Red Raiders Earn Area Championship in Track and Field Staff Report The Red Raiders can add Area champions to their breakout track and field season. The Winnsboro boys amassed 134 team points to top the 14team field in the April 19 meet at Atlanta.

Meet-host Rabbits finished second with 126 points.

The top four finishers in each event head to the Region 2 meet set for April 28-29 at Wildcat Stadium in Whitehouse. Altogether, Winnsboro boys and girls qualified 15 athletes in 17 events.

Winnsboro held a 12-point lead heading into the final event, the 1600-meter relay.

Atlanta earned 20 points for their gold medal finish (3 minutes, 25.57 seconds), but the Winnsboro team was right there at the finish with the second-place honors (3:26.33) and 16 points. Kyler Finney ran the opening leg followed by Jerik Joyner, then Camden Capehart, and Jacob Russell at anchor.

The Raiders were competitive in every facet with 49 team points from distance athletes. David Soto placed first in the 800-meter run (1:58), the 1600 (4:30), and the 3200 (9:49). Brandon Dunavant placed second in the 3200 and third in the 1600, and Joseph Nguyen placed fourth in the 3200.

Hayden Deaton and Nico Payne advanced in jumping disciplines picking up 37 team points. Deaton placed first in triple jump (45 feet, 8.75 inches), setting a personal best and new school mark.

Deaton also grabbed gold in high jump (64) and will be looking for his third consecutive trip to state in the event. Payne qualified in three events with bronze finishes in triple jump and high jump, and a fourthplace finish in long jump.

Winnsboro had three area champions in the throwing disciplines -- Landon Boyd in shot put (43-11), Angel Hernandez in discus (138-5), and Faith Acker in shot put (38-5).

Other standouts for the girls were Sol Torres and Halle Deaton. Torres moved on in three events with a gold-medal performance in the 200 (26.04) and silver finishes in the 100 (12.90) and long jump (17-8). Deaton placed fourth in high jump (4-8).

Capehart advances in the 200 and Aidan Fitch advances in 110 hurdles, both fourth place.