Last week, the Gatewood boys’ track and field team captured its third state championship in five years.
It did so in dramatic fashion, too. The Gators trailed Trinity Christian by a few points entering the final event, the 4x400-meter relay race. They needed to place first overall to capture the title.
“The meet came down to the last race. We were three points down heading into the mile relay. We had two teams qualified, and Trinity had one,” head coach Jeff Ratliff said. “We are seeded fourth and sixth. Trinity was seeded fifth. If we win the race, we’ll win the meet. And we won the race.”
Gatewood’s 4x400 team of Jack Wooten, Kaden Keiser, Jackson Lundy, and Blake Callaway posted a mark of 3:34.33. Trinity Christian’s 4x400-meter relay team finished third overall with a time of 3:35.90. The Gators’ second 4x400-meter relay team finished sixth overall with a mark of 3:46.05.
“It was a sweet feeling,” Ratliff added. “I’m proud of these boys for pushing through and placing first. The meet and season couldn’t have ended in a better way. I am proud of every one of my guys.”
Gatewood finished with 103 points, five ahead of second-place Trinity Christian with 98. The Gators also concluded the state championship meet 27 points ahead of rival Brentwood at 76 total points. They also defeated Robert Toombs and Highland Christian at the state championship meet.
While the 4x400-meter relay win was the highlight of the day, Gatewood’s 4x100-meter relay team, consisting of Callaway, Lundy, Jackson Hewatt, and Jayden Daniel, placed first with a time of 44.22.
The Gators had several other solid individual performances. Callaway was productive at the state meet in Columbus. He placed first in the high jump, second in the triple jump, and third in the long jump.
Daniel placed second overall in the pole vault competition and fourth in the 110-meter hurdles. Landon Moreno also finished fourth overall in the long jump and triple jump events.
“Again, I’m proud of our team,” Ratliff said. “This state championship was truly a team effort. We needed every point, and we fought hard for every one of those points. It was nice to bring home the gold.”
Gatewood’s impressive 2024 season ended with a state and region championship. Under Ratliff's direction, the Gators also won state championships in 2019 and 2021.