STEVENSVILLE — Junior Rah ‘Zir Wilson turned in one of the finest individual performances in the storied history of Kent County High School’s outdoor track and field program last week when he won three events, placed second in another and established two school records at the Class 1A East Region championships.
KCHS also boasted region champions in juniors Ramon “RJ” Peterson (200 meters) and Ke’yare Hawkins (shot put) at the state-qualifying meet held over two days at Kent Island High School.
Wilson, Peterson and Hawkins punched their tickets to states outright, while senior Harrison Gibby also advanced in the shot put and discuss.
The first- and second-place finishers in each regional final and the next eight times or marks from all regions in the classification moved on to the state meet this week at the Prince George’s Sports and Learning Complex in Landover.
In addition, any individual competitors or relay teams who achieved the advancement standards in their region meet final also qualified for states.
Wilson was the fastest man in the 1A East, stopping the timer in the 100 meters in a personal best of 10.84.
He also won the high jump (6 feet, 1 inch) and the long jump (21 feet, 10.5 inches), and placed second in the triple jump (43 feet, 10.5 inches).
Wilson improved upon his own school record in the long jump, which he initially set in May 2024, and eclipsed Tom Jackson’s triple jump record of 43-5 that had stood since 1983.
A teenager of few words, the 17-year-old Wilson said “it feels good” of all he had accomplished at the May 13-15 regional championships.
“I worked hard for it, a lot of practicing,” Wilson told The Evening Enterprise on day two of the 1A East meet.
Peterson led the 200 meters in 22.07, a nano-second off the school record of 22.0 flat that he shares with Lamont Wesley, was the runner-up to teammate Wilson in the long jump (20-7.5) and placed fourth in the triple jump (43-3.50).
Hawkins took first in the shot put in a school record of 33-10, bettering the school record of 33-9 that she established in 2023, and placed third in the discus (95.0). She set the school record of 108-10 in the discus earlier this month at the Bayside Conference championships.
Gibby, one of only two KCHS seniors to see the season through, placed fourth in the shot put (43-10.5) and discus (122-9).
“It’s extremely exciting,” first-year head coach LaKesha Hoxter said of Kent County High School’s state qualifiers.
“I couldn’t be more proud of them for an amazing season leading up to this very moment,” she told The Evening Enterprise in a text message. “We saw it from the beginning. Their hard work has paid off.”
Hoxter said Wilson “has not only met, but exceeded, every expectation that I knew he was capable of.”
“I believe that a huge portion of success is believing that you can,” Hoxter wrote in the text message. “Rah ‘Zir knows that he can! For him to attempt the triple jump for only the third time in the season, and not only qualify for States, but break the school record! I’m honored to witness it.”
After last week’s regionals, Wilson is being compared to Kent County High School hall of famer Dale Cooper, who at the 1986 state-qualifying region meet at Stephen Decatur High School won the 100 and 200 meters and was a member of the winning 400- and 800-meter relays.
Coincidentally, Dennis Herrmann, another KCHS Hall of Fame inductee who was the Trojans’ coach in 1986 and up through 2014, was an official starter at some of the races last week at the region meet.
In an email to The Evening Enterprise, he said: “Because I had a longtime career coaching the running sports at KCHS, 42 years, my heart is with Kent County High School, and therefore I am thrilled to see the accomplishments of Rah’ Zir. For that matter, I have watched RJ Peterson’s and Ke’yare Hawkins’ accomplishments with the same excitement.
“I am happy for them, and I am proud of them and what they have done for themselves, our school, and our community, though I take no credit for what they have done.
“My time has passed and to see school records of athletes I led fall, brings back fond memories of those athletes I coached through the years. I can still even recall the moments when those records were set, and the smiles and celebrations we shared together, athlete and coach together.”
“As for memories, I hope all these fine athletes cherish these days as among the best of their lives,” Herrmann said. “Whenever one of my athletes won a Championship or whenever we won a Team Championship, I told them this will never be taken away from you. At this moment in time you are the best in your event or the best of all the teams. And some day 20, 30 or more years from now, you will look back at this moment, remember it, and just SMILE.”
Printed here are complete 1A East Region results for Kent County High School. Top-10 finishes are noted.
GIRLS
100 meters: Ayrin Houston, 14.25.
200 meters: Houston, 29.51; and Izabella Hinefelt, personal best of 32.92.
400 meters: Hinefelt, personal best of 1 minute, 15.26 seconds; and Brooke Potts, 1:23.23.
300-meter hurdles: Hinefelt, personal best of 1 minute, 0.18 seconds.
Shot put: Ke’yare Hawkins, school record of 33 feet, 10 inches, first; and Sydney Bortz, 17-7.75.
Discus: Hawkins, 95 feet, third; and Bortz, 36-1.
High jump: Love Jackson, 4 feet, 2 inches, seventh.
Long jump: Jackson, 11 feet, 4 inches.
BOYS
100 meters: Rah ‘Zir Wilson, personal best of 10.84, first; and Bennett Harris, 13.22.
200 meters: Ramon “RJ” Peterson, 22.07, first; and Eli Wilson, 27.18.
400 meters: Kiyan Hynson, 56.76; Trent Johnson, 56.92; and John Coleman, 1 minute, 2.9 seconds.
800 meters: Johnson, 2 minutes, 20.76 seconds; and Coleman, 2:33.79.
1600 meters: Joshua Na-El, 6 minutes, 43.36 seconds.
300-meter hurdles: Hynson, 45.72; and Coleman, 52.11.
4×100-meter relay of Harris, Rah ‘Zir Wilson, Hynson and Peterson, 45.85, eighth.
Shot put: Harrison Gibby, 43 feet, 10.5 inches, fourth; and Avon Hubbard, personal best of 32.6.
Discus: Gibby, 122 feet, 9 inches, fourth; Cody Cummings, 94-10; and Hubbard, 85.6.
High jump: Rah ‘Zir Wilson, 6 feet, 1 inch, first.
Long jump: Rah ‘Zir Wilson, school record of 21 feet, 10.5 inches, first; and Peterson, 20-7.5, second.
Triple Jump: Rah Zir Wilson, school record of 43 feet, 10.5 inches, second; and Peterson, 43-3.5, fourth.
