Fresh off an MHSAA Class 4A state championship last year, the Northeast Lauderdale boys track and field team was hoping for a repeat performance this spring.

Then the COVID-19 pandemic began, and spring sports were put on hold before eventually being canceled. The Trojans’ dream of back-to-back titles was taken from them not by another team but by an act of nature.

“We didn’t lose any races this year,” senior Paden Moore said. “Every single race, we won.”

Northeast Lauderdale competed in just three track meets before spring sports were halted, and now that a chance at another championship won’t happen, its left Moore and fellow senior Tyler Smith admittedly frustrated.

“I think of what happened last year as something I can tell my grandkids, and getting that chance again and saying I won it twice, it’s kind of a let-down that I won’t be able to,” Smith said. “We could’ve had an opportunity to tell a great story and accomplishment.”

Trojans track coach Willie Bramlett said like his athletes, he was disappointed in the canceled season, as the whole team felt good about its chances of repeating as champions.

“People had predicted us to win it all again, and that’s what most of the guys were upset about, especially those senior guys,” Bramlett said. “Last year’s championship was the first one in school history in any sport, so that speaks for itself, and they were upset that they didn’t get a chance to defend it. I don’t have any control over what’s going on, and I know that, but it’s frustrating. We had Tyler and Paden getting looked at by colleges and junior colleges, and (canceling the season) hurt their chances of someone giving them a scholarship.”

Moore, who competes in the 300-meter and 400-meter dashes and the 4X400-meter and 4X800-meter relays, said one of the things he’ll miss the most about the track team is the camaraderie, which goes all the way back to middle school.

“We’ve been running with each other since like seventh grade, so we’ve known each other for a while,” Moore said. “We have good chemistry. In the relays, if one of us has a hard time, one of us is going to pick us up and get back in it. We have each other’s backs.”

Smith, who competes in the 800-meter and 1,600-meter dashes and the 4X800-meter and 4X400-meter relays, said in addition to not defending their state title, one of the most disappointing things for him is not seeing how much he could improve individually between the first three meets and the Class 4A state meet.

“I was slowly getting better on my 800-meter times,” Smith said. “We expected to go far this season. We had almost everyone back that we had last year, so I felt like we had a great chance to win state again.”

In hindsight, winning a championship their junior year is even more special in light of this year being cut short.

“We got our rings right after the season was canceled,” Smith said. “When I got that ring, I realized it was something that not everyone is going to have, and it helps take out the numbness of the season being canceled and lightens up the accomplishment a little more.”

Said Moore, “I’m just thankful I got to win a state championship, and I’m glad I got to run a few more times with my friends before I graduated.”

While it’ll be tough losing Moore and Smith, Bramlett said he still feels good about his team’s chances of winning a championship next year.

“If we can replace those two guys, we’ll be right back in the hunt again, and we do have good replacements,” Bramlett said. “Tyler and Paden have been with me since the seventh grade, and those are two of the hardest-working guys on the team. They do cross country also, so when tack season comes, they’re in pretty good shape. We’re going to miss them.”

Moore said he still hopes to earn a spot on a college or junior college track team. Smith said his plans for now are to attend Meridian Community College and transfer to Mississippi State to become a communications major, which he will use to fulfill his calling of becoming a minister. While joining the ministry is set in stone, Smith said his college plans could change if he gets a track and field offer from a school.