It was a two-team battle at the Baltimore County boys track and field championship meet on Jan. 20 and even though Western Tech and Catonsville weren't among the leaders, they proved to be the best of the rest.
Milford Mill, led by triple champion Jordan Leon (800, 1,600, 3,200), won the meet with 105 points and Dulaney was second with 80.5 points.
Third-place Western Tech (34 points) and fourth-place Catonsville (32) were well behind the leaders, but they produced some individual performers who gained confidence heading in the upcoming regional and state meets.
Catonsville will compete in the Class 4A Central regional track meet on Feb. 3 at the Prince Georges Sportsplex and any qualifiers will advance to the 4A state championships at the same site on Feb. 17.
Western Tech is headed for the Class 2A Central regional track meet on Feb. 2 and the 2A state meet on Feb. 16.
Catonsville had two individual county champions in pole vaulter Ben Mansfield and high jumper Sequan Smith.
Mansfield won the pole vault by a foot, over Dulaney's Ben Huang, with a jump of 12-feet.
Mansfield came into the meet with the best time in the county this season and although he didn't clear that height of 12-feet, 6 inches, he won the event handily.
At the Howard County Winterfest Invitational earlier this season, Mansfield won the event with a jump of 12-feet.
His teammate, Austin Pleyo, who entered the meet with the second highest jump in the county this year (12-feet) did not compete because of a hand injury suffered when he cut his hand, requiring seven stitches, in a meet earlier this season.
Pleyo, who cleared 12-6 last year is expected to be able to vault during the outdoor season.
"That's the best thing, having two kids on the team that push each other," boys coach Barrett Garvin said.
Before the Baltimore County championships, coach Garvin was leery about entering Sequan Smith in the high jump because it bothered his knees, but that changed when he jumped 5-8 in a league meet on Jan. 14.
Six days later, Smith jumped the same exact height and won the county title over second place Barry Gardner (5-6), of Woodlawn.
Smith also competed in the 55 dash, but he didn't qualify for the finals.
Smith has devoted himself to the track team after missing the outdoor season last spring.
"He was having a tough time responding to us last spring so we gave him the season off," Garvin said. "He has come back as a total leader. He is just wonderful to have around. He has just totally changed his attitude 100 percent."
Senior shot putter Zach Delker came into the county championship meet with the top throw in the county this season at 51-feet, 11.75 inches.
He came up short of that mark and finished second with a throw of 49-4.50 inches. The county champion was Brennan Mason, of Franklin, who beat Delker by 1.75 inches.
Greg Lane, of Catonsville finished seventh in the shot put (40-6.50).
Catonsville coach Garvin praised the summer workouts of Delker and Lane for helping them improve this season.
"Over the summer they worked with this other [shotput] coach who is really a pro and they just exploded," Garvin said. "They did it on their own and took the initiative."
Delker, who is also a standout lineman on the football teams, has won five meets this season and he was third at the Montgomery Invitational.
Although he didn't place in the 500-meter run, Comet junior Halim Joseph ran ninth in a time of 1:17.40.
Joseph did score points along with Shaun Miller, Adrian Boivie and Mansfield on the fourth-place 3,200 relay squad (9:11.40)
For the Catonsville girls, senior Taylor Giles won the Baltimore County championship in shot put with a personal best throw of 36-2. That bettered her previous best toss of 33-3.25 inches set on Dec. 13.
Catonsville senior Jaelen Churchill was ninth in the 300 meters (46.30)
Western Tech's boys were led individually by senior Trevon Wilkins who took second in the 500 and 800 meters.
The 800 was the closest race of the night for Milford Mill's triple champion Leon.
Leon took the lead with 200 meters left, but Wilkins caught him in the last 100 meters before Leon nipped him at the finish line.
Leon clocked 2:03.40 and Wilkins finished in 2:03.60.
In the 500, Wilkins ran 1:10.70, but was beaten by Milford Mill's Travis Walker (1:10.20).
Wolverine junior Ryquan Harris was third in the 300 (38.40).
Senior Darius Howe earned two points for the Wolverines by taking fifth in the 55 hurdles.
Western Tech's 1,600 relay team was second and the 800 relay squad was fifth.
The Western Tech girls were fifth in the team standings with 23 points. The meet was won by Hereford (91 points) for the ninth straight year.
Senior Aleandra Willridge was fifth in the 500 meters (1:23.80) and classmate Daijona Revell was fifth in the 55 hurdles (9.069). Freshman Crystal Johnson was sixth in the 55 dash (7.67).
The 1,600 meter relay team was first (4:15) while the 800 relay team was second (1:50.70).