Keyshawn Robinson performed well enough in his four events to become the top individual scorer at the state meet over the weekend, with 26 points. David Pennock

CHARLESTON — Jefferson High School’s difficulties in two different relays were only partially to blame for its fourth-place team finish in the state track and field meet, held last weekend in Charleston.

The Cougars were disqualified in the 4×400 relay and did not finish the 4×100 relay in falling short with 59 points of Cabell Midland High School’s 108 points. Hurricane High School was a distant second in the team standings with 76 points and Huntington High School was third with its 75 points.

After dominating its Class AAA, Region 2 competition the week before, Jefferson could not keep pace this year at the well-attended state meet.

Even with the somewhat disappointing team standing, individual sprinter Keyshawn Robinson performed well enough in his four events to become the top individual scorer with 26 points. Drew Zundell, of University High School, was second with 24.5 points.

Robinson, a senior who has signed to play football at West Virginia University, had the Cougars only two wins in the meet’s events.

Robinson won the 200 with his time of 22.11 and returned to the winner’s circle again when he repeated his 2023 state meet victory in the 400 sprint. His winning time in the 400 was 49.23.

In reaching the total of 26 individual points, Robinson finished third in the 100.

Jefferson’s best non-winning performances were its second place in the 4×200 relay (Tony Allen, Tay’Shaun Roper, Azmani Jackson and Caleb Shelton) as well as the second-place finish in the 200 by sophomore Tony Allen and another second-place in the 4×800 relay (Agustin Hall, Conner Myers, Reese Hickey and Owen Thompson).

Hall finished fifth in the 800 meter distance run and Myers placed eighth in both the 1,600 and 3,200 meter distance events, giving the Cougars the last of their team points.

Cabell Midland, often a team contender for state honors in the cross country state meet, outpointed its area competitors (Hurricane and Huntington) to give the state meet a distinct southwestern West Virginia flavor.

Huntington was the returning 2023 state champion from that big-school meet.

Jefferson had won the Region 2 meet held in the chill of a dank afternoon by some 90 team points over runner-up Musselman High School.