The Oxford High School track and field team hosted the Oxford Invitational on Saturday and put up solid results, with the boys team winning their meet.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Oxford Invitational was the first meet hosted by the Chargers since 2019. All spring sports were canceled in mid-March of 2020, including the track and field season.

In the boys meet, Oxford won with 146 points, finishing 36 points ahead of runner-up South Panola. Columbus, Gentry and Holly Springs rounded out the boys top-five. In the girls meet, South Panola won with 143 points, defeating Oxford by 26 points while Columbus, Myrtle and Gentry rounded out the top-five.

The Oxford boys won nine of the 13 events scored, while the girls team won five of 13 events.

“The girls and boys teams competed really well,” said Oxford track head coach Chris Patton. “It felt very good to host a meet at home after two years. I was really proud of the way we refused to lose. We are still in the process of getting into shape. We still have a few things to work on before we start the four-week run to the state meet.”

In the relay events, Oxford’s boys team swept all four while the girls team won three of them.

In individual running events, Oxford’s boys took home six first-place finishes. Cedric Burrel won the 100 meter dash, Ethan Knight won the 1600-meter run, Levi Bush won the 400 meter dash and Asthen Shorter won the 300-meter hurdles. In the lone field event, John Scott Kendricks won with an attempt of 15 feet, 7.5 inches.

Liana Logan won the girls 3200-meter run while Sparkle Caldwell won the 800 meter run.

Lafayette’s track team had two member participate in the pole vault meet. Anna Lafferty won the girls event with an attempt of eight feet while Watson Williamson finished runner-up to Kendricks with an attempt of 10 feet.

Oxford now turns its attention to postseason, starting with the Division 2-6A meet on April 9, which will be hosted by the Chargers at Bobby Holcomb Field.