Out of all the 13 teams in the Southern Maryland Athletic Conference, the best time of the indoor track and field season is competing for either a state team title or a state title individually.

Those teams and individuals will have their last shot to claim gold in next week’s state indoor track and field championships in Landover to cap off the winter season.

The Class 2A state meet will kick off at 11 a.m. Monday, while the 3A and 4A meets will both take place the following day at 4 p.m. at the Prince George’s Sports and Learning Complex.

The top four individual finishers in each event at the region meet qualified for the state gathering.

The Thomas Stone girls are coming off a 3A East Region title last Tuesday at the Fifth Regiment Armory in Baltimore, and the boys were fifth. Senior Rachel Halmon, who claimed regional titles in the 500 and the 800, will also anchor the regional champion 1,600 and 3,200 relays at states.

The Cougars 800 relay quartet of Miranda Wood, Jada Jackson, Kolbi Sims and Destinee Mincy are also motivated for states after earning gold in the region.

On the boys side at Stone, the foursome of Juwuan Briscoe, Vaughn Walker, Raymond Robinson and Daylon Sims formed the regional championship 1,600 relay team, winning in 3:42.90, and are heading to states.

Huntingtown’s girls team, which finished runner-up in the region behind Stone, has junior Shania Collins in quest for a state title as the 55 dash regional champion, a race she won in 7.42 seconds, edging teammate Zanae Freeland by 13 one-hundredths of a second. Collins is the 300 dash regional champion as well, a race she won in 43.29.

Huntingtown’s Quajae Jones, a regional champion in the 55 hurdles, will be a major part in the boys team.

”I believe that all Huntingtown athletes can place in the top eight in their events at the state meet. We have a very strong region and those kids that made it to states should do well,” Huntingtown head coach Valerie Harrington. “The athletes have continued to work hard and fine-tune their technique to prepare for the state meet. I look forward to a strong showing by our athletes.”

La Plata senior Paige DeMent will look to continue her successful season at the state meet, fresh off of a regional title in the shot put with a throw of 37 feet 9 1/4 inches.

Lackey looks to shine in 2A

The Lackey boys and girls teams, under head coach Katie Schubbe, are both coming off 2A East Region crowns last week.

Leading the Chargers girls will be Alexis Murry, the regional champion in the 55 dash, 55 hurdles and the 300 dash. On the boys side, senior Markael Jenkins, a region champ in the 55 dash, and a second leg and anchor on the 800 and 1,600 region champion relay teams, respectively, will look for state gold.

Calvert had three regional champions on the girls side in freshman Liane Porter (800), and juniors Hannah Aris (1,600) and Courtney Mattson (3,200).

”We can pull out some individual state champions, we are very strong in our distance events,” Calvert head coach John Major said. “Liane may be a favorite in that 800, it’s her first season and she has been running very strong.”

On the boys side, Major said that sophomore Robert White, a region champion in the shot put, and sophomore Jordan Blankenship, who was third in the 3,200, should have a good showing at states.

”We don’t have kids sprinkled around in each event to win a team title, we still need to develop in some hurdles and sprint events,” Major added. “But I want us to run their best times, and have their best throws on the field.”

Patuxent sophomore Trent Herzog will be at states, too. Herzog was a region champion in the 1,600 and 3,200 and was the third leg on the 3,200 relay region champion team.

ajmason@somdnews.com