led to a season’s best 3:25.04. 

Catledge also punched his ticket for the 6A State meet in the triple jump with a 43-4.

His impact on the 4×400 relay team that finished fourth at regionals last week was crucial, Starkville High coach Chris Barnett said. 

“Jalan has begged and begged, ‘Let me be the last leg, I’ll give 100 percent,’ ” Barnett said. “He hasn’t let us down.

“The team we put together right there, the previous best was 3:29, so that’s a four-second PR with any combination we’ve had this year.”

Starkville’s 4×200 relay team took third (1:28.74).

Jacoby Smith, who entered the meet ranked seventh in the 400, finished second (50.86).

Joseph MacGown took fourth in the 3,200 (10:24.02).

The Lady Yellow Jackets’ success came in the distance events, as eighth-grader Walker Mattox took fourth in the 1,600 and the 3,200. Mattox, who entered the meet with the top 6A time in the 1,600, clocked in at 5:37.86. She ran 12:19.16 in the 3,200. 

Mary Elizabeth Stringer took third in the 800 (2:29.93).

“Mary Elizabeth really stepped up on that 800 and showed out,” Barnett said. “I’m real proud of her.”

The Lady Jackets totaled 22 points and finished 10th.

Barnett feels positive about the boys team’s chances to place in the top five at the state meet, despite Martavious Foster finishing sixth in the discus (137-2). He thre