Mechanicsville hosts local talent at track invitational

ROBBY FLETCHER Sports Editor

Athletes from 28 schools stepped foot on the track at Mechanicsville High School for the Mechanicsville Invitational, which proved to be a showcase of some of the top talent that the Capital District has to offer.

The hosting Mustangs had plenty to be proud of after the two-day meet, which took place on April 21-22. The best performance came from senior Na’Jad Redfurn, who tied for first in an exciting high jump competition with Hanover’s Deonte Harris. The two competitors both soared to 5 foot, 10 inch results, leaving the invitational looking ready for the regional championships that they’ll surely be neck and neck in.

Redfurn also won the long jump, recording a stellar 20-1.00 result that gave his hosting school a first place winner. Harris was one of Hanover’s brightest standouts as well, excelling in both the high jump and triple jump. The Hanover star placed second in the triple jump finals, recording a 42-04.50 leap. He also placed third in the 110-meter hurdles, finishing with a time of 15.16 seconds to round out an overall productive day at Mechanicsville.

Other Mustangs that finished with strong outings include senior Blake Moody finishing second in the 100-meter dash (10.72) and senior Josh Gray finishing third in the 1600 (4:29.09). Moody had a photo finish in the 100, battling with speedy Patrick Henry runner Shamar Williams, who also clocked in at 10.72 seconds. For Gray, his third place finish wasn’t far behind Collegiate’s Stan Craig, the winner of the race who finished with a time of 4:22.13.

Harris wasn’t Hanover’s only big placer either, with the team turning in a strong relay performance in the boys 4x800 with a time of 8:32.62, which proved good enough for second place. A handful of girls stood out from the crowd as well, with All-Metro runner Alli Crytser placing first in the 1600 (5:02.36) and the 800 (2:20.25). In the 1600, Crytser’s teammate Elllie Agustin wasn’t far behind, taking home second place with a time of 5:10.43. Their teammate Jaelynn Joiner had a similarly productive day, winning the 100-meter dash in a thrilling race that saw her clock in at

12.29 seconds. Atlee’s Josie Rempe placed third in the race, nearly closing the gap on Joiner with a time of 12.49 seconds. Joiner later placed second in the 400, finishing that race with a result of 59.88 seconds. Her last event was the long jump, where she again finished in second with a 17-05.50 jump.

Hanover’s other top results came from Erin Smith, who placed third in the pole vault (10-0) and first in the triple jump (34-11).

Like usual, the Atlee Raiders were also an accomplished squad, with standout performances from Travis Albon and Teagan Gilhooly leading the way. Albon placed second in the 3200, taking on Patrick Henry’s Andrew Senfield and finishing in 9:42.17, while Senfield won with a time of 9:32.30. Mean- while, Gilhooly impressed in the 3200, taking home third place honors with a time of 11:44.77. Rempe had an additional third place finish beyond her 100-meter dash run, also finishing in that spot with her triple jump performance of 340.25.

While Senfield’s performance was the best of the day from Patrick Henry, the Patriots also got a promising finish from the boys 4x100 team, which completed the relay in 43.71 seconds, placing them in second.

Mechanicsville, Hanover and Patrick Henry will see each other again on May 2, when the team travel to Glen Allen for the Twilight Invite. Atlee hosts its own invitational on April 29, which will also feature Hanover.

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County. Now in its third year, the event features several of the State Fair of Virginia’s most popular family attractions, including Young MacDonald’s Farm with animals like alpacas, chickens, goats and pigs. It also will include cow milking demonstrations by SouthLand Dairy.

Guests will be able to park for free in a lot right behind the center and have the option of enjoying indoor and outdoor activities.

Deadline is 12 p.m. Friday for the following week’s issue.

New this year is a culinary competition. Entrants are asked to submit a creative picnic dish by noon on Saturday. Judging will take place at 12:30 p.m., and winning entries will be decided based on taste, creativity, ease of preparation and presentation.

Educational field trips for school groups will be offered May 5 from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. The festival opens Friday to the general public at 3 p.m. and will close at 10 p.m. On Saturday, the festival will be open to everyone from 11 a.m. until 10 p.m.

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Advance registration is required, and the deadline to sign up is April 28. Registration forms can be found here: forms. gle/PH9Wa9Cp4NjVfT768.

This year’s festival will be held in and around the 63,00-square-foot Farm Bureau Center exhibition hall so that “rain or shine,” the event will take place, said Marlene Jolliffe, executive director of the State Fair. “The past two years have presented us with weather challenges, so we thought it best to take advantage of the covered space that we typically reserve for the State Fair,” Jolliffe noted. “This is a good blend of fun and agricultural education. We want visitors to recognize that the fair food they enjoy every year originated on a farm.” email events@

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Sarah Jane Thomsen, agriculture education manager for the fair, added that they are excited to kick off this year’s festival with the educational field trips. “They are a great way to increase our agricultural outreach to students who may have no other exposure to farming.” antique farm and garden tractor show will take place at noon Saturday, followed by an antique tractor parade! The demolition derby will be held at 6 p.m. that evening. Adults can enjoy assorted beverages while listening to the self-proclaimed “neotraditional country” band Gone Country at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday nights.

There also will be exhibits from a variety of agricultural commodity groups, and bounce houses, pedal tractors and pony rides for children.

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Both days will feature a mix of agriculture-focused activities, musical entertainment, food, beverages and retail vendors. The festival aims to highlight planting season in Virginia, in advance of celebrating the harvest season during the State Fair, from Sept. 22 through Oct. 1.

“The Virginia Farm Festival is an entertaining event, but it also expands our mission of promoting agricultural education

During the festival, visitors can investigate Virginia State University’s Mobile Agriculture Education Unit, a trailer that interactively showcases Virginia’s largest private industry. Attendees also can see and pet farm animals, explore how food travels from farm to fork, savor some fair food favorites and watch live entertainment. Richmond-based Jonathan the Juggler will entertain audiences both days, with performances at 3:30, 5:30 and 6:30 p.m. Friday and 11:30 a.m., 1:30, 3:30 and 4:30 p.m. on Saturday. Judging for the

Tickets go on sale April 3. For more information or to sign up for the cornhole tournament, visit virginiafarmfestival. org.

The Meadow Event Park in Caroline County is the birthplace of Secretariat and home to the State Fair of Virginia. It is operated by Virginia Farm Bureau Federation, which is committed to preserving Virginia’s rich agricultural heritage and ensuring that The Meadow thrives as a regional event and equine venue.

With over 44,000 newspapers circulated every week throughout Hanover County, The Mechanicsville Local and Ashland-Hanover Local are your sources for your news and sports.

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