1A boys track and field: Arickaree’s Jefferson wins four titles, Cheraw claims team title

LAKEWOOD – In a week that began with him celebrating Mother’s Day, Arickaree High School senior Jacob Jefferson capped a remarkable career by praising his mother.

At the state track and field championships at Jefferson County Stadium on Saturday, Jefferson won Class 1A titles in the boys 400 meters, 110 hurdles and 300 hurdles. 

After winning the 800 meters on Friday, Jefferson completed a 4-for-4 sweep for the first time in his career. In all, Jefferson closed his career as an eight-time champ, including three titles in the 400 and three in the 110 hurdles.

“The 400 meant a lot to me because that’s what my mom used to run,” he said of Shelly Jefferson, a Flagler graduate. “You can call me a mama’s boy, I don’t care. I love my mom and she helped me a lot.

“Sophomore year in the 110 hurdles I came in running like high 17s. I broke 15 today and it just feels amazing. I want to give a lot of credit to her because she’s pushed me a lot. She’s been at every single track meet supporting me no matter what.”

On Saturday, Jefferson ran the 400 in 50.80 seconds to knock off second-place Cyler Notter of Stratton (51.37). He ran the 110 hurdles in 15.78 seconds and the 300 hurdles in 41.55 seconds. Cheraw’s Braeden Harris was second in both hurdles, clocking in at 15.97 in the 110s and 41.60 in the 300s.

Jefferson, who didn’t get a freshman year because of the COVID pandemic in 2020, competed in the maximum of 12 events at state during his career. He was top five in all of them, including runner-up finishes in the 800 the past two years.

“It feels amazing,” he said of his career. “But there’s nothing really I can say other than the competition around me made me better.”

That includes Harris, who helped Cheraw to its first-ever team title. The Wolverines finished with 85 points, while Dove Creek (69) and Sanford (60) rounded out the top three.

Josh Snyder won his second title of the weekend for Cheraw by taking the 1,600 meters in 4 minutes, 40.40 seconds. He also won the 3,200 on Thursday. As was the case Thursday, South Baca’s Mylo Lovejoy was second to Snyder on Saturday (4:41.68).

In addition to finishing second in both hurdles, Harris was second in the 100 meters (11.30 seconds) and 200 meters (23.10 seconds). Denver Academy’s DJ Harris narrowly got him in both of those events.

In fact, DJ Harris established a new 1A record in the 100, clocking in at 11.15 seconds to break the previous 1A record of 11.18 set by Darias Harms of Simla in 2019. Harris then won the 200 meters in 22.70 seconds. 

“It’s super exciting,” Harris said. “I’ve been waiting for this my whole life. I’ve been training every day, just for this moment. I want to thank my mom, my parents and God for this. I’m honored to be here and be a part of CHSAA sports.”

Harris qualified for state in two events last year but didn’t medal. On Saturday, he added a sixth-place medal in the long jump and said he knew he could win both sprints.

“I did, but I had to stay humble. I had to keep working,” he said. “Every single day, we’ve got to keep working, go hard and run your race. Overall I felt good.”

Granada senior John Hainer capped his career with a third consecutive state title in the boys shot put, and he did it with a 1A state meet record. Hainer’s winning throw of 53 feet, 5.5 inches shattered the previous 1A record of 50-5.5 by Caleb Smith of Pikes Peaks Christian in 2011. Hainer, who also won the discus on Thursday, actually beat the previous record three times on Saturday. Wiley’s Cooper Tixer was second, at 46-6.

Genoa-Hugo/Karval junior Konner Rowden-Stum won his second title of the weekend, posting a winning mark of 22 feet, 0.5 inches in the boys long jump. Rowden-Stum repeated as state champ in the triple jump on Friday. In the long jump, DeBeque’s Scottie Vines was second, at 21-7.5.

Haxtun won the 400-meter relay in 44.0 seconds to cruise past Dove Creek (45.03). And, in the 1,600 relay, Cheyenne Wells posted a winning time to 3:39.83 to defeat second-place Cheraw (3:42.44) and the rest of the field.