Track and field is among the most competitive and rewarding sports, especially at the high school level. You could run 9.99 seconds in the 100-meter dash or, unfortunately, get struck in the head by a baton in the four-by-400-meter relay. In the first week of March, both circumstances have taken place. 

This past Saturday, March 7, 2025, was the Texas A&M Bluebonnet High School Invitational, where high school senior Brayden Williams ran a time of 9.99 seconds in the 100-meter dash event. As the other athletes in his heat of the event ran times of 10 seconds, separated by milliseconds, Williams is only the second high school runner to run a 100-meter dash under 10 seconds. Although there was a wind assist of 2.3 miles per hour, it was still an impressive time for a high school runner’s season opener. As a senior, his speed won’t go to waste as he has already committed to the University of Georgia for the next few years. 

On the other side of the track, the girls’ 4×200-meter relay heated up quickly. At the Virginia State High School League Championships, high school senior Alaila Everett, and high school junior Kaelen Tucker were head-to-head on the second leg of the 4×200-meter relay, Everett struck Tucker on the head with her baton. As Tucker told ABCNews in an interview, “I just felt a bang on my head, and then I fell off the track immediately.” The medics would later conclude Tucker had a concussion. However, Tucker and her family just want an apology and an explanation. In a separate ABC interview, Alaila Everett claimed it was an accident, and as they were rounding the corner, her arm got stuck, and she lost balance, causing the collision. However, various people on the internet feel otherwise, as Everett told ABCNews in her interview that she had received death threats. Although this situation is regrettable, there are better ways to resolve this than strangers sending death threats to a high school track athlete.  

This past week has shown the ups and downs of high school track and field. Though the sport can be challenging, it will be one of the most rewarding experiences a student-athlete could have in high school.