Oakdale Track sends 11 athletes to the State Meet

 Eleven track and field athletes from Oakdale High School qualified to compete in the Allstate Sugar Bowl/LHSAA Outdoor Track & Field State Championships held May 4 - 6, 2017, at the Bernie Moore Track Stadium on the campus of LSU, Baton Rouge, La.
“It’s exciting for us,” coach Michael Deville said. “It’s exciting to get a few more kids every year and give them that experience, and the kids are excited.”
Oakdale runs into the State meet as the Lady Warriors are the 2017 District 3-2A Champions and the Warriors are runners-up. Highlighting the list of winners are Jondasha Davis who won the District Top Athlete Award finishing first in the 100-meter and first in the long jump. Darien Phillips (Outstanding Field Award) finished first in the discus and second in the shot put, and Phillip Poullard (Outstanding Track Award) came out first in the 110-meter hurdles and in the 300-meter hurdles.
 The list of boys who qualified for State is Travian Dailey qualified in the discus, Terrance Holmes qualified in the triple jump, Hunter Longino qualified in the discus, and James Evins qualified in the 100-meter dash.
 Evins is heading into the meet gimpy, but, according to his coach, he is getting back on track. “The meet before the district meet he kinda strained a hamstring, and we got him immediately some therapy and rehabbing him with the trainers and everything,” said Deville. And he’s getting better. Everyday he’s getting better. He ran good enough at the regional meet to qualify, so all he’s got now is that one chance. He says he feels good, so hopefully he’s ready to go.”
 The list of girls who qualified for State is Jondasha Davis qualified in the 100 and the long jump, Treshunda Joseph qualified as part of the relays, Alexis Davis qualified as part of the relays in the 4-by-1 and the 4-by-2, Shadiamond Johnson qualified in all three relays, Annisia Moton, and Darien Phillips qualified in the discus. Two alternates Stasi Adams and Tynishia Murray are also heading to Bernie Moore.
 Deville talked highly of his freshman Shadiamond Johnson. “She qualified in the 4-by-1, the 4-by-2, and the 4-by-4,” he said. “She’s a special kid. She’s gonna be a good little athlete.”
 Over the course of the season, the program at Oakdale had two athletes who set records. Darien Phillips set a possible school record in the first meet of the season at the Red Devil Relays at Pickering. She placed first in the discus measuring 116-feet 10-inches. Travian Dailey set a new meet record at the Gent Relays in Crowley measuring 126-feet six-inches with his first-place finish in the discus. 
“That’s a positive,” Deville said about his record setters. “That means the kids are working, and that’s all we can ask for them is to keep working and try to get better each week out there.”
Also over the course of the season, several track athletes took home outstanding performance honors. “Since I’ve been here at Oakdale, we’ve been fortunate that we’ve had some kids that individually go out there and win some events,” Deville said. “And this year Jondasha Davis has been a strong person for us. Hunter Longino is just a sophomore, and he’s won some outstanding field medals. We getting him two more years, so that’s gonna be fun.”